8 weird Fiat concept cars you've probably never heard of
Meet the Fiat 'Beyond', the 'Sing' and 'Song' and my personal favourite, the 'Turbine'
Car manufacturers design and build concept cars all the time but only a few prototypes actually make it into production while everything else ends up in the history books, gathering dust at the factory museum, or from time to time, they're sold to private owners and collectors.
Some of these concept cars are great and it's a shame they never got to the final stage of production, some are weird and some are just downright terrible. Fiat has built quite a few over the years and so what I thought I'd do is put together a list of 8 Fiat concepts that are every bit as ugly as they are, for some reason, enticing.
Fiat Firepoint (1994)
Ahead of the 1994 Turin Motor Show, Fiat asked ANFIA, an Italian association/trade union of coachbuilders, to come up with their own interpretation of the Punto. The Firepoint by Italdesign, was one of the most intriguing propositions. It's odd. But I quite like it.
Fiat Oltre (2005)
The Fiat Oltre, Italian for 'beyond', was loosely based on the IVECO LMV. It was unveiled at the 2005 Frankfurt Motor Show as a semi-serious attempt to rival the Hummer. Needless to say, it didn't really work.
Fiat Turbina (1954)
While most cars on the list are a bit tragic, the Turbina (Italian for turbine) is actually rather interesting. It was unveiled at the 1954 Turin Motor Show, powered by a gas turbine and featuring radical dynamic properties. It was never produced. Pity.
Fiat Sing and Fiat Song (1996)
Back in the 1990s, Fiat unveiled the Bravo and the Brava, two mildly successful family cars - a hatchback and a sedan respectively - and you gotta strike the iron while it's hot, as they say, which is why Pininfarina came up with the Sing and the Song shortly thereafter. They probably shouldn't have. Fortunately, the idea went nowhere and the cars were never produced.
Fiat Zic / Vanzic (1994)
Like most car brands, Fiat had been toying with the idea of making electric cars long before they actually did something about it. In 1994, they built the Zic, a prototype powered by electricity, followed by the Vanzic in 1996.
Fiat Fionda (1992)
In 1991, Fiat got in touch with a few different coachbuilders and asked them to design some concept cars based on the Cinquecento to unveil at the 1992 Turin Motor Show. This is what Carrozzeria Coggiola came up with. It's called the Fionda, Italian for slingshot, and I know I shouldn't say this but... I quite like it.
Fiat Scia (1993)
The Scia (Italian for 'trail') was one of several prototypes and design studies that preceded the production of the Barchetta in 1995. I find it kinda ugly but also somehow enticing. The front end is actually shorter than the rear end, which always looks weird on a car.
Fiat X1/23 (1972)
This cosmetically challenged concept car was unveiled in 1972 and then again in 1976, this time with a 13.5 hp electric powertrain, and AMAZINGLY, it never made it to production. I wonder why.
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Comments (31)
The turbina looks acutally cool
agreed. It's a shame they never built it
Yeppp
There was the Ecobasic. Ugly beyond Multipla, but a clever concept. That was the intro for the 1.3 JTD which propelled half of the world for the next decade. This thing had combined consuption of 2.8 l/100km, yet managing city-acceptable 13 sec to 100 km/h and 160 km/h top speed.
oh my. It looks... different
To be kind...
The Turbina. You should read up on it online. It was a pretty cool concept. And the Scia is nice too.
1962 Fiat 600D Record
Vignale 1000 Record design prototype, with 'fish-bowl' windscreen,
...the hell is this? :O
The turbina is literally the only nice Fiat I have ever seen! And yet they didn’t make it.