After working on the Opel Junior Concept vehicle Chris Bangle moved to Centro Stile FIAT where he designed the body for, today’s featured, FIAT Coupé which was launched in 1993 after which Chris moved on to become one of the most talked about designers, in the last twenty years, at BMW.

The FIAT Coupé was originally powered by a turbo charged and normally aspirated variations of the 4 cylinder Twin Cam motor used in the Lancia Delta Integrale. By 1998 when todays featured car was built 5 cylinder turbocharged 20 valve engines had been introduced, the turbocharged variant on this car would have given over 200 hp a top speed of 155 mph and a rest to 62 mph time of 6.5 seconds.

Pininfarina was responsible for the design of the for the original Coupé interior which like the motors would receive numerous upgrades between 1993 and 2000 when production was terminated.

This appears to be an early 1998 car characterised by the non colour coordinated sill panels below the doors, the absence of red Brembo brake calipers indicates that it is unlikely to be one of the limited edition LE models.

While FCSS (Fiat Coupe Service Specialist) were responsible for converting this car which had a damaged roof, in the space of a week, this is by no means the only Chris Bangle design to become a pick up.

On April 1st last year BMW revealed a one off Bangle originated E93 BMW M3 Pick Up, complete with removable roof, towing hitch and a claimed 186 mph capability making it faster than even the legendary Australian HSV Maloo !

Thanks for joining me on this “Bangles Pick Up” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a MG badge engineered variation of what was Britain’s top selling car much of the 1960’s. Don’t forget to come back now !