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McReis
04-28-2003, 07:57 AM
Hi everyone! I guess this will certainly be the forum we needed to have a few talks and enjoy our exepriences and car talk.

Well, I've got no fat, gorgeous Mercedes to show. My daily car is (was) 206 2.0 hdi (turboD as it is called in some countries), and there's nothing special about it apart from some Speedline Corse wheels.

My pride an joy, at the moment, is a beauty called Fiat 850 Coupé from 1967.

In the picture I was nailling it to achieve a 2nd place at a sprint race from our local classic car club. I've missed 1st by a mere 0.02 seconds to a BMW 635, and ahead of several real powerfull cars, showing that agillity can make up for power!

It's the Italian way!

Roy Visser
04-28-2003, 01:33 PM
whats the power weight ratio? How many Km's are on it? It still looks gorgeous after all these years!

Egg Nog
04-28-2003, 05:46 PM
Absolutely gorgeous. I'm glad you're havning fun with it, and I wish you many happy kilometres in the future :)

McReis
04-29-2003, 05:16 AM
Hello there!

Well, I've never lost the time needed to make the power to weight calcule, because I guess the result would be depressing. :D

The numbers are an astounding 40 bhp to push almost 700 kg.
However, thanks to a good gear ratio it goes well over 150 km/h, reaching 160 at the first touch on the redline.

It clocks 90.000 real kms, and its engine, such as its gearbox have never been touched. Quite reliable, then. Very unFiat.

It will now be given back its black vinil interior. It is not original at the moment, and it is wearing a lot.

It looks very nice alongside my 1970 light blue Vespa, making a 60's Italian scenario.

I hope I'll soon be adding a incredibly new BMW 2002 to the small party, for some more serious performance. I'll be making some old school performance tuning.

Thanks for your nice replys. Guess we'll have some good chat's here.

Roy Visser
04-29-2003, 08:38 AM
Nice classic collection growing and growing :) One day, i'll have a nice classic Porsche, and i'll join you in Classic Rallyes!

Ghost
04-29-2003, 10:29 AM
what you need is an '87 Porsche 944S, I just recently bought one with 135,000 miles and the thing still halls like ite new.

McReis
04-29-2003, 01:21 PM
Well... I don't really love the 944, although a never use the expression "poor man's Porsche" (except fot the new MR2, the poor man's Boxster).
I would prefer spending a bit more and have a 928. A misunderstood Porsche.
My future plans after the 2002, are pointing to a BMW 635csi.
I just NEED it! :)

Alcomet
05-03-2003, 04:12 PM
It´s very nice to see a countrymen with such a good taste for cars!! What was the Club race where U raced in ??

GTS25t
05-05-2003, 01:03 PM
Hi McReis- just wanted to let you know that here in Aus. a couple of years back a red Fiat 850 looking much like your one at one time held the record of Australia's fastest street-registered 4 cylinder car (it was a purpose built drag car). ;)

I believe it had a heavily modified Lancia Delta turbo engine crammed into it somehow. It ran high 8 second quarter miles from memory.

henk4
05-07-2003, 01:59 AM
congratulations on your fiat, I am however puzzled about your performance figures. We had one of these in 1967, (turkish blue, bronw upholstery registered 16-53-ED, Dutch not Portuguese a s your car) and I remember that the red line on the big optional rev counter started at 6200, where it could produce about 47 BHP. I managed about 150 on the tacho. It was great fun to drive, and the rear crossply's were replaced by Michelin XAS after 12000 km only, showing the traces of intensive use.
The optimum version would of course be the Abarth 2000 of which only very few were built.
I always stop to look when I see one, but good ones are rare because they were slightly rust prone.

henk4
05-07-2003, 03:21 AM
congratulations on your fiat, I am however puzzled about your performance figures. We had one of these in 1967, (turkish blue, bronw upholstery registered 16-53-ED, Dutch not Portuguese a s your car) and I remember that the red line on the big optional rev counter started at 6200, where it could produce about 47 BHP. I managed about 150 on the tacho. It was great fun to drive, and the rear crossply's were replaced by Michelin XAS after 12000 km only, showing the traces of intensive use.
The optimum version would of course be the Abarth 2000 of which only very few were built.
I always stop to look when I see one, but good ones are rare because they were slightly rust prone.

McReis
05-07-2003, 03:26 AM
It's nice to know there's someone there who as experienced the strange driving pleasure of this car.

To be honest, I'm not totally sure about this car's real bhp. I read about it in some magazines and web pages, and think that it may around 43 bhp. However my car easily goes past 150 km/h. After 155 it comes into the 6200 redline, wich makes it very uncomfortable and hard for a car a lot older than the driver. :)

At this sprint race showed in the first photo, I've really had a lot of fun because I could manage some good slides from such an underpowered car, because of the slippery floor. But with the stunning abarth OT 2000 you mencioned, with it's 192 bhp, no slippery surfaces should be required. Only six of those cars were made, and I sure would kill to have one of them. I think it is the most appealing of all Fiat Abarth's except maybe from the mk2 131 rally.

The good news are, that for someone with some money to spend and with a rare example of the first coupé (like our's) to spare, can easily build a nice replica. The engine is an Abarth-Simca 2000.

Here is how it looks:

McReis
05-07-2003, 03:30 AM
Here is part of the first series 850 coupé (mine) brochure.

McReis
05-07-2003, 03:32 AM
And here is a great link to whoever may be interested in these cars.

henk4
05-07-2003, 05:56 AM
Hi McReis,

I'm sure ours had 47 BHP (the 847 cc and not the 903) and although the official top speed was only 135 kph, i saw roadteats where they measured it at 146. So with favourable conditions it could reach about 150. The spider had 49 BHP, but may be at the time in Portugal they sold tamer versions because of the petrol quality (this is just guessing). The coupe in Holland was considered to be a ladies car, but I, being 18 at that time, did everything to make it look like a boy racer. Unfortunately after this one my father bought a 128, which was roomier but less fun.
The conversion looks great, probably you put in many different engines, but in any case the car will be very tail happy and even lethal in wet conditions.

anyway keep me informed about what's going on, this car brings back so many fond memories.

Pieter

henk4
05-07-2003, 10:32 AM
forgot to mention, my daily driver is a Xantia break 2.0HDI, with some changes to the motormanagement, giving about 135 BHP and 290 NM torque.

McReis
02-16-2006, 08:54 AM
I've been through my video archive recorded on CD's, and I decided to put this fantastic piece of action here, to fully document what the Fiat is capable of, when mastered by a driving god. :D:D:D
If you look veeeery closely, there are signs of oversteer on some points.
It was a sprint competition amongst friends.

http://rapidshare.de/files/13395148/Fiat_850.wmv.html

Matra et Alpine
02-16-2006, 09:01 AM
Nice to see the "wee beastie" in action.
A decent attempt at getting the tail out at 1'29"ish :D

Who was brave enough to be co-driver ?
Or was that the advanced "moveable weight" system in use that prevented any understeer or oversteer ?
:D

You could have done with some power oversteer in that circle at the end, huh :(

No flames out the exhaust either ? You're not serious about tuning it man. Get some stikkaz on there too :D

McReis
02-16-2006, 09:10 AM
Nice to see the "wee beastie" in action.
A decent attempt at getting the tail out at 1'29"ish :D

Who was brave enough to be co-driver ?
Or was that the advanced "moveable weight" system in use that prevented any understeer or oversteer ?
:D

You could have done with some power oversteer in that circle at the end, huh :(

No flames out the exhaust either ? You're not serious about tuning it man. Get some stikkaz on there too :D

:D

The brave co-driver still talks about it a lot. He's not a car guy, and found that pretty amusing.

The turn around the cone was impossible to make better since I was still on 2nd gear. The 1st gear is virtually impossible to engage while moving and I didn't want to force it.

I have to work on the flames. But if you want stickers, here you have them. :D:D:D

http://img463.imageshack.us/img463/3456/mygumballcar3pw.jpg

Matra et Alpine
02-16-2006, 09:13 AM
The brave co-driver still talks about it a lot. He's not a car guy, and found that pretty amusing.
I usually find that newcomers fall into two camps after a exhibition ride.
Either that talk about it all the time or the NEVER talk about it again :D

McReis
02-16-2006, 09:20 AM
Just a little look on the opposition:

http://rapidshare.de/files/13398894/635_miguel.wmv.html
http://rapidshare.de/files/13399056/Fausto_RS.wmv.html

I was second, 0,1 seconds behind the 635 and the RS MKI was much slower.
Greasy ground made power useless. At least is what those losers claimed. :D:D:D