il3ana: Fiat Uno

Along with Peugeot’s award winning 205 (remember the Rallye and the GTi?), the Fiat Uno is considered one of the finest superminis to come out of Europe in the 1980s. And the fact that both models remained in the market with small changes for more than a decade is a testament to that. The Uno’s clean and modern lines were the work of Giorgetto Giugiaro's ItalDesign, which has now passed into the hands of the ever-growing Volkswagen Group.

The Uno Turbo with its 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine developing 105HP at launch and 118HP in the refreshed model was the flagship version of the range. And as with any other hot hatch, the Uno Turbo was subjected to numerous modifications, be that in design or performance. That said, we’re accustomed to seeing the Uno Turbo in strange outfits, but what we have here is beyond words…

In addition to being one of Fiat's most important markets, the Italian automaker is also getting ready to celebrate its 35 years in Brazil next year, so it comes to no surprise that the company is exhibiting a total of 30 vehicles at this week's Sao Paulo Auto Show. The Uno Cabrio and Mio [or FCC 111] concept models and the new Uno Sporting and Bravo production models, are among the highlights of Fiat's display.

Beginning with the Uno Cabrio, this concept study is a two-seater drop top variant of the South American market Uno supermini. In addition to losing the Uno's top and rear seats, the quirky looking roadster model also sports an aggressive bodykit with newly designed front and rear bumpers and a set of 17-inch alloy wheels.

The engine of choice is the same one as of Punto T-Jet, a 152HP 1.4-liter turbo which is capable of carrying the Cabrio to a top speed close to 200 km/h [124mph].

Fiat's second concept car is the Mio or FCC 111, which is an ongoing project created through an interactive process via the portal www.fiatmio.cc. According to the company, from August 2009 to October 2010, more than two million people, from 160 countries, visited the portal, where 17 thousand registered users posted more than 10 thousand ideas.

The dimensions of the Fiat Mio are: 1,560 mm wide, 1,530 mm high and 2,500 mm long, meaning it's roughly the same size as the Smart Fortwo. Fiat says the city car concept has not yet reached its final form.

In the production model division, Fiat introduced a "Sporting" variant of the new Uno supermini. Powered by a 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine producing 85HP when running on gasoline and 88HP on ethanol, the Uno Sporting gets a subtle bodykit with front and rear aprons, side sills and a roof spoiler, plus chrome exhaust tips, special decals and 15-inch alloy wheels wrapped around in 185/60 R15 tires. The car also sits 20mm lower thanks to a new sports suspension.

Interior appointments include a leather sports steering wheel, modified instrument panel and sports seats in unique to this model cloth.

Finally, Fiat also showed the local market version of the Bravo hatchback.

Live photos credit: Sao Paulo Auto Show

____________________________LIVE PHOTOS___________________________