Fiat 124 Coupe - You Will NOT Believe How Good Fiat ONCE Was

Thanks for doing this Jack. I had a '71 1608cc in the late 70's in New Jersey and absolutely loved it. The handling was pure magic compared to any of the American cars at the time. There was almost nothing else you could buy in 1971 that had a twin cam engine, 5 speed, and 4 wheel disc brakes. Rust killed mine, sadly. Fiats sold very well in America for most of the 70's.

I'll never forget driving this back in '75 as an air-headed student out for the weekend with my best friend and his glamorous girlfriend (it was her mum's car and she'd borrowed it with her mum's permission amazingly enough). The acceleration and willingness of the 124 absolutely stunned me. Couldn't wait for the next opportunity to overtake something. Looking back, it was the first time I realised driving could be an entertainment in itself rather than just a pleasant way to get from A to B. - Ah, what days!

I own this exact model from 1972 ( the year my father was born), its such a classic and nice car. The handling is lovely and people always smile when they see a red fiat on the streets ;)

In 1980 my wife and I bought a facelift 1600 124, after test-driving a large number of sports cars and "sporty" saloon cars. It was an easy choice: totally practical and easy to drive, great on a long road trip, and fun on a twisty road. The twin cam motor had two twin choke sidedraught carbs, so yes it was happy to rev, but equally you could leave it in 5th gear and cruise up some pretty steep hills at quite low revs without any problems. The build quality was pretty good, and the little touches like the dimmer control on the dash lights made it stand out from other cars of its era. Compared to Ford Cortinas etc, the 124 was a significant step up, and was a delight to drive.

Had a 124 1800 - wish I still had it. The engine was super, really good looking. Had many BMW's, Audi's and other good cars but the Fiat 124 is the only car that I now would like again.

The 124 Coupe was such a pretty and well proportioned car. I regret not getting to own one myself. Along with the Lancia Fulvia Coupe and Alfa's 1750 Coupe the Italians were so very good at producing these wonderful, peppy, little coupes.

My mom bought me the first 1968 Fiat 124 in the country at the West Virginia State fair. Black with cream interior and a wood dash. Beautiful.

You kind of raised a thought I've had for a while - why can't we have modern cars like this? Small, elegant, and with just enough power. Who really needs a 400 bhp, 2 tonne SUV?

I agree it is sad to see a marque that used to produce really fun and interesting cars slip to producing very unexceptional run of the mill boxes, but it's happened to many a manufacturer and certainly not just Italian ones. Still, it's one of the reasons why it was so joyous to see Alfa Romeo release the Giulia in 2016 which leapt so far ahead of the Germans. Brilliant!

I bought an identical 124 to this for my wife in 1983, ours had different wheels but otherwise virtually identical. The doors were incredibly heavy. Our kids adored it, great days, hi from New Zealand

I had one back in 79 to 89. Fun driving especially along wide winding road. Very predictable. Racing along once with BMW 320i It was fun. Love the car.

I had a 124 CC in the 1980's and Absolutely loved it, The CC had 1750 Motor and other enhancements, it would cruise easily at 90 mph, My version of choice,

Jack, my Dad had a new series 1 in 1966. Very rare and very expensive here in Australia. While Dad was away overseas and Mum was just pottering around in it, this still new car holed a piston. When Dad returned the 124 exited stage left and was replaced by an also brand new, rare and expensive Volvo 123 GT with electric overdrive. No holed pistons here…

Thanks Jack for bringing us such good videos. This car is from a golden era for Fiat, back when they had a whole array of amazing coupes in their range, going from the sweet little 850 Sport Couoe, through the fabled 124, and up to the Dino ❤ btw, that Lampredi engine sounds so so sexy.... So many memories of 1970s Italy 🇮🇹

my father owned a Fiat 124 Sport CC 1800 back in the late 70s to early 80s replacing his Triumph 2500 PI..... he liked Fiat so much he bought another one, a 131 Mirafiori with square lights

What a gorgeous car. Fiat just built excitement back then

I had a 124 Coupe, it was a 1600. What a fantastic car to drive! Thanks for a great video Jack.

While in the Army, Had a 76 Spider 75-78 then after a few years 79-80 found a 74 Coupe for $300( and sold it for $400 )to run me back and forth to work up motorpool road. Loved them both.

Back in the 70's I used to work for a Fiat dealer and I loved the whole around package of both the Mk1 and Mk 2, they were everything a 20 year old guy like me wanted in a car, good looks, twin cam engine and 5 speed gearbox. When the Mk3 arrived I could not believe what they had done to it. This one brings back great memories for me, many thanks.

The first car my wife and I bought was a six year old '71 124 BC. We both loved it, had it for 12 years, put 130,000 miles on it and (gasp) never changed the timing belt.