The Fiat Uno was the First Grown-Up Small Car
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
- The Italians are widely known for producing some of the greatest small cars, but following on from their revolutionary 127, the unassuming Uno made a similarly deep impression, ushering in a new age of refined small cars, and going on to become one of the most popular cars of all time.
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The Uno was built up to 2014 here in Brazil, and all those qualities you've mentioned are the reason why we brazilians love this car so much, it's the cheapest car to maintain here, economical and very reliable.
Some classic car magazine needs to get you on board as fantastic to see a young guy so passionate about classic cars and not only the big hitters. It's great to see you doing cars normal people had.
PLEASE keep up the good work
Car magazines make no money, TwinCam will grow to out do legacy car mags.
Magazines are finished. RUclips is where it's at.
These were very popular in South Africa, at one point they were everywhere you looked...the 1.4 Turbo was an absolute suicide machine, nicknamed "The Flying Coffin"...
I had an '84 Uno 45 in 1990 with the 903cc and it was so quick for its size and weight and so involving to drive, everything since has never felt as good & It was incredibly reliable
The legend, the myth, the Brazilian hero.
Com escada então, quase voa!
I had a Mk1 Fiat Uno Turbo, electronic fuel injected and turbocharged 1.3 an absolute rocket, would thrash the Fiesta . The dash was fantastic full of gauges including a turbo boost gauge, red carpets and seatbelts, man I loved that car 😁
Totally agree with you on the dash, red carpets and seat belts! I would sometimes turn on all the switches just to look at that lighted dash. Along with the sunroof, hidden door handle and abarth rims, it was one car that felt very special. Drove it to the ground, surprisingly reliable too.
Another 'high water mark' is this channel, with well researched info delivered in a thoroughly engaging and professional manner.
Ed, thank you for this excellent documentary about the Uno. Your videos are always filled with passion and we'll researched background information and history. I think you have the potential to make this channel into your full time job, if you desired so 👌😃
My mother bought a brand new (pre facelift) 5 door Uno 60 in 1988 so I know it pretty well and even drove it a couple of times before I got my license 🤫. That one still had the older 1116cc engine but it was such a nice and roomy car. Good memories of that.
You were right that FIAT was, and still is, one of the pioneers when it comes to using robots in car production. The founded the Comau company, still owned by Stellantis today, which was and is one of the biggest producers of robots. Worth googling this company 👍
I learned how to drive on a Fiat Uno 1.7 Diesel, was perfect for learning, plenty of torque, long clutch and a lot of feedback.
I too had a UNO diesel,who a cracking car and brilliant on fuel,I used to go to my static caravan in North Wales and back every weekend without a hint of trouble absolutely loved it and only sold it because I needed something bigger.
This should be the most honest and humble fiat in the last 40 years. Brands will never be able to replicate the functionality and simplicity of this.
In 86 I bought my wife a Turbo i.e as a Wedding Anniversary present, in its day it was a rapid economic little car, we loved it, also totally reliable
Hi Ed. Your vids are definitely some of the best on RUclips. No frills...no gimmicks...just well researched and well presented information.
A mate of mine had an Uno back in the mid 80s and it always felt like a bit of a revolution to me.
Cheers.
Memories! I worked for a Fiat dealership in the mid 80s. I sold quite a few Uno and Pandas.
The mk1 Uno looks better than the facelift and had a much more interesting interior and dashboard.
We always recommended to new owners to drive the car hard with plenty of revs robed the engine in.
I looked at running mine in (it had about 20 miles on it) and the most detailed info I could find was "turn key drive car".
Thanks Ed - I really enjoyed this review. I live in South Africa, where the Uno was assembled until 2006. In 2000, I changed jobs and lost my 2 company cars. To replace them my wife and I bought, brand new, a Ford Fiesta (Mk 4) and a Fiat Uno - which looked very similar to the one in your video. The Uno had the 1.1 litre FIRE which put out about 52 bhp I think (they didn't name the cars by power output here). My wife intended to use the Fiat as a shopping/general runabout car while I was expecting to use the Fiesta to commute to work. This arrangement was quickly reversed because my wife had medical issues with her right foot which turned out to be incompatible with the position of the Fiat's throttle pedal. I did not regret the change at all - in comparison to the Uno the Fiesta felt heavy and sluggish (it had the 1.4 litre CVH engine). I have owned many cars over the past 47 years and I rate the Fiat Uno as probably the most fun to drive of them all - it feels quick, is very responsive and reasonably comfortable. Very economical and spacious - the packaging is amazing. When my daughter left school she used it to commute to university, then a couple of years later my son took it over for the same purpose, Unfortunately , he wrote it off in an accident in 2006 (no injuries, but the crumple zone really crumpled!) Brilliant car.
I started in a brown metallic Uno 45 of 55. After that car I had a white 70sx, a red 75sxie and my last uno was a black 75 sxie. I loved them!
I had 2 mark 1 Uno’s in my early driving years. The first one always was a 45 and the second a ‘Carte Blanche’ 60, which I loved. With the rear seats folded it was so spacious. Drove it to Paris a couple of times. I liked some of the quirky little things about it, like the flipper style switches for lights & wipers. Good memories 😊
Great job Edd, the Uno really was a game changer back in 83 and sold really well in the uk. My 205 1.1 is still available if you would like to drive it.
Exact same one as I had. So much room in this little bad boy. It felt so much better than a metro or a fiesta. You always felt you were in a bigger car. Loved it. I thought Fiat made so much better small cars, I traded mine in for a Punto. Thanks for the memories
I got myself an Uno earlier this year. I had one many years ago and, of all the cars I’ve had, the Uno was one of my favourites.
It feels like a chair with an engine. The handling is hilarious. So much fun to drive, if a little harsh on a road that need relaying.
So glad to have stumbled across your channel! Your presentation is fantastic, thank you for making these gems of videos!
My first car was a mk2 Fiat Uno. Everything that could break or fail did but I loved that car
There was even the Giannini Uno, Giannini was a fiat tuner that during 90s switched from selling affordable moped cars to selling more refined Fiats, the Uno Giannini had luxury fabric seats, leather steering wheel, aftermarket paint, allow wheels ecc and the price was very competitive.
Thanks again for this well moderated video, Ed! Such a funny coincidence that immediately after owning the Austin 1300 GT you mentioned in your previous video my mother then bought one of the first 4-door Fiat Uno 70 s with the 68 hp 1.3 litre-engine in 1983, later followed by the 4-door version of the Fiat Uno 75 i.e. which had the slightly more powerful and torquey 1.5 litre engine with 75 hp. Me too, I bought a Fiat Uno 70 i.e. 2-door which was fun to drive - even on long distance trips. These stronger versions were longer geared, but easily reached up to 180 km/h without feeling unstable. they handled well with a little bit of understeering. And the simple, yet roomy design (higher seating position in the front, much legroom in the back, spacious and flexible trunk) was genius and practical. I remember a trip to Italy where my wife and I put the back bench out of the cabin and used it as camping stools... As you mentioned: practical intelligence or intelligent practicality.
Another great documentary. Thank you so much. The developments and comparisons are always well researched and interesting.. looking forward to your next... Another journey down my memory lane... Roger... Pembrokeshire
Great video and full of research. Been an Uno fan forever and have owned quite a few. Still have a last of the line 1989 Mk1 Uno Turbo I.e. and love it. Such amazing cars.
The car I enjoyed the most. Ever.
Excellent video, thanks!
My wife and I had a 1989 original 45 formula 903 cc model .very nippy and economical.
On top of your game again, nice one Ed. I seem to want every car you drive, need a big garage!!
I still own a fiat uno Diesel 1993 , oh my what a brilliant car , I have had it 20 years and it runs perfectly and has no rot , all panels are in great shape and original ,just a few repairs on the cills , only used on dry roads now and for car shows , I'm keeping it for many years to come ,
Great video Ed. Can’t believe it 40 years since it was launched and was in production for a long time ( at leat in Europe). Many friends had these as their first car.
I remember reading car magazines at the time that the Uno was the only Superminj that could seat 5 adults properly, unlike the competition.
A fact about the Brazillian Fiat uno: The car was actually a Fiat 127 underneath, the rough suspension came from the 127 ( In brazil the 127 was called 147, with a more nice front design ) The uno was and still is a Huge sucess here in brazil, probably beside the Volkswagen GOL and FUSCA the reason that brazillians could afford a car. produced between 1984 to 2013.
I had a Fiat uno 1.3 70s a brilliant little car 70bhp weighing the same as a crisp packet. It was very nippy plus great on fuel. Mine was the first version with the little pods at the side of the binnacle I liked them and there operation.
I never drove an Uno myself but always found it a good looking car - especially the early versions with the taller headlights and indicators.
And it is one of the rare cars that looked much better with 5 doors.
My first car was a 45 Start I inherited from my parents. The headlight switch on the steering column stopped working every 12-15 months. The Fiat specialist said the fuse burnt out and the only fix was to replace it. Charged me £130 each time!! Car was great to throw around tight roads but had a horrible rubbery gear change.
Uno is like a king of popular cars in Brazil
Everybody had or drove one Fiat uno
Thanks for this video, Ed. Great to see an Uno still in fantastic condition. I had one of these post-facelifts back in the day. My first car, the only thing that could have bettered this for me at the time was the pre-facelift / Mk 1 Uno with its switchgear satellite pods each side of the instrument binnacle :)
‘Intelligent practicality’…. A friend of mine transported her double bass in one these!
Another great review. You are a natural.
My wife had 3 uno's and loved them. The gear change improved (on rhd models) when cable operated clutch was replaced with hydraulic.
Among my car collection. I own the Fiat Mia 1998 1.4i 1372cc 4 door Marine Blue in color
I have owned it since Dec 2014 and is due for body respraying this November 😅
I love it❤😂
My first car was a 3 year old 127 in 1979. It basically dissolved over the next 2 years 😂
As a previous owner of a 127, I always coveted an Uno, but they were expensive in New Zealand, compared to the Japanese competition. The original was a design classic, which got a little deleted by subsequent facelifts.
It’s very noticeable in your video how deep the side windows are, and how light and airy the interior is, compared to modern cars - the price we paid for modern crash protection.
You should have found a first generation Uno with the weird switchgear much like the original Citroën Visa's. I'm only halfway through, but the FIRE engine was also first introduced in the Uno.
Uno Turbo ie was my wet dream car in the 80's. Mazda2 is getting old now and eying up the Piccanto 1.0 turbo, which will be discontinued pretty soon. I'd only ever buy a recent used one though. Let some chump stand the depreciation! ;)
I had a Uno as a courtesy car once. It was the slowest accelerating car I've ever driven! I remember having my foot hard down on the accelerator and hardly anything happening! It was quite pleasant to drive if bit insubstantial feeling. Oddly, once you eventually got to 70, it was amazingly silent on the M-way!
Peugeot 205 was a brilliant car. Its easy to see why people loved them. The GTi is a classic now fetching mega money because nothing else drove like a 205. But credit to fiat making the fire engine and making a grown up, sensible small car that worked.
What a very well done piece about a truly amazing car.
I still own a Fiat Uno 1400 5 door.
Compared to my modern bloated VW Golf it feels so nimble to drive.
Great Vid Ed.
I enjoyed the FIRE from a base 1990 Panda (like being inside a Biscuit Tin!) through several Puntos in the 90s and a Cinquecento Sporting.
Very underrated Engine indeed, reliable, fun, economical and as you said, stood the test of time.👍
Wonderful cars, and like you say; a total game changer. Bit of a shame a pre-facelift version wan't around, perhaps they all rusted away. This facelift version was a bit like Banksy pissing on the Mona Lisa
I had lovely mk1 uno as my second car, it was a 1.1 sx ( B250 EKY)which within a month had thrown a piston, so I ended up putting a 1.3 in it with a Weber twin choke carb.
Later on my partner had a M reg 1.1 which was also a great little car
In 1989 my parents and I went on holiday to Majorca. My dad hired an Uno 45 with the FIRE for a day driving around the island. We were 5 up in the car as my uncle and aunt accompanied us. He was very impressed with how the car performed.
Black was a common colour option on 1980s and 90s Fiats. Less so on other marques (certainly compared to recent models). Perhaps Fiat didn`t charge extra for black. 🤔
My Laguna 3 2008 2,0 dci 150bh manuel (lol) 6-speed loves to rev match pretty much. I was quite supprised gotta admit 😊
Had a mk1 uno 60 given to me back in the day as the cambelt snapped and they thought the engine was toast. Knowing it was the fire engine, new belt on and away it went. Was a cracking little car. Just a shame I wrote it off into a post box. Ripped the side off the car, but the post box was just scratched a bit.
I think...last time I checked...I've got one of these in the trunk of my 1970 cadillac convertible deville
The petrol 1.1 Uno I bought 2nd hand (1987)in the UK, was a complete disaster with the mechanical fuel pump (powered through the crankshaft) jamming up all the time and no garage telling me how to sort it out. On the lighter side I bought a new Fiat Panda in 2009 in the SW of France and had 9 years of troublefree motering
Ed, excellent video as always. I had a mark 1 Panda. Loved that car. I know some people ridiculed it but it did exactly what it said on the tin and was a cute little car. Never owned an UNO though although I did contemplate a Regatta
The Brazilian Uno was somewhat different from this one. In Brazil, the Uno was actually a variation of the Fiat 147 (which was a variation of the Fiat 127) with a Uno-like look and I loved it
nice one Ed. lots of history in there too.
the original FIAT 500 was a beautifully styled baked bean can with a muslin-cloth roof and a lawn mower engine in the back 😁. the Uno styling was typical of its era, quite utilitarian with designers trying to get to grips with the low bonnet lines they'd worked so hard to achieve in the previous era whilst raising the roof height.
unlike yourself I'm quite a fan of the gearbox-in-sump arrangement. once you get the hang of it, changing clutches on them was quite easy compared to other front-drive arrangements. the very high bonnet heights of modern SUVs lend themselves nicely to this arrangement but the EV revolution has killed any possibility of that idea surfacing.
Hence I own a 1.4 Uno and I stanced it 👌🏾🔥🔥
I bought a 60 DS new in 1989. I rushed the first service at about 200 miles instead of 600 at the end of the first weeks ownership. I then drove up north to get married and the day after set off with my new bride on honeymoon in the Uno. To France. For a week's self catering. With the in-laws.
Somehow we got us all in. Plus luggage. Plus the mother-in-law's pillows, because "foreigners" don't have nice pillows. Oh, and tea bags, because "foreigners don't do nice tea".
I kept that car for around 10 years and over around 100,000 miles and it was faultless, apart from some fuelling issues as the organic squidgy life form behind the wheel let it run out of Derv a few times.
Much of the Uno design cues come from the 1978 Lancia Megagamma concept
The first generation Uno and Panda were brilliant cars (apart from the rust) and, if they were available today, would be on the top of my shopping list rather than the Dacia Sandero. I have very fond memories of my '86 Panda (could not stretch to an Uno) and only sold it due to rust (did I mention the rust issues?).
These 80s small cars were fun at normal speeds. All had some kind of character largely due to a lack of refinement so you could hear whines and the full engine note but also as engine noises not ruined by modern emissions tech. My modern mini cooper S 2012 is fun. It roars and sounds good. But you've got fun for 2 seconds and then you're over the speed limits! I wish it sounded good on light throttle but its near silent. Someone should make a car that is slower but more involving in the real world yet still safe. Not an easy task,
Great review. Out of interest, have you thought about reviewing another Fiat - the first generation Tipo? Talking of the mark 1 Ford Fiesta - I had one, and although it was reliable, it wasn't great fun to drive.
Unremarkable, well rounded and normal are all adjectives that can be replaced with one word - boring. A friend of mine had an Uno Turbo which I doubt anyone would call boring You conclude by saying is "fun" but for all its Italian engineering was the bog standard Uno as much fun to drive as a mini? Great Video Ed.
Great informative video. How many are left?
I challenge you to find a Ford Corcel! This model was not produced in the US, only on Brazil.
Forgot to say "Long live the Mini."
The Uno was a good runner up to the Peugeot 205.
I bought a brand new Uno in 1983. It was ok until the gear stick snapped off with about 1" sticking up😁
Launched just a month earlier than the 205, I'd suggest the latter was a better car, with rather more surviving to this day.
My mother learned how to drive in one of these
I always loved the Uno, not just the turbo, i thought they were great cars, unfortunately build quality wasnt the best, and so the steel, so in the early 90s when i looked at them ... they were on the way out on my budget
I wonder if Italian car tax system that is based on horsepower has something to do with fiat having the break horsepower figure in the model name?
I had one exactly like that one, went on honeymoon in it :)
I tested 3 cars in 1990 a mini mayfair auto fiat uno selecta and fiesta 1.1 cvt I chose the mini as both the uno and fiesta were cvt i hated them still do
I bought a cheap (Beige) Diesel Uno for a few hundred 🦑 in about 97’ I had just come back from working in the Middle East and needed a second car, great little runner, averaged about 60 mpg , light to drive, good suspension, roomy enough for my 6’2” frame , I was impressed, I sold it to a friend when I travelled again, he filled it with diesel from a can that had, had concrete cleaning Acid in it, that killed the fuel pump and injectors 🙈 RIP ……but I worked on one 5-6 years previously and was shocked how open the front of the body shell was, no subframe, and thought about frontal impacts , if you had of hit something like a lamppost/bollard dead centre ouch! 🫣 just that feeling of vulnerability like riding a motorcycle, I have a soft spot for fiats though, just like Rust does ! 😅
I guess the Uno is peak Fiat.
Peugoet 309Sr or Sri or Gti 🤗
Much prefer the original Uno. Much purer design. This looks unbalanced and fussy around the too-narrow lights and grille.
The original dash was more distinctive and original too.
The Tipo-ised version lost its Uno-ness, if you like, and became deliberately bland. It was made to stamp out any individuality that could have been perceived as quirkiness. So you’re not driving the Uno as it was intended…
My first partner used to take me out in a black Mk1 5-door 70SX. It was 1980s Italian city chic. I loved it!
Fiat uno mk 2
So dang cute
I think the Uno is soundly beaten by the golf mk1.
Err… the Golf isn’t a supermini. It’s a family car 😬
The golf mk1 is about an inch longer and an inch wider than the uno, hardly puts it in a different class of vehicle (IMO).
@ncooper8438 Well, cars tend to grow as years go on. The Golf is a decade older and was discontinued the year the Uno was launched. The Uno was the biggest supermini in 1983 🤷♂️
@@TwinCam I would imagine that the Polo/Derby was Volkswagen's supermini at the time.
Exactly.
Always wanted an uno turbo when i was younger, I've had 2 X19s,a strada 105tc and 127 sport! But no uno turbo, my mate had a brand new uno 1000 with the fire engine 5 up it did 90mph easily! Fiats,brilliant engineering but crap electrics and rust,shame, brilliant to drive and revvy engines is why i like them.
So good
I bought a brand new one in 1987 (E reg, also black) it was the three door and very enonomical. My Dad was so impressed that he bought a (galvanised steel-panelled) TIPO, 3 years later. When I was a boy, I always wanted a FIRE engine...but found gearshift a bit rubbery to be honest.
Great review, I love Fiats from way back
In Brazil this car still being a good car, people used to refference this Fiat by it resistance and reliability 🇧🇷🇧🇷
Thanks Ed. Always enjoy your reviews. There are spot on and I love how your enthusiasm really shines through.
The Fiats I really wanted as a youngster were the Mirafiore, X1/9 and Ritmo (Strada) 130TC.....not to mention the bonkers Uno Turbo!
My dad had one of these in the mid 90s. When I was a toddler, I ate my granny's medication thinking they were sweets, my dad threw me in the uno and gunned it to the hospital, a car driven by a 15-year-old pulled out in front of my dad and completely written both cars off LOL.
My first car was a 70s series 1. Original dash design with pods either side of the steering wheel and a movable ashtray. Loved it
I purchased a UNO 70s brand new in 1984. Bright red in colour, and was a great car to drive with a high top gear ratio, so good on long motorway journeys. For a small car outside, it was spacious inside, like a bit of a Tardis! Also the UNO was voted car of the year back in 1984.
I'm from Brazil, my father had a 2005 uno that I loved traveling with, They are durable cars that can handle muddy terrain without any problems.
Really shows up modern car design. You can't tell one from the other, and they manage to be bland and yet covered in ridiculous creases, etc.
(New subscriber - only just found you - very impressed. Thanks for the video.)
And that's true of 'supercars' too.
They used to say , years ago, the over riding mark of a really good car was, A big car that feels like a small car to drive, and likewise, A Small car that feels like a bigger car. The UNO exemplifies the latter. On top of that , the over riding complement you paid , was that in many ways the car still feels modern today. Brilliant Fiat . Well deserved of being ECOTY
I had a Uno and it was the best car I ever had. A type that was around for a short time. A 1400cc engine. Not souped up. Lots of flexibility and still economical.
Very good presentation Ed, you’re very easy to listen to 😊. I hired a Fiat UNO in 1985 when visiting from Australia, I found it a bit odd as I was used to Japanese cars. Driving position and the way it drove was foreign to me 😮.
I had one as a hire car for a week. It was easy to drive but very forgettable.
Always liked an Uno, always found it strange it had no emblem on the steering wheel.
Fine ! I always enjoyed driving the 75 i.e. ...sadly Fiat lost its " Fiatness " nowadays.
EDIT: Had the FIRE in several Cinquecentos...so much fun to ride these 55 HP.
Little Fiats have always been amazing. The first one I got to drive was a 128 which was one of the best driving cars I have ever driven. The Panda and the sporty Uno were both huge fun and very usable. The early Fiestas were horrible, noisy and just plain crude in comparison.
Another excellent video Ed. Thanks again. Oh, and you cannot talk too much about the MIni, just not possible.
My first car😊
I never thought I’d have a Fiat, I’ve had 15 since
A friend had an UNO Turbo and a Lancia delta HF Turbo (lucky man!).
The Lancia was always broken, literally in bits constantly, but the UNO just took everything asked of it. He absolutely ragged the *rse off it everywhere and it just kept going, brilliant little car and such good fun.
The Lancia should have been a far better car in every way, but it was just flimsy.
Great car I have the turbo model with 225 bhp which is more than that 45bhp you have there which as you say is fun too
How do you think mine is lol
it’s all over RUclips if you search