Faults:

Various over 30+ years of ownership including engine rebuild (head/head gasket twice), front shocks, rear diff twice, upgraded lighting, steering rack, trim inside car is disintegrating.

General Comments:

My father was fortunate to buy this car new in Turin in 1967 and was one of the first right hand drives of this model, being the smallest engined 1400cc 'AC' model. He has owned the car from new, having imported it privately to Australia in the early 70's. Rust has started to appear on the body, but for a 38 year old Fiat this isn't too bad (was built before Fiat did their steel deal with Russia I think). For a car of its age the performance is great, being an older car the driver is still 'connected to the road' in a way that is not possible with most modern cars, with electronic gadgetry having removed a large part of the driving sensation. Performance from the twin cam engine is good, while all round disk brakes was ahead of its time as well. I plan on doing a complete bare-metal rebuild of the car to concourse condition over the coming years, which may not be economically sound, but given this is a one owner car and a part of the family it will be done right!

Faults:

Engine reconditioned at 150,000 miles.

Distributor replaced with electronic type, resulting in excellent reliability and spark plug life.

Gearbox replaced at 155,000 miles due to jumping out of 3rd gear.

General Comments:

Gets up and goes for their age.

Faults:

Very little actually. I bought the car from an enthusiast who had owned it for 11 years, but not driven it much in recent times. I replaced the cam belt ($17 part), the fan belt and fluids. As it turned out both of these belts definitely needed replacing.

The only issue has been the handbrake which will not work on really steep hills and apparently cannot be fixed. As a result I always leave it in gear on inclines.

General Comments:

A "rorty", taut and mischievous sports coupe that has character in buckets and still manages to lift its skirts and run with the modern cars.

The standard 1750 twin cam engine is fine, but responds really well to some modification. I have added twin Dellorto twin throat carbs, a polished 125T inlet manifold and K&N free flow filters, then had it dyno-tuned.

This resulted in an increase in performance from 85hp at the back wheel to 106hp (approximately 140 at the crank). And while this car is never to equal the contemporary sports cars, it makes it very nippy to drive and has a wonderful "raspberry" exhaust note. The brakes are superb, the handling excellent and the five speed box superb. And a decent sized back seat too!

If you are looking for one the over-riding requirement is rust - or the lack of it. Search long and hard for the most rust free example you can find, then grab it.

Faults:

I had to replace the front brake calipers.

Also had the radiator reconditioned.

New brake booster has also been fitted.

At 98000 miles the rear differential started to make some noise and had to be reconditioned.

General Comments:

The Fiat 124 Sport has exceptional styling for a car that was designed in house by Fiat.

The interior design provides excellent viewing from every angle and the dashboard provides clear information with a very sporty design.

The exhaust note is like music to your ears.

The handling is great and the four wheel disk brakes work well.

Faults:

Alternator broke at 40,000 miles.

Steering box badly worn.

Suspension needed extensive renewal this included ball joints, suspension bushes, tie tod ends.

Rust has appeared in the rear windscreen and quarter panel areas.

General Comments:

This Fiat 124 has great sport performance coupled with great handling.

Engine very robust and reliable.

Low slung, sleek and sporty look.

The cabin is very comfortable, but heater and ventilation is hopelessly inadequate.

Parts can be expensive and hard to find.