Speaking of Italian cars,which we haven't for a while,I was just thinking about the Fiat Mirafiori.This was a 1600cc saloon, in the kind of eye-searing orange only the Italians can get away with.Basically a very plain,no frills car,with no real creature comforts,its redeeming features were its engine and gearbox.Producing 75 bhp,which back then was considered pretty healthy (but not nowadays when you compare it with the output from the original Vauxhall Astra,which gave you 90bhp),I felt the car was good fun to drive.And it was,believe me.Faults? Of course.My family believe I'd find fault with a Rolls-Royce and I sure found them on the Mirafiori,although not many.Front wheel bearing and a wonky thermostat were about it.Oh and a duff differential which I'd picked up on during the test drive and which the dealer had sorted before delivery.Nice car.
The other Italian in the family was a Fiat X1/9,beautiful little 2-seater,mid-engined sports car designed by Bertone.Worst luck it was my brother's,and it's probably the only time I've actually come near to feeling resentful towards him.Again,a very nice car,a very,very nice car.Its only problem as far as I can remember,apart from its insurance premiums,was a temperamental gear linkage.Seems that if a rod or lever under the car wasn't bent at just the right angle half your gears went walkabout.When everything was set up just right you couldn't ask for a slicker shift,but brother had developed a flair for putting this linkage out of whack, and I seemed to spend a fair proportion of my time underneath bending it back in place.As indeed I did sorting out a Viva van he had for his band equipment .Against better judgement, he got it because there was a total lack of cheap vans and the group was desperate. When I had a test drive of it I forecast nothing but trouble and was I right.I think dad and I lived in the garage over the next few months as we put right one thing after another.The van got used and then back in it would come with something else.We literally built the thing from the ground up.Scouring scrap yards became a regular weekend pastime;a front suspension this week,a rear suspension the following.Steering rack,alternator,you name it we swapped it.In the end he bought a Renault 12 estate.