Fiat Barchetta

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THE LATIN MGB

Anything Alfa could do with its Spider, Fiat could ape almost as well and the 124 soft top is a case in point. Like the Alfa, the Fiat boasted a mechanical specification that made our British sports cars look pre-historic plus they had a (Pininfarina) style that many feel is as good as its more illustrious Italian stablemate. The 124 was launched in 1966 and enjoyed a 20 year production run (virtually all LHD only) with pre-1974 cars the sportiest and most classically styled because they were later spoiled to appease the US market where 85 per cent always went. Prices have soared of late and some special Abarth cars can make £35-50,000 although you can buy good mainstream examples around £7-12,000 with the US models (just 77bhp in some cases) the cheapest. Middle Barton Garage of Oxford is an expert on these cars.