Fiat Barchetta
Encyclopedia
The Fiat Barchetta is a roadster
produced by the Italian
manufacturer Fiat
from 1995 to 2005 (though production was paused between May 2002 and 2004). "Barchetta" in Italian
means 'little boat'.
176. It was designed by Andreas Zapatinas
, Alessandro Cavazza under the supervision of Peter Barrett Davis and other car designers at the Fiat Centro Stile, and prototyping was carried out by Stola.
Production began in February 1995 and lasted until June 2005 with a brief pause. The Barchetta was based on the chassis of the Mark 1 Fiat Punto
. The Barchetta has 1,747 cc DOHC petrol engine fitted variable camshaft timing, used for the first time in a Fiat production car. The engine has 131 PS and 164 newton metre of torque. The Barchetta weighs 1056 kg (2328 lb) without air conditioning
and can accelerate to 100 kilometre per hour in 8.9 seconds and has top speed of 200 kilometres per hour (124.3 mph). It came in various trim levels which offered different features. Arguably one of the biggest external cosmetic changes was made by the addition of the third brake light, first introduced by Fiat on the Lido and Riviera in 2000, and on sub models thereafter.
The Barchetta was revised in 2003 for its relaunch the following year, with myriad small alterations inside and out. The most notable changes were the revised front spoiler and rear bumper. Production of the car finally stopped in June 2005.
by the coachbuilder Maggiora
. After Maggiora's bankruptcy in 2002, Fiat relocated production of the Barchetta to its Mirafiori plant and resumed production two years later. Production of the Barchetta was limited to left hand drive cars only, even though the car was marketed and sold in two right hand drive markets, the United Kingdom
and Japan
.
, Richard Hammond
and James May
) attempted to follow the path of the Three Wise Men to Bethlehem, using a Fiat Barchetta, a Mazda MX-5
and a BMW Z3
. In which the Barchetta was surprisingly the most reliable of the three cars.
Roadster
A roadster is a two-seat open car with emphasis on sporty handling and without a fixed roof or side weather protection. Strictly speaking a roadster with wind-up windows is a convertible but as true roadsters are no longer made the distinction is now irrelevant...
produced by the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
manufacturer Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
from 1995 to 2005 (though production was paused between May 2002 and 2004). "Barchetta" in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
means 'little boat'.
History
The Barchetta was developed between 1990 and 1994 under the project name Tipo B SpiderRoadster
A roadster is a two-seat open car with emphasis on sporty handling and without a fixed roof or side weather protection. Strictly speaking a roadster with wind-up windows is a convertible but as true roadsters are no longer made the distinction is now irrelevant...
176. It was designed by Andreas Zapatinas
Andreas Zapatinas
Andreas Zapatinas is a Greek automobile designer, born in Athens in 1957.Zapatinas studied at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and graduated in 1986. He worked at Fiat Centro Stile from 1988 until 1994, where he met Chris Bangle. He was chief exterior designer of the Fiat...
, Alessandro Cavazza under the supervision of Peter Barrett Davis and other car designers at the Fiat Centro Stile, and prototyping was carried out by Stola.
Production began in February 1995 and lasted until June 2005 with a brief pause. The Barchetta was based on the chassis of the Mark 1 Fiat Punto
Fiat Punto
The Fiat Punto is a supermini produced by the Italian manufacturer, Fiat, since 1993.-1st generation :Internally codenamed Project 176, the Punto was announced in September 1993 and launched in late 1993 as a replacement for the ageing Fiat Uno. The Fiat Punto was voted European Car of the Year...
. The Barchetta has 1,747 cc DOHC petrol engine fitted variable camshaft timing, used for the first time in a Fiat production car. The engine has 131 PS and 164 newton metre of torque. The Barchetta weighs 1056 kg (2328 lb) without air conditioning
Air conditioning
An air conditioner is a home appliance, system, or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle...
and can accelerate to 100 kilometre per hour in 8.9 seconds and has top speed of 200 kilometres per hour (124.3 mph). It came in various trim levels which offered different features. Arguably one of the biggest external cosmetic changes was made by the addition of the third brake light, first introduced by Fiat on the Lido and Riviera in 2000, and on sub models thereafter.
The Barchetta was revised in 2003 for its relaunch the following year, with myriad small alterations inside and out. The most notable changes were the revised front spoiler and rear bumper. Production of the car finally stopped in June 2005.
Production
Car bodies were welded at ILCAS in Sparone Canavese, and final assembly was done in ChivassoChivasso
Chivasso is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 20 km northeast of Turin. Chivasso has a population of about 25,000...
by the coachbuilder Maggiora
Maggiora
Maggiora is a comune in the Province of Novara in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 90 km northeast of Turin and about 30 km northwest of Novara. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,763 and an area of 10.7 km².Maggiora borders the following municipalities:...
. After Maggiora's bankruptcy in 2002, Fiat relocated production of the Barchetta to its Mirafiori plant and resumed production two years later. Production of the Barchetta was limited to left hand drive cars only, even though the car was marketed and sold in two right hand drive markets, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Bertone concept car
The Italian styling house of Bertone created a one-off roadster show car for Fiat called the Barchetta in 2007. This picture was taken at the Bertone facility near Turin.Notable examples
Perhaps the most well known example of a Barchetta was one which featured in a Top Gear special, aired during the Christmas period of 2010. In this episode, the three presenters (Jeremy ClarksonJeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...
, Richard Hammond
Richard Hammond
Richard Mark Hammond is an English broadcaster, writer, and journalist most noted for co-hosting car programme Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson and James May, as well as presenting Brainiac: Science Abuse on Sky 1.-Early life:...
and James May
James May
James Daniel May is an English television presenter, journalist and writer. He is best known for his role as co-presenter of the award-winning motoring programme Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond....
) attempted to follow the path of the Three Wise Men to Bethlehem, using a Fiat Barchetta, a Mazda MX-5
Mazda MX-5
The MX-5, also known as Miata in North America and Eunos Roadster in Japan, is a lightweight two-seater roadster, of front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout, built by Mazda in Hiroshima, Japan. The model was introduced in 1989 at the Chicago Auto Show...
and a BMW Z3
BMW Z3
The BMW Z3 was the first modern mass-market roadster produced by BMW, as well as the first new BMW model assembled in the United States. The Z3 was introduced as a 1996 model year vehicle, shortly after being featured in the James Bond movie,...
. In which the Barchetta was surprisingly the most reliable of the three cars.