Space, charm and large numbers
Fiat plays only a small role nowadays, also largely thanks to the charms of the small 500. At the time of the Fiat Uno, the Italian car flag was very different. The wildly popular hatchback celebrates its 40th birthday this year.
Fiat is kind enough to point out the special anniversary of the Uno, which was launched in 1983. We are a bit ashamed that we did not think of it ourselves, because the Uno is without a doubt an important car in Fiat history. The 500 and Panda are more legendary, but the Uno introduced a lot of news and attracted many customers and was light years more modern in everything than predecessor 127.
The design of the Uno is simple, yet typically Italian. Not surprising, because it is a design by Giugiaro. At first glance, it shares a lot with the Punto, for example the traditional arrangement of (square) headlights and grille. Beyond that, however, the Uno is distinctly different. Higher, for example, with a more slanted nose and of course just a larger carriage. His butt is nice and typical. Certainly not in a weird or forced way, but the flap that apparently runs inwards at the bottom, the high rectangular rear light units and the license plate mounted directly above the bumper, even 40 years later, remind us of nothing but an Uno.
The (obviously) front-wheel drive Uno arrived in a segment that was hotly contested at the time. The Peugeot 205 also appeared in 1983, the Opel Corsa in 1982 and the Ford Fiesta, launched in 1976, entered its second phase in ’83. Fiat therefore certainly did not end up in a spread bed, but nevertheless threw high eyes. What’s called: in 1984, the Uno was promptly named ‘Car of the Year’.
Second most popular Fiat
Although there are competitors who did better, Fiat fortunately managed to capitalize on the qualities of the Uno. This applied to the world and to Europe, but certainly also to the Netherlands. With a total of 93,644, the Uno is, according to our data, the third most popular Fiat ever in the Netherlands, surpassed only by the Panda and the Punto. In the best year – 1987 – 11,602 units were sold. For comparison: the Fiat brand sold a total of only 5,683 cars in our country in 2022.
However, the Panda and the Punto both needed several generations and, above all, many more years to reach their higher numbers. Uno successor Punto appeared in 1993 (congratulations too, Punto!) So for the Uno it remained with one generation. The car did get a very solid facelift in 1989, about which we have of course already written extensively.
The Uno was also special because the sleek, high carriage offered a lot of space. Fiat also likes to emphasize that the tidy and rain gutter-less carriage was largely assembled by robots, with all the associated benefits. The engine was also a special feature. In 1985 Fiat launched the Fire engine in the Uno. The ‘Fully Integrated Robotized Engine’ was lighter, simpler and more economical than its predecessor and, in addition to the Uno, would also power many other Fiats for years to come. Not too much power, by the way, but with a low car weight and a generally much slower fleet, a few dozen horsepower is enough. There was also a seriously smooth Uno, the Turbo IE. With more than 100 hp and a top speed of over 200 km / h, that version was really ‘on fire’, but without a Fire engine.
As mentioned, the Punto ended the career of the Uno as a new car, but that only applies to Western Europe. Especially in South America and South Africa, the model was kept alive for years with endless facelifts and other adjustments, until no less than 2014. Yes, the Uno remained in production for a total of no less than 31 years. In Brazil, an all-new Uno has been in showrooms since 2010, but apart from its name – and a hatchback body – it has little to do with the original.
A late South African Uno.
Do you suffer from strong Uno homesickness after this story? Then we have good news: in 2018, colleague Michiel set out with a Corsa A and an Uno and of course there are images of that.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl