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‘When we bring her out the amount of people that come up and start asking about it…’ remarks Chris about the Cimitan family’s Fiat.

And this is hardly surprising, as any 127 is now a very unusual sight – let alone the third-generation GT 1300.

Fiat launched the 127 Mk. III in January 1982, a mere 12 months from the debut of the Uno.

 The flagship GT was the heir to the well-regarded Sport, and it boasted a 75 bhp 1.3-litre SOHC engine with a twin-choke Weber carburettor.

‘The outside reflects the sporting character of the car’ boasted the sales brochure while the interior featured an elaborate new dashboard.

As befitting a car aimed at the young professional who probably enjoyed overtaking the Ford Capri 2.0S, the standard equipment included five-speed transmission (sourced from the Autobianchi A112 Elite), a tachometer and a radio.

The body featured spoilers fore and aft, and the GT even boasted a roof-mounted digital clock with a stopwatch facility so that the ‘truly sports minded’ could record their acceleration.

Chris makes use of this device ‘sometimes but not much’.

The October 1982 edition of Car magazine evaluated the GT opposite two of its closest rivals - the Fiesta XR2 and the MG Metro 1300.

The Fiat was the cheapest of the trio at £4,250, as opposed to the Ford’s £5,150 and £4,799 for the BL car, and the only one of the trio with five gears.

The test concluded the 127 was ‘outstanding value for money’ and, equally importantly, ‘if you want a lot of fun from a practical and civilised hot hatch at minimal cost, the Fiat 1300GT is your car’.

Thirty-eight years later, Chris finds the GT ‘‘amazing. With the five-speed gearbox, she will pull’ - not to mention ‘the heads that turn when you drive her’.

June 1983 saw the first Unos arrive in the UK and by the mid-1990s any 127 was fast becoming an unusual sight.

Chris’s father Micky is the registered keeper of A 308 GGU, which was registered in February 1984, making it one of the last to be sold in the UK.

The Cimitans had sought a GT ‘for the last ten years. Dad had a few 127 GTs when he was young and has wanted one since his last one was written-off about 30 years ago.

We were just keeping our eyes out for them in the normal classic car site - when I was looking and found this little gem’.  

And that is the probably the most accurate description for one of Europe’s most important family cars, while the GT virtually sets the template for ending a long-running model on a high note.

In Chris’s words ‘when we bring her out the number of people that’s come up and start asking about it’ – but such are perils of owning such a fine car!

WITH THANKS TO - Chris and Micky Cimitan

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We have links with some of the top classic car clubs around the country and some of our policies even offer discounts of up to 25% for club members.

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