1986 Fiat Strada Abarth 130TC review from UK and Ireland

Digiplex ignition unit went faulty each time it got hot (eg traffic jams, when worked hard)

Siezed calipers due to maintenance neglect.

Fairly significant structural rot hidden behind plastic body trim.

Carb insulator rubbers perished.

Long list of daft electrical faults.

I bought the Strada cheap with a view to re-using the engine in my other car. However, I decided against it because the car goes like stink, sounds great and is suitably anonymous to seriously embarrass the boy racer brigade at every set of traffic lights. It is also the last true Abarth and much of the car was hand-built in the Abarth factory.

The Strada is surprisingly economical (between 25-38mpg) but it is very difficult to drive economically. The standard Recaro racing seats are firm and beautifully comfortable to the extent that they cured my bad back!

The Fiat dealer network are to be avoided as they can't be bothered with a car this old, but there are a few good specialists who can provide parts and advice - be prepared to pay... Also, the Strada is fitted with twin twin-choke carbs as standard and there are very few mechanics around who know how to deal with them.

It's a fairly light car (925Kg ish) with a decent amount of power (150bhp ish) and demands some respect, especially on wet roundabouts - snap oversteer is not that far away.