Beschreibung
Name just about any highly regarded Fiat, Alfa or Lancia from the 1990s and they're likely to all share a common link. The Alfa Romeo 155, 145, 146, the second-generation Lancia Delta, the Fiat Coupe and Alfa Romeo 916 GTV / Spider; you can trace each of their family trees back to the unassuming, small family car Fiat introduced in 1988. The Tipo might not be as revered as some of its younger relatives, but it donated its platform to some Italian legends well into the new millennium. Yep, the Tipo's the granddaddy of all of them and this, the hot-hatch Sedicivalvole (Italian for sixteen-valve, but doesn't it sound so much cooler like that?), is the granddaddy of all Tipos.
Introduced in 1992 after the everyday versions had already won numerous awards and accolades, the performance entry into the range shoehorned the awesome 2. 0 16v Lampredi twin-cam engine under the bonnet. This is the same power unit that delivered the legendary Delta HF integrale to WRC domination (albeit without the turbo and 4wd transmission), and it made the Tipo Sedicivalvole healthy competition for the likes of the Golf GTI. With 148bhp on offer it hit 60mph from a standing start in a touch over 8 seconds and clocked a top speed of 128mph, noticeably quicker than the Golf 16v - until then, the supposed king of the hot-hatch. They might not be anywhere near as common nowadays as their German counterparts (in fact, there are just 9 currently registered on UK roads!), but in the 90's press the Tipo was widely regarded as the superior choice. Something I'd agree with whole-heartedly after driving this superb example.
It is probably one of the best of the handful of survivors in the UK. Completely standard, down to the small details like the original Grundig radio cassette player (which works perfectly), the genuine Fiat-dealer mats and the correct alloy wheels still in place. This is one of the very few examples to have survived the Max Power generation unscathed! There is, of course, the odd ding dent or mark but for any 23-year-old car this is in excellent, largely untouched condition. It has covered just 79k miles and has an impressive service history to back this up. The service book itself contains records for 14 services over the years (from 2010 to 2014 the car was unused, in storage), including 10 stamps from main Fiat dealerships here in Norfolk and there's a large folder full of paperwork, old MoT certificates and receipts. We've owned this Sedicivalvole since September 2016 and over this time have spent literally thousands of pounds on it. To mention just a fraction of the pampering it has enjoyed; a lower engine rebuild, new head gasket, new timing belt, new balance belt, new water pump, new exhaust system, new clutch slave cylinder, newly serviced and it will also be sold with a brand new MoT.
It's been worth every penny though, as it is without a doubt one of our very favourite cars we've ever worked on here at italicar.
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About us here at italicar:
We have been selling used vehicles since 2007, and specialising exclusively in Italian marques since 2012. We sell only the cars we are truly passionate about and ensure each one is in a condition we, and hopefully our customers, can be genuinely proud of.
We're located just off the Norwich ring road. Turn off opposite Mr Clutch and Topp's Tiles, continue up Beech Drive between Thurlow Nunn Vauxhall and NMG Suzuki and at the top, on the left, is Renson Close and you'll find us in Unit 7. We're limited on space, so not all of our cars are always stored here - please contact us first and make an appointment should you wish to view any of the vehicles.
For more information on us and our stock, you can find us on Facebook, Twitter, our own website and all of our current stock is listed here on Car & Classic too.
