The Fiat Uno is a supermini produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat. The Uno was launched in 1983, and remains in production though no longer in its native Italy, where production ceased in 1995.
1983-89
The Uno was launched in 1983 to replace the ageing Fiat 127. Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro's ItalDesign company, its tall, square body and a low drag coefficient of 0.34 won it much praise for interior space and fuel economy. It was voted Car of the Year in 1984 — by a narrow margin over two key competitors, the Peugeot 205 and the Mark 2 Volkswagen Golf. Initially, the Uno was offered with the 0.9 ohv, 1.1 and 1.3 138-series sohc petrol engines, as well as a 1.3 diesel engine. The Uno was available as either a 3 or 5 door hatchback.
From 1985, the new 1.0 SOHC Fully Integrated Robotised Engine (FIRE) powerplant was offered, which gave improved performance and economy. Also in 1985 the hot hatch version Uno Turbo variant was launched, with an IHI turbocharged Strada derived 1.3 146-series engine, initially offering 105 bhp.
1989-95
In September 1989 the Uno was given a mild facelift, which saw revisions to the bodywork that improved the drag coefficient to 0.30. The interior was also revised. At this time, the old 1.1 engine was replaced by a new FIRE version, and a new Fiat Tipo-derived 1.4 engine replaced the Strada / Ritmo-derived 1.3 in both naturally aspirated and Turbo versions. The Uno Turbo i.e. variant was restyled too, and upgraded with an Garret T2 turbine, Bosch LH Jetronic fuel injection and better aerodinamics. Uno production ceased in Italy in 1995, with sales throughout Western Europe stopping at the same time. Over 6 million Unos were sold in Europe. The Uno's replacement in Western Europe was the Fiat Punto, which had been launched in early 1994.
|