Five Classic Trials
Fiat 125 Special
Yup, it’s been a while since we’ve seen one of these as well – which we’re guessing is your immediate reaction upon seeing this Fiat 125 Special too. As a sort of Italian take on a mass-produced Ford Lotus Cortina MkII crossed with an ‘Arrow’ series Humber Sceptre, its character is very different from those models being built in late Sixties Britain. And although it was inevitably more expensive than any of the homegrown products of the time, it was not excessively so; it did quite well for itself in good ol’ Blightly, in spite of the fact that it was only on sale for five years.
The Fiat 125 is the big brother to the smaller and more ubiquitous 124, released the year previous to the 125 in 1966 and responsible for many of its square-cut styling cues. Under the skin though, there’s essentially the floorplan of the cars it replaced – namely Fiat’s 1300/1500 range. What neither the standard 124 nor 1300/1500 have, though, is the wonderful Fiat twin-cam engine fitted to the 125. Undoubtedly, it’s the stand-out feature.
There’s a faint click from the tappets at idle, but this subsides the moment revs being to build. That’s when the fun begins. The twincam offers strong acceleration; getting up to 60mph requires little effort, which isn’t especially surprising in a car weighing just shy of a tonne. What does catch you off guard is how smoothly this power is delivered. Even up to the higher reaches of the rev range there’s no feeling of it being frenzied or overworked. It absolutely delights in high revs and 6000rpm feels the natural point to change up.
The gearbox on this example has developed a degree of slop, making it initially difficult to find gears, though this will fail to diminish your positive impressions. The lever falls nicely to hand, not being positioned too far forward, while the action required is appreciably short. The synchromesh didn’t fail at any point during on CCW’s test either, even during snappy downchanges across the ‘ box.
It’s not as easy to be complimentary about the way the Fiat 125 rides. Suspension is conventional, being independent at the front with coil springs, wishbones and dampers, and a live axle at the back with semi-elliptic springs. Our chief complaint is that it’s extremely sensitive to any irregularities in the surfaces under its tyres, making it difficult to place on the road and meaning a tight grip on the wheel is necessary.
The faster you go, the more liable the 125 is to wander. Not helping matters is that there’s a degree of play in the steering at dead-centre – it’s a worm and roller system, lacking the precision of a rack and pinion set-up – so even on straight stretches you often found yourself sawing at the wheel. It certainly doesn’t feel planted but you can’t help but feel better damping would be more in keeping with the character suggested by that raspy twin-cam.
Being on the wallowy side does at least mean that on A-roads the 125 is supremely comfy, especially so thanks to the spongy yet nicely sculpted seats. Teamed with overdrive on the four-speed transmission, you can’t help but admire this Fiat’s superior cruising abilities.
Turn your intention to the cabin, and while the car’s styling is somewhat utilitarian, it’s anything but inside; smart and nicely- appointed, with ribbing on the burgundy seats and doorcards, plus armrests on each door. What’s more, that same boxy styling means that there’s a generous amount of interior space – it feels like a far larger car inside than its slim exterior looks would suggest. There’s also a number of clever features. For example, just above where you rest your left foot is a button switch that controls the windscreen washers. It’s hardly the pinnacle of automotive achievements, but it’s nice to have an intermittent wiper function, too – certainly unusual on a Sixties saloon. Dead ahead, there’s a Ford Escort-esque instrument lay-out, with two large gauges in front – one for the speedo, the other for revs. Not all 125s were fitted with a rev counter, but this, being a Special, has, um, special touches. The clock, which occupies the rev counter position on the standard car, is now a smaller item in the centre of the dash. In fact, Blue Oval fans will feel quite at home with the dashboard presentation; with its vinyl top, thin strips of wood and full-length shelf underneath.
Ultimately though, the driving experiences between the cars from Dagenham and this one from Turin do differ greatly. And if you’re open to the idea of something from left-field with an Italian heart, and which is adept at covering distances, this could well be it.