FIAT124 Sport Coupe AC 1967 - 1969

　　Just a few months after Fiat introduced the 124 Spider, the Italian automaker unveiled the coupe version of it, which was a surprisingly affordable GT vehicle.

　　Sharing its underpinning with the 124 Sedan, the sporty-looking coupe was designed in-house by Fiat, even though the open-top version was penned by Pininfarina. But the automaker considered that there was no need for an expensive new design and put its trust in the competent hands of Mario Boano from Centro Stile Fiat, the same man who was previously responsible for penning the Lancia Aurelia GT, Karmann Ghia, and the 1955 Lincoln Coupe "Indianapolis" among other vehicles. His only restriction was to stick to the same platform and use many components from the company's parts bin to cut production costs.

　　In the spring of 1967, Fiat pulled the wraps off from the 124 Coupe, and people could see a vehicle with a low beltline and a tall greenhouse. At the front, the round headlights were similar to those installed in the regular 124 Sedan. The roof was extended above the rear seats, and the raked-forward rear windscreen was supported by thin C-pillars. At the back, the Italian designer installed a set of taillights shared with the Lamborghini Espada and the Iso Rivolta.

　　Thanks to the tall greenhouse and ample wheelbase, the 124 offered enough room for four adults. Still, since the distance between the axles was 14 cm (5.6") shorter than on its sedan sibling, it didn't provide the same legroom. But Fiat cared a lot about the interior styling and provided vinyl-covered seats and woodgrain on the dash. Thus, the 124 Coupe looked like a budget GT. And it wasn't far from that.

　　Since it had the famous ex-Ferrari engineer Aurelio Lamperdi on its payroll, Fiat produced a twin-cam 1.4-liter that provided 90 PS (89 hp) to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual. Yet, the carmaker also provided the car fitted with a 60 PS (59 hp), single-cam powerplant mated to a four-speed, with the five-speed version as an option. Like its sedan sibling, the lighter 124 Coupe featured disc brakes in all corners.