1968 Fiat 850 Spyder Convertible 850cc
Summary:
Not a classic
Faults:
This car had no power, even on flat roads at sea level. 850cc is not enough. The cheapest Harley road bike has 883cc's. Imagine trying to safely keep up with traffic on the freeway with an 850cc car.
This Fiat suffered from "bump steering" -- the same thing that killed the Corvair. The rear suspension was designed to rotate inward rather than longitudinally. When you hit a bump, the rear end suspension geometry would the direction that the car was going and could result in an accident from loss of control. A car with this type of defect would result in $billion$ dollar law suits today. If you got into an accident in or with one of these today, you might still be able to sue Fiat, or the parent corporation GM. Fortunately, there are almost none of these things on the road today.
This car is NOT a classic, but a shameful piece of garbage that should have stayed in Europe.
I could barely keep this car on the road because of the wacky rear suspension and the fact that most of the weight was on the rear wheels, leaving the front wheels barely touching the pavement. The rear end would swing out at the slightest provocation. I took a smooth corner at 30 mph one day an spun out over the side of steep bank. Trees caught the car and saved me.
General Comments:
This was the second car I owned in my life (1970) and my last Fiat. It is no wonder that they are in bad shape today. The smartest thing that Fiat ever did was to rope (a dope) GM into a buyout of the failing car company before 2004.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 21st October, 2002
6th Aug 2003, 23:23
Either the person writing this road test was the victim of a poorly maintained vehicle or is not an amateur of small European sport car. I had the pleasure of owning an 850 Spider that I purchased brand new in Europe in 1967/68. My recollection was that of a superb little machine, very fast and very exciting when driven aggressively on some of the little back road of France. On the highway, the little beast would, flat out keep up with the DS19. I remember a trip from Limoges to Paris when through the long straight-aways of Sologne I was following a friend Citroen DS 19 with my speedometer stuck at 160km/h (100MPH)for a little over 40 or 50 milles . Not bad for an underpowered machine! On tight curve the car handling was very clean and the excellent braking system made weight transfer a pleasure. For a young person on a tight budget it was a dream machine. I wish I still had that little car!