I have 4 of these. 3 US spec cars (one has been converted to a 105 TC and the other a standard Ritmo). The 4th is a MK2 Cabrio I imported from Rome. They are all gems. Amazing to drive, comfortable, refinded, smooth and that engine (on the 3 of them) is art. 2 of the 4 are US spec cars with factory fuel injection and that is a really nice feature. I have had so many cars come and go in the fleet but these remain. Few cars out there come close to how amazing these are.
It's a Shame that Fiat never has sucess in USA... Fiat is one of the best car company in the world, creating the real reliable, economic and people's cars! :)
I drove one in 1980 at a dealership in Georgia. NICE driving car. Fiat dealer would give me nothing for my 78 Renault LeCar..or I would have bought one,,
I had a Strada, Not too horribly long ago, I bought it from a woman for $300. She bought it new and it was sitting under a tree in front of her house, She sold the house and was moving, so I took advantage of the situation. Got the car running and drove it for 3 mostly realiable years! Yeah it had rust. I had to drill holes in the floor so the water would run out because of a rusted out windshield frame, but otherwise it was all good!
The Fiats and Alfas today are very beautiful cars. The Peugoets espacially the 308 , the Renaults and Citroen to. Look in the internet , very interesting cars. Poor americans that you cant buy this good designed cars
è vero,riscossero un buon successo(tanto che l' ultima serie della x1/9 fu destinata solo agli states),tuttavia,i volumi di vendite non erano lontanamente paragonabili a quelle delle auto prodotte in loco...la 500 ha riscosso simpatia in tutto il mondo,come simbolo dell' italianità,e lo stesso si può dire del maggiolone per la germania,della mini per l'inghilterra,della 2cv per la francia...tuttavia,rimasero macchine folkloristiche,mentre stravendevano (e piacevano) le auto USA...ciao!
Si è vero in america la chiamavano"fix it again tony"(riparala ancora tony)ma il motivo nn era perchè si rompevano spesso il motivo è che non c erano i pezzi di ricambio.
This car let me remember my youth ... the Strada Ritmo you saw very much here but I guess rust ate them. The big black bumpers looked strange but good ... the facelifting some years later I didn't like that much
truly a good car. America wasn't ready at that time for economical midsized cars. They found them to small. But in fact it was more than roomy enough for every 4 to 5 person family. It's a shame they have all disapeared. Due to rust .... Yes, but every car of that era rusted away from day 1 on.
its true. it was called RITMO in Europe. My mom had a black one. And its not true that it didnt rust! it actually rusted really badly. Though it was a good car
Il motivo del cambio di nome è il seguente:nei paesi anglosassoni il termine "ritmo" è associato al ciclo mestruale delle donne.Percui hanno optato per "strada",nome + tranquillo non trovi?
@TakumiFujiwara80; Oh, I suspected that was the reason- it just doesn't change the fact that it looks dreadful with that obviously oversized bumper. :-(
si, l' alfa ha avuto un pò di successo negli USA solo con la vendita dell' alfa 75 (li conosciuta come alfa milano)... ti ricordo che nel periodo in cui la fiat ritmo veniva commerciata negli USA, l'altra fiat in america erano la 131, mentre negli USA c'erano le splendenti cadillac, chevrolet, chrysler, ford, pontiac, buick, ecc... inoltre, avevano il catalizzatore ed erano più sicure...roba che in italia si vedrà solo nei primi anni 90....ma và là
I miss mine as well [a 79' and an 81] the 79' was struck by a big semi truck in an assassination attempt on me. Drove the 81' for many years [it had over 200,000 miles] and ran great but the mechanic broke the transmission so I let it go. Had eleven Fiat's in all over a 30 period of time. I'd buy a new Fiat in a heart beat but they no longer make the bigger cars and they no longer have full sized spare tires and a stand up jack.
they were lightyears ahaid of those bulky american cars at the time, If you made a turn with an american car you would end in the side of the road. If you were t boned in those long american cars you were most likely to be killed while the strada was the first car with anti intrusion protection
notare i paraurti allungati per le normative sulla sicurezza degli USA (un tempo erano all'abanguardia)... Mi sembra molto curioso, invece, che non abbiano nominato mai lo stile Italiano (rinomato anche in america, vedi Ferrari e Alfa), ma che si siano invece focalizzati su uno strano concetto di "Stile europeo"... è stato un grosso errore, per la Fiat, commercializzare solo la Ritmo: si giocò eventuali possibilità future...
It may have been biodegradable, and the heating system didn't heat in the winter, and the shock absorbers died young, and the wheels had no centre hole, and the gear linkage wore out once a year, and you had to carry a spare window winder, BUT if the suspension was in good nick, if you had Pirellis on it, if you took care of the engine, then it was great fun to drive and I am sure the engine was unburstable. I sold it when I got tired of watching the road go by under my left foot in a Montreal winter. The gods punished me for this by urging me to buy a Mitsubishi.
ahaha, 0:04 era la "Fiat-131" coupè.. .i miei nonni negli anni '80 ne avevano una così di color bianco ma berlina. Possibile che le Ritmo ed altre fiat negli Usa già all'epoca? io credevo che al massimo esportassero ferrari
No, not really. The pacer is all curves, no sharp edges. The Strada is all sharp edges, no curves at all. Most people mistake my Strada for a Dodge Omni, a VW Rabbit, or a Subaru Justy. Nobody has ever mistaken my Strada for a Pacer ! :D
because american car were more beautiful than more fiat.... but, if you think about italy, you can see only european car and you can't find american car here however, i like american cars P.S sorry for my english, but i'm italian
I imagine... the same problem of Renault, Peugeot, Citroën, and many other european cars! Thanks to the lord that Fiat takes revenge quitting Alfa Romeo from the USA market!!!
@u2bzane well, fiat managed to ruin glorious brands like Alfa Romeo and Lancia, before Fiat got its hands on these brands Mercedes and BMW were not a match for them. and now is the turn for another glorious brand such as Jeep!
Se avevi bisogno di un'auto con prestazioni, motore da cristiani, abitabilità non potevi che comprati una fiat. La Golf benzina era un polmone asfittico, a pari cilindrata, più scomoda e consumava la sua parte. La Ritmo sembrava una astronave, soprattutto dentro. La tenuta di strada era nettamente superiore a quei barconi amercani da 4000 cubi, se dovevi prendere una curva, frenare dovevi affidarti a qualche santo. Ma l'avreste mai detto voi che la Fiat si sarebbe comprata la Chrysler?
davvero? non lo sapevo... ehehehe...se avesse saputo all' epoca che vent'anni più tardi sarebbe salito solo su limousine cadillac, non ci avrebbe creduto!!!
they raped the design putting those ugly bumpers that stick out ruining even the aerodynamics of the car+ pedestrian safety The original strada was much more beautiful, it was the most advanced design at the time with a full PVC front that was tough yet safe for pedestrians, no sharp shapes that cuts flesh while hitting a pedestrian accidentally
la versione italiana era meno orrenda...nn m pare una macchina adatta all'america avranno fatto cilecca....è una macchina da oltre cortina o anche da paesi arabi di quei tempi
OMG these were HORRIBLE cars! Maneouvrablility? I don't think so, unless you have a four acre field to turn it round in. Handsome and luxurious, nah, just ugly.
I have 4 of these. 3 US spec cars (one has been converted to a 105 TC and the other a standard Ritmo). The 4th is a MK2 Cabrio I imported from Rome. They are all gems. Amazing to drive, comfortable, refinded, smooth and that engine (on the 3 of them) is art. 2 of the 4 are US spec cars with factory fuel injection and that is a really nice feature. I have had so many cars come and go in the fleet but these remain. Few cars out there come close to how amazing these are.
As an Italian guy, I'm glad to hear that
It's a Shame that Fiat never has sucess in USA... Fiat is one of the best car company in the world, creating the real reliable, economic and people's cars! :)
In Spain Ritmo was sold by Seat between 1979 and 1982 with licence Fiat. My father had one for twenty years.
+Juan Antonio Fernández Alcalá de Henares. Costasur Its call seat ronda
@@joedon9758 Seat Ronda after the facelift only
Not only sold but also manufactured.
In Italy this car was called Ritmo
Why US version of imported cars has that horrible bumpers, even Ferraris 😅
Had a 131 in the late 70s. Started rusting from day one but mechanically (believe it or not) it was faultless.
Interesting video! Very few Strada's were sold. Brava on the other hand was relatively succesfull. Also a wagon version was offered.
The ones we got here were ugly. I live in Miami but my family lives in Alessandria, and when I used to go to visit the "Ritmos" were beautiful
I drove one in 1980 at a dealership in Georgia. NICE driving car. Fiat dealer would give me nothing for my 78 Renault LeCar..or I would have bought one,,
How to kill Italian design?
with american bumpers ofcourse (to be dumb driver proof)
The european RITMO was hunred times more beautiful then this car.
Amazing what difference.
greats from Middle europe.
I had a Strada, Not too horribly long ago, I bought it from a woman for $300. She bought it new and it was sitting under a tree in front of her house, She sold the house and was moving, so I took advantage of the situation. Got the car running and drove it for 3 mostly realiable years! Yeah it had rust. I had to drill holes in the floor so the water would run out because of a rusted out windshield frame, but otherwise it was all good!
The Fiats and Alfas today are very beautiful cars.
The Peugoets espacially the 308 , the Renaults and Citroen to.
Look in the internet , very interesting cars.
Poor americans that you cant buy this good designed cars
That American bumpers 😁😁😁😅
è vero,riscossero un buon successo(tanto che l' ultima serie della x1/9 fu destinata solo agli states),tuttavia,i volumi di vendite non erano lontanamente paragonabili a quelle delle auto prodotte in loco...la 500 ha riscosso simpatia in tutto il mondo,come simbolo dell' italianità,e lo stesso si può dire del maggiolone per la germania,della mini per l'inghilterra,della 2cv per la francia...tuttavia,rimasero macchine folkloristiche,mentre stravendevano (e piacevano) le auto USA...ciao!
Si è vero in america la chiamavano"fix it again tony"(riparala ancora tony)ma il motivo nn era perchè si rompevano spesso il motivo è che non c erano i pezzi di ricambio.
I had one a long time ago, the european version "Ritmo". It wold have been a good car if it would not have been a rust bucket. :)
This car let me remember my youth ... the Strada Ritmo you saw very much here but I guess rust ate them. The big black bumpers looked strange but good ... the facelifting some years later I didn't like that much
In brazil strada is a pickup based on the fiat palio
truly a good car.
America wasn't ready at that time for economical midsized cars. They found them to small. But in fact it was more than roomy enough for every 4 to 5 person family.
It's a shame they have all disapeared.
Due to rust .... Yes, but every car of that era rusted away from day 1 on.
its true. it was called RITMO in Europe. My mom had a black one. And its not true that it didnt rust! it actually rusted really badly. Though it was a good car
you are 100% true. Our Ritmom used to rust like hell! you would have to make sure that you had the tetanus jab before entering our Ritmo!
era la macchina di obama uando era universitario
I have only seen one of these in my life.
the 1938 FIAT Topolino is Italian for little mouse.
There is a blue Strada in a junkyard the next town over from me.
So says You ! Neither of mine have rusted away ! :p
@methaphaze What about Fiat Coupe from 90s ? I love that car :)
Bellissima la STRADA Fiat ritmo
Il motivo del cambio di nome è il seguente:nei paesi anglosassoni il termine "ritmo" è associato al ciclo mestruale delle donne.Percui hanno optato per "strada",nome + tranquillo non trovi?
Topolino is Mouse and Strada is street in Italian.
@TakumiFujiwara80; Oh, I suspected that was the reason- it just doesn't change the fact that it looks dreadful with that obviously oversized bumper. :-(
@rrshadow2 do you still have that car?
0:06 is the Fiat Topolino
si, l' alfa ha avuto un pò di successo negli USA solo con la vendita dell' alfa 75 (li conosciuta come alfa milano)... ti ricordo che nel periodo in cui la fiat ritmo veniva commerciata negli USA, l'altra fiat in america erano la 131, mentre negli USA c'erano le splendenti cadillac, chevrolet, chrysler, ford, pontiac, buick, ecc... inoltre, avevano il catalizzatore ed erano più sicure...roba che in italia si vedrà solo nei primi anni 90....ma và là
yep!
I really mis my strada :'( it wad an unique drivability it was fun to drive
I miss mine as well [a 79' and an 81] the 79' was struck by a big semi truck in an assassination attempt on me. Drove the 81' for many years [it had over 200,000 miles] and ran great but the mechanic broke the transmission so I let it go. Had eleven Fiat's in all over a 30 period of time. I'd buy a new Fiat in a heart beat but they no longer make the bigger cars and they no longer have full sized spare tires and a stand up jack.
they were lightyears ahaid of those bulky american cars at the time,
If you made a turn with an american car you would end in the side of the road.
If you were t boned in those long american cars you were most likely to be killed while the strada was the first car with anti intrusion protection
@Adam19822000 where?is that town
Actually, he got the Italians to take Chrysler off our hands.
They made it look like an AMC Pacer ???
@AlfaManDan Oh! I like that!... Fast Italian Action Toy... thanks :) (I own a "Made in Brazil" Fiat Uno)
@AXELDIECAST ahahah! ne so qualcosa!!! è un mutuo dal meccanico!
notare i paraurti allungati per le normative sulla sicurezza degli USA (un tempo erano all'abanguardia)...
Mi sembra molto curioso, invece, che non abbiano nominato mai lo stile Italiano (rinomato anche in america, vedi Ferrari e Alfa), ma che si siano invece focalizzati su uno strano concetto di "Stile europeo"...
è stato un grosso errore, per la Fiat, commercializzare solo la Ritmo: si giocò eventuali possibilità future...
It may have been biodegradable, and the heating system didn't heat in the winter, and the shock absorbers died young, and the wheels had no centre hole, and the gear linkage wore out once a year, and you had to carry a spare window winder, BUT if the suspension was in good nick, if you had Pirellis on it, if you took care of the engine, then it was great fun to drive and I am sure the engine was unburstable. I sold it when I got tired of watching the road go by under my left foot in a Montreal winter. The gods punished me for this by urging me to buy a Mitsubishi.
ahaha, 0:04 era la "Fiat-131" coupè.. .i miei nonni negli anni '80 ne avevano una così di color bianco ma berlina. Possibile che le Ritmo ed altre fiat negli Usa già all'epoca? io credevo che al massimo esportassero ferrari
I dare you to try and adjust the roof mounted aerial on one........without it coming away in your hand................
No, not really. The pacer is all curves, no sharp edges. The Strada is all sharp edges, no curves at all. Most people mistake my Strada for a Dodge Omni, a VW Rabbit, or a Subaru Justy. Nobody has ever mistaken my Strada for a Pacer ! :D
@libertycityR33GTR They rusted away long ago
ah,non lo sapevo.... comunque, le auto italiane ( ad eccezione delle solite ferrari e lamborghini ) non hanno mai avuto successo negli USA
from german daimler hands maybe
No, It's Fast Italian Action Toy! Come on...learn your abbreviations... :)
@gianfryx2 Una Ford Mestruo avrebbe successo
Lots of marketing problems, plus, they use to rust a lot..
What a pitty, the american bumpers of that time killed the charasteristic front of the Ritmo/Strada. It was a good way to prevent imports though lol
because american car were more beautiful than more fiat.... but, if you think about italy, you can see only european car and you can't find american car here
however, i like american cars
P.S sorry for my english, but i'm italian
I imagine... the same problem of Renault, Peugeot, Citroën, and many other european cars! Thanks to the lord that Fiat takes revenge quitting Alfa Romeo from the USA market!!!
Fiat has built cars in the past, but now are real clunkers, here in Europe if they sell less and less.
@u2bzane well, fiat managed to ruin glorious brands like Alfa Romeo and Lancia, before Fiat got its hands on these brands Mercedes and BMW were not a match for them.
and now is the turn for another glorious brand such as Jeep!
nor did anyone mistake mine for a Pacer,but then mine didn't have those stupid American safety bumpers
@airaudo Yes special this car (made of low quality russian steel) are deserved for bad Fiat reputation long after Ritmo era.
In the mid west and northern parts of the USA Fiat's from the 60's-80's rusted horribly.
1st car i ever had and it pit me off fiat for life total piece of shite but i did enjoy the vid, so absurd it made me laugh
Se avevi bisogno di un'auto con prestazioni, motore da cristiani, abitabilità non potevi che comprati una fiat. La Golf benzina era un polmone asfittico, a pari cilindrata, più scomoda e consumava la sua parte. La Ritmo sembrava una astronave, soprattutto dentro. La tenuta di strada era nettamente superiore a quei barconi amercani da 4000 cubi, se dovevi prendere una curva, frenare dovevi affidarti a qualche santo. Ma l'avreste mai detto voi che la Fiat si sarebbe comprata la Chrysler?
ahahahahahahahahahahahahah!!!!
AHAHAHAJBKSADJASKDAJKDAHHahahahaahah!!!
RIPARALA ANCORA TONY!!!!
che paraurti orrendo che aveva
davvero? non lo sapevo... ehehehe...se avesse saputo all' epoca che vent'anni più tardi sarebbe salito solo su limousine cadillac, non ci avrebbe creduto!!!
they raped the design putting those ugly bumpers that stick out
ruining even the aerodynamics of the car+ pedestrian safety
The original strada was much more beautiful, it was the most advanced design at the time with a full PVC front that was tough yet safe for pedestrians, no sharp shapes that cuts flesh while hitting a pedestrian accidentally
obama car
Fiat Strada in England they where crap they rusted like crazy a friend of mine had one from new within 5 years it was scrap.
Unfortunately, this was the car that ended Fiat's USA adventure because it rusted itself away...
la versione italiana era meno orrenda...nn m pare una macchina adatta all'america avranno fatto cilecca....è una macchina da oltre cortina o anche da paesi arabi di quei tempi
you cannot be that negative. Maybe the STRADA was but the RITMO wasnt that bad
My God, those bumpers are fugly. Totally ruin the appearance. What were they thinking?!
Arrivare davanti all'entrata di un grand hotel con un'utilitaria come la Ritmo? Non è credibile, dai.
fix it again tony!
La Ritmo (Strada) americana faceva davvero schifo!
The American Strada was too bad!
@mjdatruth hahaha yes the strada usa was ugly, the european one looked better
OMG these were HORRIBLE cars! Maneouvrablility? I don't think so, unless you have a four acre field to turn it round in. Handsome and luxurious, nah, just ugly.
@215alessio This is one of the ugliest cars ever made! next to any Toyota of coarse
ahaha che macchina di merda!!!
Still worst that.....