If you want some explanation of the past decade’s styling trends, you’d do worse than to look at a 1993-2000 Fiat Coupe. Famously styled in-house by Chris Bangle (though built by Pininfarina), whose signature 2002 BMW 7-series both confounded and influenced our aesthetic sensibilities, it was a predictor of things to come. If you don’t see it, that’s okay; it’s a traditionally attractive car which doesn’t challenge the eye. The markers of “flame surfacing” and, in general, unexpected interruptions in shapes are there, however, marking a break from the minimalism of the ’80s and organic influence of the ’90s. As a style pioneer from today’s perspective, it’s uniquely subtle and if it seems unremarkable to us, it’s because so much of what has followed makes this car look clean and simple.
Unfortunately for Fiat, a lot of what followed this car has in fact, been quite simple. Without an upscale image leader or a competitive C-segment car for over a decade, the flair which characterized some Fiats is seemingly lacking (not necessarily true if one considers the 500 to have flair of a different sort, but retro appeal is fleeting). There’s certainly little with which to compare the turbocharged straight-five which powered the later versions of this car, though the 500 Abarth has one of the more (if not the most) musical four-cylinders on the market today. The trajectory of Chrysler’s current “partner” is, of course, a different story, but a Fiat Coupe is an interesting footnote in their recent history. Never sold on this side of the Atlantic, and never known for durability, keeping this car maintained and running in Ontario (where it was found by S. Forrest) is likely already a challenge. Hopefully enough car buffs ask what it is, then, because many may never realize its influence.
Related reading:
Cohort Outtake: Splateagle Misses His 1998 Fiat Coupe 20V Turbo
Love the styling of these. Polarizing as it may be, I still think it looks modern. This Coupe, and the Barchetta, were a high point in Fiat design language in my opinion. I even liked the Bravo/Brava from the same era.
Agree with you there, Fiat managed to capture some classic design cues without the cars looking overtly retro. My father traded a lovely black Saab 9000 turbo against a Fiat Brava, and as much as I tried to hate it for replacing the Saab, it was still an endearing car, despite it’s obvious ‘cheapness’. The three separate rear lights were a neat touch.
Always enjoyed seeing the Bravas around with those three rear lights – I loved how Fiat could have used a plastic cover, but chose to make three holes in the panel. Great attention to detail!
I can see the “Bangle Butt” for sure. Looks a lot better from the front.
The BMW E65 from which the term Bangle Butt is derived has a reduced rear quarter (fender) line with the rear outline dominated by the box like boot (trunk). Think Daimler DS420 as the final destination of this design direction. There is no sign of that trend on the featured FIAT. I see some similarity with the 1995 Alfa GTV with those angled side slashes.
I agree that this was prescient in terms of later styling trends, although most of them are trends I don’t like, so my reaction to this car is still aesthetic dismay. Ironically, I quite like the similarly polarizing 916 Alfa GTV, which I think shares essentially the same platform with a more sophisticated suspension, so I guess there’s no accounting for taste. Obviously, the Alfa was a more expensive car, but I feel like its detailing manages to make it look stylish where the Fiat just looks clumsy.
Honestly, I could see the Fiat coming out of Hyundai or even Isuzu in the ’90s and being dismissed as weird and tasteless even if the design were exactly the same. Being Italian does have its advantages.
I’ll agree when it comes to stereotyping; as a fan of Japanese cars, the conventional wisdom when it comes to strengths and weaknesses has often seemed rife with prejudice.
But as far as this Fiat’s styling, maybe it’s my age, but it doesn’t quite shock the senses in the way the 2002 7-series or E60 5-series do. There’s interruption of certain shapes (notably the wheel wells), but it’s pretty clean and cohesive. I suspect that, while Bangle is widely credited for the design, his more outre tendencies were kept under control. I find it very modern, but still conventionally attractive.
I agree that it’s not shocking like the E65 and E60, although I think that’s largely down to expectations. People expect a certain amount of flamboyance from coupes — that’s most of the point. The 5- and 7-Series are executive sedans for a conservative market, so if they get weird, it’s like having your buttoned-down boss show up to work wearing an ostrich costume.
My intense distaste for the E65 and particularly the E60 is well-documented, but I will say that the coupes and roadsters designed under Bangle’s aegis tend to work much better. The E92 (previous 3-Series coupe) is really quite attractive and while the E85 and E89 Z4s aren’t my thing, there’s a cohesive concept there that I respect even if I don’t love it.
By comparison, the sedans always feel overwrought and visually incoherent. I think the problem is that the hardpoints are still, well, sedanish, so you end up with all this frantic detailing and these weird shutlines that don’t have anything to do with one another. The E60 is the worst offender in that regard, but all of the sedans look cluttered. The astonishing thing is that the E60’s actual exterior designer was Davide Arcangeli, who did the extremely pretty Peugeot 406 coupe and Honda’s Argento Vivo concept, which presaged the quite attractive S2000, so I assume the fussiness was Bangle’s influence.
Excellent point about the design of this car, Aaron. I believe you’re correct, there are aspects of the design that are less than artful. However, the Italians have a long design history and I think overall this car works, even with the discordant wheel well openings and the frenched tailights. I agree that if this car had been released as a Kia, we’d been piling on about how ham-fisted Korean design is.
That said, it’s not like Hyundai and Kia don’t pop out a few winners. I’ve thought the 2003-2010 Hyundai Tiburon was a great little mini-GT in the vein of the 1970’s GM H-bodies or the Mustang II, but done right. Too bad it’s front drive, this is one car I’d love to swap a SBC into and have all kinds of fun! The Genesis Coupe was another decent looking car that is RWD, which makes a SBC swap theoretically possible. I know folks have actually swapped in Hyundai V8’s, but what fun would that be?
Regardless, I’d like to take the wheel of one of these Fiat Coupes, just for a day, to see what they’re like.
I don’t know, the 2003-2010 Tiburon was a pretty heavy handed knock off of the Mark IV Supra, especially up front.
It does look a lot like the A80 Supra, but I think it actually has better proportions than the Supra. The A80 suffered visually from being a cut-down version of the Z30 Soarer/Lexus SC platform — the Supra is 34 cm shorter and 14 cm were lopped out of the wheelbase — which ends up looking squat and a little pudgy rather than sleek. The Hyundai is thematically similar, but the whole shape is flattened enough to eliminate most of the squatness despite the fact that the Tiburon is even shorter than the A80.
There are elements of the Tiburon’s detailing that don’t quite gel (the strakes behind the front wheelhouse being one example), but the overall shape works pretty well. If it were a school assignment, I’d give it a B+.
To my eyes, I always thought the designers were looking to the Ferrari 456GT for the second generation Tiburon:
Totally, I recall this being mentioned at the launch of the Hyundai.
That too, although I think Matt’s right that it ends up looking a lot like the Supra.
I’ll pass, thanks.
It’s certainly aged much better than I expected it to! And I have to agree with the comments about Japanese styling too.
could be a sibling in a family if a Ferrari 456 had a kid with an eighth generation Cougar whose cousins are BMW 840s and Ford Probes.
I don’t see it. Looks like two different sculptors started from different ends and quit in the middle when they realized the rear sculptor was off by 20 degrees and six inches.
City maps often show surveying errors like this, but it shouldn’t be part of a car.
Hard to believe this car was designed more than 20 years ago….nearly 25 years ago.
As I seem to remember, the interior is also striking, at least the instrument panel.
Sorry, not a Bangle fan. I think the Bangle influence came from those manufacturers that wanted to emulate BMW at all costs, and thus wanted their products to look just like BMW’s regardless of how good or bad BMW’s looked at the time. In other words, would follow BMW off a cliff…….. Notice that the Bangle influence was primarily on lower priced cars. Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, and Cadillac went their own way. Best looking BMW of the era by far was the Z8, and wasn’t that done by Fisker?
+1000
This was Bangle before he was “Bangle”. The funny thing is all these years later, Bangle’s influence upon styling has never been more common (Bangle butts, “flame” surfacing, etc.) but the guy gets derided and remembered only for the design of one car.
Not that I was a huge fan of the innovations that Bangle foisted upon us, but it remains the man made a splash in the automotive design world and we accept his designs with very little thought (or protest) now.
I’ve mentioned this before, but I am a fan of these cars.
Oddly, they remind me of the early version of the last-gen Pontiac Sunfire GT (1995-2005). Of course living here in the States, I have no idea what they’re like to live with day-to-day, but I’ve often thought it would a pretty nice little runabout in the same nature as my old Sunfire.
I have to say I’m a little envious of the owner of this Fiat Coupe. I’d like to try it out, even for a day or two.
Yeah, that was my first free-association too, that this ends up looking like a highly customized late 90’s Cavalier or Sunfire coupe.
“…unexpected interruptions in shapes…”
This is an impressively neutral way to describe details I’d call arbitrary and frivolous. Then again, people find ’59 Lincolns and “Squarebirds” attractive, so what do I know?
They were striking looking cars. The Barchetta is more restrained.
The question for the one in the picture would be: is it the NA or turbo version of the 5 cylinder engine.
Bangle and his ugly creases should be left in the rubbish skip of history, No I’m not a fan.
Say what you want about Bangle, he did change car design over the entire industry significantly. Too bad Fiat’s own follow-up on it (without Bangle, but in the same style) was not so successful – which is why they abandoned it pretty quickly.
Striking and challenging design yes; I could never decide if I liked it or hated it.
But I definitely can say that I always liked the front end treatment (other than the length of the overhang), for the way the sides curve into the front, and the cleanliness of it all. I think the front, and rear, lower bumpers are handled especially well, far better than today’s look-alike, angry, flared messes.
This Fiat Coupe design fails to please me. These angles are just to odd. It reminds me of the strange angles and lines of the Matra 530. I find that one odd but likeable because it is odd.
The FWD Mercury Cougar follows this theme as well. In my opinion it is the best rendition of a wedge angle coupe. It is a visual unit.
And there is a 2000 Cougar: the angles show mostly in the rear lights and the the rocker panel.
The front has the most angles.
I remember the first time I saw one. I was on I 40 East in North Carolina, hardly any traffic and I wondered what the heck is this thing in my rear view mirror? I was in awe when it passed me.
Too bad it was based on the gawdawful Detour, er, Contour.
For the record the Fiat is @ Gentry Lane http://www.gentrylane.com/ in Toronto, on Dupont. They’re a Lotus etc… dealer and even have a Peugot service sign on the building.
Amazing showroom full of everything from 50s American to new Lotii AND you can see partially disassembled exotics in their workshop from the street.
Striking looking cars – and I get to look at a blue one most days as someone at the neighbouring business to my work drives one 🙂
More distinctive than beautiful for me, but I did like the dashboard treatment in photos at least.
CC-effect alive and well in Germany!
I saw this one while putzing around in Görlitz.
And from the front:
Always thought the Fiat Coupe looked good, except for the 4-spoke wheels and slashed arches.
I still think Bangles’ real talent lay in convincing people his designs looked good – even when they didn’t. I remember watching a video of him explaining the merits of the 5-Series GT, even though it was clearly a dog.
If the 7-Series BMW we see as customers is the one BMW managers liked, how on earth did the ones look that got the tumbs down?