JEFF SCHEFERMAN'S 1972 FIAT 124 COUPE

It all started in Spain, in 1972. With the arrival of our son, Carol and I needed a car that had some room for a car seat. The tiny Datsun 1600 pickup we were driving didn't fit that bill, so we went shopping, and with a limited budget, bought a 1970 Fiat 850 sedan. It was in OK shape, but the clutch was nearly shot. The good news is that with just a little practice, you could do some pretty clean upshifts without even using the clutch!. But the 850 was still too small, so we went looking for something bigger. In spite of the problems we had with the 850, we both loved that car and the huge driving fun factor that it just seemed to have built into it. For me, it was a huge shift from what I had been driving prior to the Datsun. Those first cars inluded a 1963 Chevy Impala SS coupe with a 327CI, 350HP V-8, a 1967 Chevelle SS with a 396CI, 375HP V-8, and a 1969 Camaro SS with a 396CI, 375HP V-8. Huge fun accelerating, but horrible handling and really anemic braking. But that little Fiat was fun in an entirely different way. With this little car, you were totally engaged as the driver. I was falling in love with the Italian driving experience and didn't know it yet.

So, we went for another Fiat, a 1973 128 coupe with the 1300cc engine. We loved that car. What a kick to drive, and tons of room in a small package. But then one day in 1975 I was behind what I learned later was a B coupe, and I was amazed at the acceleration and beautiful lines of this car. I was hooked, and set out to find a used one. Just 5 months before we left Spain, I bought a gorgeous 1972 B coupe with only 10,000 miles on it. I'll never forget the first ride with Carol the day I brought it home. It was a warm August night, the sun was setting, and we went out on twisty piece of road that went around the perimeter of the Naval Base in Rota. I loved the view over the hood, the instrumentation, exhaust note, the 5speed, the 4 wheel disc brakes, the way the engine revved, the great feel of the car, and we decided then that this was a car we would keep forever. We shipped it home and drove it all over the USA until it was killed in a crash in 1978. The timing was really bad in this case, because I had just ordered cams, pistons, carbs and all the other pieces to build a full house motor for it! So there I sat with all the parts, but no car!

The solution was easy. A week later I bought a brand new 1978 131 Mirafiori coupe, and with just 120 miles on the odometer, took it to a guy who raced Fiats, and had him put together a full house 1800 with the parts I had ordered for the coupe! And what a motor it turned out to be. Never did dyno that thing, but it was really quick, and like all Italian cars, a real hoot to drive. We kept the 131 for 7 years, and while I loved that Fiat, I was always looking for a good coupe

I finally found our current coupe quite by accident, parked on the street in San Francisco. It was running, but needed a lot of work with 88,000 miles on the odometer, and having been the obvious victim of neglect. But there was no rust, and nothing but door dings, and most importantly, no cracks in the dash board! I became the second owner, and with my now teen-aged son, began a conservation, rather than restoration, project. I rebuilt an 1800 motor using all stock parts, painted it, put a new tan interior in it, and re-did all the mechanicals (tranny, suspension, etc). All the chrome and trim and glass is the original, and the headliner is original and still looks as new. Six months later, I had it on the road, and was thrilled to once again look over that hood and drive this wonderful car. I also joined a Fiat Club, and at our first event, after seeing a coupe with a full house motor in it, decided to take the plunge! It, too, had a full house motor just three months later.

THE CAR:

The motor is a 2 litre with a lightened flywheel and 84,8mm bores that hold 9.8:1 pistons on polished rods. Compression has been bumped further by milling the head and block. The cylinder head has been ported, CC'd and features 40-80/80-40 cams and oversized valves. The motor is fed from a Holley "Blue Series" racing fuel pump supplying two 40 mm IDFs on an Alquati manifold. An MSD ignition provides the spark while an Ansa header and free flowing mufflers handle the exhaust.

The car rides on a lowered suspension with front and rear sway bars and Koni shocks on all four corners. Setting the car off are a nice set of 14X6 Panasport ultralights with Nitto 205/55 rubber.

Inside, Jeff has complemented the Coupe's clean black interior with a complete set of instruments and a Momo leather steering wheel. Nicely done Jeff. We look forward to seeing more.