1988 Fiat Uno Turbo – Classified of the Week

In the 1980s anybody who was anybody was churning out hot versions of their humble hatchbacks and all of the major players, from Volkswagen to Peugeot and everyone in between, were all clamouring to climb aboard that particular bandwagon. The Italians were no different and Fiat got involved with the Uno – by strapping a turbocharger to it. The Fiat Uno Turbo was a rat-up-a-drainpipe concoction that despite some questionable reliability issues now resides firmly in that legendary inner circle amongst the likes of VW’s Golf GTI and the Renault 5 GT Turbo.

Well and truly putting the ‘super’ in super mini the Uno Turbo was not only potent but practical too. Designed by the legendary Giorgetto Giugiaro the original Uno, launched in 1983, replaced the ageing 127 and was a brand new car for Fiat. It was spacious and could carry four adults comfortably. It’s rather boxy, Kamm tail design was surprisingly aerodynamic too and the car handled well, but it wasn’t until the Turbo i.e. model in 1985 that things got real, as they say, from a performance perspective.

Unlike the standard Uno, which was available as a three or five door, the Turbo was only offered as a three door and utilised a forced induction variant of the original 1.3-litre, four cylinder SOHC motor. The added boost meant a hike in horsepower to 105 which allowed for a top speed of just over 120mph and a 0-60 dash of around 8 seconds. Not bad. Not bad at all. Power is delivered to the front wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox and despite suffering from a rather hefty dose of torque steer under full acceleration the Uno’s steering is generally pretty responsive and thanks to its MacPherson strut independent suspension it handles well too. It’s a capable little car.

The car we have here is a 1988 Fiat Uno Turbo which has received a full, nut and bolt rebuild, having only covered a mere 4,000 miles since the restoration. Built as a hill climb weapon it has received some modifications as part of that remit. These include, amongst other things, a full OMP roll cage with Sparco four-point racing harnesses, front and rear strut braces and Strada Abarth Recaro seats. The interior has also been stripped out and the battery relocated to the spare wheel well with ignition cut outs. This car has well and truly been set up for racing and it means business with over £6,000 having been spent in the last six years.

The car will come with a fresh MOT though and so it would be possible to put this back to a standard, road-going runabout. Whether that’s worth it or not is up for debate but it remains a fabulous Fiat Uno Turbo in lovely overall condition thanks to that recent rebuild. Whatever you decide to do with it these Feisty Fiats are getting thin on the ground now so merely being able to pick one up in this condition is enough for us, regardless of how it is spec’d out.

The old ‘Fix It Again Tomorrow’ jokes are perhaps a little unfair but this is an ’80s Fiat, and a performance oriented one at that so there are precautions to be taken. Interior trim is cheap, the turbo can place a lot of strain on what is generally a very robust engine and they will rust. Everywhere. Despite these shortcomings, which can be successfully managed if the car in question is regularly serviced and looked after properly, the Fiat Uno Turbo remains an incredibly fun car to drive. This one even more so given its racing set up. We love it.

If you’d like to own a car from the legendary inner circle of hot hatchbacks, look no further. Here’s where you can find a Fiat Uno for sale.