Possibly the best known 16NA in the club is finally (and very sadly) for sale - ideally to someone who will appreciate it and keep it on the road, not break it for parts! As I now live in Germany and the car is in Worcestershire, it's getting a little complex and expensive to manage it, so with great regret after thirty years I have decided to sell it. Joe Knight of FCSS (Countrycruising) will be handling the sale and any viewing on my behalf; the car is in dry storage close to him.
Price:
£5,000Engine and model:
2.0 16v NAMileage:
Approx 195k miles (a mere 7,000 miles per year!)
Body colour:
Black metallicInterior colour and material:
Black leatherManufactured in:
1995# of previous owners:
One owner from newMOT:
Just expired (May 30th 2025); will be sold with a new MOT. It is currently SORNed.
Known technical issues:
None. As far as I know all mechanical and electrical systems are in good working order. Even the sunroof and the handbrake!
General condition in and out: The exterior paintwork is tired after a respray over ten years ago but is in a generally respectable condition - though not a show queen without some work. Minor scratches and sad paint on probably most panels. Aluminium corrosion on rear light clusters hastily sanded and sprayed last year prior to Turin.
Interior has some sagging of the headlining but limited by the sunroof. Controls, steering wheel, and gear knob all have wear consistent with the mileage - and Chris Bangle autographed the dash panel, not once but twice!
Modifications: Call me Mr Originality... there are no body or wheel modifications; a strut brace was fitted about twenty-five years ago, and the dash contains the only MK6 widget with a green (not yellow) display. This is the car on which Leighton developed his chip, so that is also fitted. The original radio has long since been replaced with a Blaupunkt DAB unit; the active aerial is on the windscreen and hides behind the mirror.
About ten years ago, the car had a major bottom engine rebuild (the compression ratios were so good that we didn't take the head off, just shimmed the valves and replaced the cams) and a replacement gearbox at FCSS, which was documented on the forum; sadly the associated pictures disappeared when Photobucket got silly. At the same time, the engine bay and inner wheel arches were renovated - lots of welding - along with other necessary work like brake lines and other tinworm repairs. Much of the engine pipework and covers were powder coated at the time.
The car has all three keys - the 'classic' ignition key; the plastic spare; and the red master key. It also has the original keycode card. The original purchase receipt is also included.
The following parts have been replaced in the last year or two:
- Cam belt and associated parts
- Refurbished headlights
- Catalyst
- Alternator
- Battery
- Starter motor - replaced with a used part; the original solenoid refused to work consistently and new parts are not available
- The fuel pump has had some attention to solve a starvation issue (air leaking into the lift line)
- Also included: a spare radiator (new) and a spare thermostat (the Brazil model with a replaceable module). The old starter and alternator are also available as core parts.
Note that the car was involved in a road traffic incident some years ago which resulted in it being written off as uneconomical to repair. I bought the car back and repaired it and did the necessary stuff to get it legal again. This is noted on the V5.
The car currently spends nine months a year in dry storage. The remaining three months, it drives to Berlin and back over the summer, sometimes with a side trip to Turin. It's been to the Turin Anniversary Meetings twice, most recently last year; it was invited to the Norwegian Fiat Owner's Club trip to Alesund in north-west Norway in 2015. It is not a vehicle in which I have any concerns about getting in and driving six or seven hundred miles in a day... and it returns 40-45mpg at Autobahn speeds.
It has appeared a number of times at the Classic Motor Show at the NEC, both as part of the FCCUK display and as an NEC invited guest; most recently it appeared in 'harlequin' form displaying panels from many of the coupe colour range. It was part of a group review of Coupés in Autoitalia where it was described (with careful quoting) as 'the perfect car'
Pictures: Please note that these pictures date from summer 2024; pretty much the last time I saw the car.
My full name: Neil Barnes
Forum name : Barnacle
Address : Maerkerring 47, Fahrland, 14476 Potsdam, Germany, and
11 The Furrow, Market Harborough, LE16 9FT, UK (my legal UK address)
Landline or mobile telephone number : +44 7910 830 026, or +49 17 656 770 911
Email address : neil@dnbprojects.co.uk
Contact Joe Knight, FCSS Buckmans Industrial Estate, Longdon Heath, Upton upon Severn, WR8 0RJ
Tel: 01684 593187 - you will almost certainly get an answering machine but calls will be returned!
I overdid it a little with the boost pressure).
