17x03 - Fiat Coupe 20 Valve Turbo

[bunniefuu]

This was called the
baby Ferrari, but I reckon

we can actually make
it drive like the Ferrari.

But crucially we want to spend
as little money on it as possible.

Now I know what you're thinking.
This is a crazy idea and part

of me agrees with you. What
our little Guinea pig Latin looks.

I just can't get excited by that.

It more than makes up for in performance.

It must be the fastest Fiat
Cupid turbo in the country now.

But can it keep up with one of its
much more expensive Italian cousins?

I'm never back with me!

Go on son! Go on!

Love it, love it, love it.

I'm Mike Brewer and I've been buying
and selling cars for nearly 40 years.

It's rattling, it's noisy,
it's utterly wonderful.

Now I'm set up shop in Britain's
Motoring Heritage Heartland near Oxford.

I can't stop smiling.

Along with ex-formula one
mechanic, Mark Elvis-Breece-Lee.

Come on, hurry up.

Together we're going to buy.

I love this mate.

So do I.

And fix up.

You're right down that end mate.

Yeah I'm fine.

The most iconic and
exciting cars on the market.

Why is it on the trailer?
It hasn't rung for 30 years.

30 years?!

With Elvis' engineering skills.

Oh my goodness, what a mess.

And my car dealing clout.

I think you're being a bit
cheeky with your prices.

We should be able to
make ourselves a tidy profit.

You're not a happy customer mate.

I'm a happy customer.

Watch and learn sunshine, watch and learn.

Learn what?

Oh yeah.

Come on, you can do better.

Come on!

Isn't it annoying that they put the
number one right next to the 20?

Certainly is.

Right then Elvis, top three
cheap sports cars of all time.

Go.

Fiesta ST, Honda Civic
Type R and Mazda MX-5.

Yeah all really good choices.

But what about this that I found online?

Fiat Coupe 20 valve turbo.

North to 60, six and a half seconds.

Top speed 155 miles an hour.

There's a guy in the
Midlands selling one online.

and it's had one previous owner from
new and it's cheap it's only three grand.

The thing with those is the
appearance is going to split opinion

but what everyone I think agrees on is
what's under the bonnet is pretty awesome.

Some people have had over 300 horsepower

and you being ex-formula
one mechanic and all that

surely you could squeeze some ponies.

Right I'd love to have a go.

I mean there's loads of stuff you could do.

You could play around with the
engine mapping, play with the turbo.

It's all doable.

Yeah that all sounds rather expensive.

Remember it's a cheap car.

We don't want to be
spending the fortune on it.

But look that's what you do isn't it?

If anyone can get us the bits we need
without spending a lot of money it's you.

Do you know I think
you've struck an idea there?

Maximum performance for minimal spend.

I feel the trip to the
West Midlands coming on.

Yeah I mean I agree.

Go and have a look at it
and we'll catch up a bit later.

Right before I go remember
I always win so 180.

That's the only way you're
getting those in there mate.

I really love being able to talk
through these ideas with Elvis.

He's such a clever bloke
and it's such a fantastic idea.

Buy a cheap car that is immensely fun

and try and squeeze as much
bang for buck as we can out of it.

And I think I may have
found the perfect candidate.

In the 1980s Fiat were churning out boxy,

run of the mill super minis and compacts.

But all that changed in 1993

when the Italian car
giants begun marketing an

out and out sports car
with outlandish looks.

The coupes at styling was conceived by
Maverick American car designer Chris Bangle.

And the stylish cabin created
by legendary design house

Pininfarina, boasted body
colour trim across the dash.

But the icing on this
controversial cake came in 1996

when Fiat crammed a turbocharged
engine under the bonnet.

The very same engine that's in
the car I'm off to go and see now.

The Fiat Coupe 20 valve turbo.

Remember this is a car that had performance
figures that were like a Ferrari.

And that's why people
call it the baby Ferrari.

But I do know if you go and see one
you need to have your wits about you.

You need to know what you're looking at.

There's only about 500
left registered in the UK

because most of them have rotted away.

So I need to make sure this
car hasn't got any rust issues.

They can rust at the top
of the suspension turrets,

down on the seals over
the rear wheel arches.

There's a man who likes
these cars they're everywhere.

You must be Chris.

Chris how are you?

Not too bad, you ok?

I'm Mike, yeah, not bad at all mate.

It's kind of nice because
I've turned up here

and you've got cars that are
all exposed and covered in ice.

Yeah, you put a cloth over this one.

You've got to look after
it, you've got to protect it.

Shall we have a look?

I can't wait, do you mind?

Yeah, let's go.

Oh yes, look at that.

I love it, I love it, love it, love it.

I remember these cars from back
in the day, how exciting they were.

That colour is so strong, isn't it?

You've not had this car long, have you?

I haven't had it long at all, Mike, no.

So why are you selling it?

I brought it as a run around after
my Van was stolen off the drive

and with me driving up and down the
country and it throwing tools in the back,

I'm just going to wreck it.

The bonnet looks good, doesn't it?

Yeah.

Nice and straight and
it's got the factory sunroof.

It has got a sunroof
on it, and it doesn't leak.

Shut up.

You'll see from the headlining
inside that this doesn't leak.

Wow, ok, well that's a rarity
because usually with these Fiat's,

one of the problems with them is they
rust out, they rot out, some roof leak.

Yeah, yeah.

They rust at the bottom of the doors.

Now the reason I'm
opening and shutting the door

is to see if the door drags
against the bodywork.

If it does, it means that the car could
have been in an accident, but that's lovely.

Nicely straight down the side, and I love
that rear end, it's brilliant, isn't it?

With the four lights.

It reminds you of one
of the old Ferrari Dinos.

It certainly does.

Right, that interior, five-speed gearbox.

Yep.

Unfortunately, the
dash looks like it's got

that same Ferrari problem
where it goes sticky.

Let's have a look at that engine.

Ok, now, that's all original across
the front, all original on the inner wing,

and top of the suspension turrets
where there's usually a little bit of rust.

No rust at all, Mike?

No rust, nice and solid.

Do you know what, I'm really impressed.

I really like it.

Do you mind if I take it out for a spin?

You carry on.

Thank you very much.

I love it, love it, love it.

The steering is nice and
weighted, and it feels planted.

The suspension is good.

The engine note, oh, I just
remember it from back in the day.

It's such a lovely sound, and it's got
oodles and oodles of torque, this motor,

and that comes from its layout.

It's a five-cylinder engine, so
we've got a 20-valve engine,

and then there's the chief to
go and bolt a turbo on top of that.

Oh, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

The other things about this
car are really good as well.

There's no creaks or rattles.

The electric windows,
they seem to be working.

Plus, you're driving something that
Pin and Farina have helped put together,

and if they've helped it
put together like all the

great Ferraris, then you're
not in a bad car, are you?

Originally, this car would have
had about 220 horsepower,

but some of the horses
have left the paddock.

It's a good car, and it's got strong bones,

but it's certainly not worth
the £3,000 Chris is asking for it.

This car is called the baby Ferrari,

but I reckon for not a lot more money,

we can actually make
it drive like a Ferrari.

That'd be something else, wouldn't it?

Well, Mark, what do you think?

Well, I'm convinced.

When I drove this car
back in the day, it was faster.

I can't fault the way it drives.

It's just a little bit underpowered,

but I love it.

I love the car.

That's great, that's great.

I'd like to make you one offer,

but a really good offer to not insult you.

I am open to an offer.

£2,750.

I have had an offer of
£2,850 over the phone, Mike.

Yeah, but he's not here, is he?

I'm standing here right now, isn't he?

No, you are standing there right now.

Yeah, I think that's a good price, Mike.

Yeah, fantastic, thank you very much.

No problem.

I just bought myself a
Fiat Coupe 20-valve turbo.

You ain't got that guy's number, have you?

If he's given me £2,850,
I'll just make myself a profit.

So there you have it.

£2,750 gets me this wicked little car.

I'm absolutely over the moon, I am.

There's loads of things
that we need to do to it.

Don't get me wrong, I
should have 220 horsepower.

I should be able to go 155 miles an hour.

I should be able to do naught
to 60 in six and a half seconds,

but I know I can't.

It's lacking in all those departments.

But if anyone can extract
more power out of this,

it's going to be hell with it.

So what I'm going to
do is I'm going to pop

in to see a friend of
mine on the way back

who can measure the power
of what we've got in this car.

Elvis could meet me there, and
then we can both see together

where we're at, what is our baseline,

and how can we go about improving it.

But Elvis, you are going
to absolutely love this one.

It is one cracking car.

Hey, mate.

Right, this is now our
Fiat Coupe 20-valve Turbo.

I've got mixed emotions
about these things, you know,

because on one hand, I
love the fact that Fiat went out

and did something
completely off-the-wall different

to everything else that
was around at the time.

But on the flip side, depending
on which angle you look at it,

it either looks hideous, like
the front looks like a frog.

I just can't get excited by that.

It's ugly, do you know what I mean?

But the back end looks amazing.

I mean, that's right up my street.

That is a motorsport-inspired filler cap,

and this looks like a sports car for me.

It's very Ferrari-esque.

Right, how good is that?

Well, good and bad hits
you when you get in here.

I mean, the infill along the dashboard there
in the body colour is lovely, isn't it?

But that's not so good.

This centre console, oh
my God, it's disgusting.

What did it drive like?

So think of it like this.

Think that there's a big
field with a fence around it,

and there's 220 black,
Italian, Italian horses in there.

And then one of the horses
has kicked the fence over,

and quite a few of them have left.

How many of them left?

I reckon at least 30 of them.

If this car's got more than
190 horsepower, I'd be amazed.

And that's why I've
arranged to meet you here,

because this place
has got a rolling road,

and we can get a base figure
and see where we're going to be.

Yeah, OK.

Then we can set about only
finding those missing horses,

but see if we can cram a
few more horses in the field.

Sounds good.

I'll get the old cowboy hat on.

You're going to need it.

So, Daniil.

Yes.

Thank you very much for
being so accommodating.

No problem.

I know my car looks old,

but hopefully it's still got
some power under that bonnet.

Right, here we go.

Slightly nervous to find out.

I am, I'm really nervous.

Look at that.

What's going on there?

40 miles an hour, 50.

When new, our Fiat
Coupe Turbo had a top

speed of 155 miles an
hour and 220 horsepower.

Now we need to find out how many of
those ponies have escaped since 1997.

Clearly we've lost 35 somewhere.

Which is about what
you thought from driving it.

What's slightly more worrying is
that little spike on the data there.

That should be a nice, smooth,
progressive line as the power builds up.

From that little spike that we see there,

that tells me that there's
a spike in boost pressure,

but then it drops away and then
gradually picks back up again.

That's not normal.

It could be a really serious problem
with a turbo, which could be expensive,

or it could be something as
simple as a little leak in the hose.

So, until we get in there and have
a proper look, we don't really know.

Let's get it back to the workshop.

Come on then.

We're hoping this Fiat will give us
loads of enjoyment for very little outlay.

But right now it has an undiagnosed
and potentially expensive turbo issue.

Fixing that will hopefully
restore its missing 35 horsepower,

and then I want to add
some extra ponies of my own.

But before we even think about
adding more horsepower to this thing,

I've got to be sure that the engine
can cope with the additional strain.

And that means replacing
the old timing belt.

The additional horsepower and
torque that I'm planning to add

will increase the strain
on this crucial component,

so it's vital that it's
in excellent condition.

Oh, hello.

That's interesting.

Oh, yes, there's a broken pipe down here.

Looking at where it goes, it's
definitely going to cause an air leak.

Back at the rolling
road, we saw a very clear

drop-off in boost
performance at the top end,

and that could be a really
big and easy and cheap

way of regaining a lot of
that missing horsepower.

Now it's back to fitting the timing belt,

which comes in a kit along with
a new and improved water pump.

I can now see the timing
belt, and I have to say,

we are definitely doing
the right thing here,

because looking at that,
it's got signs of fatigue,

it's got little hairline
cracks all over it,

and left unchecked,
that could easily break.

If your timing belt breaks,
you're into a world of pain

because valves can start
hitting the top of pistons,

it'll be absolute carnage in there.

Before I even think about
taking the timing belt off,

I need to be able to lock
the main components

of the engine in a
fixed, known position.

That's done by lining up
the notch in the crankshaft

pulley with the notch
in the timing cover,

then locking the camshaft in
place using cam locking tools

designed specifically for the
Fiat Coupe, which I found online.

Now these simple machined blocks
of aluminium are profiled perfectly

to sit over the cam
lobe in this fixed position.

By bolting it down, nothing can move.

Do you know, I've spent years scrabbling
around in the footwell of Formula 1 cars.

I'm really used to working in
confined spaces, but that is ridiculous.

There's absolutely no way I
can get the timing belt or the

water pump out with the
engine in its current location.

The only way to get
to the timing belt is to

undo the mounts and
tilt the entire engine.

If you don't have an engine hoist,

you could use a trolley Jack with a
block of wood on it and lift it from below.

Yes, finally, that tiny little
water pump has taken so

much effort to get out, but
it's a really important job.

As you can see, the ones
that were installed in the factory

came with plastic impeller blades
and they're prone to cracking.

So whilst I know we're trying
to save money on this job,

I feel like it's a really
important moment to

upgrade this to a new
unit that's got metal blades.

With those, it should last the entire
lifespan of the brand new timing belt

that I'm also about to fit,
probably around 70,000 miles.

With the new water pump in and
the new timing belt tensioned correctly,

I can safely start adding
extra power to this engine.

Jimmy, look what I
bought. Sports manifold.

Bargain. 80 quid. What do
you want me to do with it?

Nice one, mate. Yeah, just stick it
on the desk. I'll grab it in a minute.

By the way, I've also found
a broken boost pipe in here,

which might be some
of the reason for that

lost performance we
saw on the rolling road.

You're on it, sunshine. You're on it.

A brand new sports manifold would
have set us back around 400 pounds.

So Mike's done really well to
find us a used one for only 80.

I'll be attaching it
to the coupe's turbo,

which I suspect is
beginning to show its age.

So this is our exhaust
manifold with the turbo attached.

Now I'm going to replace that
with the one that Mike's found.

This though, the turbo,
let's have a look at that.

There is quite a lot of
play in that turbo shaft,

and at the speeds these things
rotate at, well over 100,000 RPM,

a little bit of play there can
end up being out of balance

and actually end up destroying itself.

So we definitely need to
give that some attention.

But I have had another idea because there
are some specialist companies out there

that could potentially machine the housing
and fit a larger compressor fan inside.

And with that, we can force
more air into the engine.

And alongside that, we can add more fuel.

And with more air and fuel, we get a
bigger bang for our buck, more horsepower.

That technique creates what's
known as a hybrid version of our turbo.

So Mike can take that to
a specialist while I crack on

adding the free-flowing sports
manifold that Mike's found us.

And these come with a
number of advantages to them.

First of all, it's definitely a
lot lighter than the old one.

This one being made of stainless
steel and this one cast iron.

Now a lighter car is
going to be a faster car.

But also the advantages go further
because the design of this has been

optimised with each of our
five cylinders having its own pipe

leading into the exhaust pipe to allow
the gases to flow much more efficiently.

Whereas on the old one,
it only has three ports.

That means with this one, we're able
to get the gases out of the cylinders

more efficiently, more quickly, and
in turn, develop more horsepower.

We're trying to spend as little
money on our Fiat as possible,

which I'm hoping will be
under a thousand pounds.

Unfortunately, the next job that needs
doing may blow that budget out of the water.

Now, if we're going to
try and squeeze as much

power as possible out
of a Fiat Coupe Turbo,

then what we're going to need
to do is fix the broken turbo.

Along with getting that fixed, I
like Elvis's idea of converting it

into a more powerful hybrid turbo,
but I'm not sure we can afford it.

Matt. Morning, Mike.

How are you, mate?

I'm good. How are you?

Good to see you.
I'm not bad at all, except for this.

It's got a wobbly turbine wheel.

Okie dokie.

Kind of hoping you can help me out.

I'm trying to get as
much power out of the car

as possible without
spending too much money.

It's looking a bit tired, isn't it?

To get the most power you can possibly get,
we could do you a retrofit larger turbo.

Could see anything up
to 100 horsepower gain.

Okay, that sounds good.

But you're going to be
looking at north of 1500 pounds.

That sounds really bad.

So not that one. Is there another option?

We can overhaul and service
this one with some upgraded

parts in there to make it a
hybrid to flow some more air.

Cost you about 500 quid.

And what am I looking at in
terms of horsepower improvement?

You would generally see
about 20 to 30 horsepower.

Seriously? Done?
Yes, that's what I want to do.

Can we get on with it now?

Yeah, let's get started.

Nice one.

This is Connor who's
going to strip the

turbocharger down so we
can assess its condition,

see what parts need to
replace, see what we can reuse.

Nice to meet you, Connor.

You too.

That's never been touched in over 20 years.

And that's why Connor here
has to show it some heat.

To make it loose again, so
hopefully it'll start to come apart.

Yes!

Right, so this little turbine
wheel, that's the offending article.

Yeah, we'll replace this turbine
wheel for a brand new one.

Well done, Connor.

A replacement turbine wheel will
suck air into the turbo more efficiently.

The next step is to fit a bigger impeller,

so the turbo can push more air into
the engine, enabling it to burn more fuel.

So what are we doing with the cover then?

We are going to machine the cover,
machine the bore out to a bigger size,

remove about four millimeters to
fit the bigger compressor wheel.

At the moment, it doesn't fit.

A bigger wheel will
flow more air, it's lighter.

In terms of performance,
that will give you more power.

I get it, so that's the hybrid bit.

Exactly, yeah.

The hybrid is using
bigger parts in the original.

Right, go and do your job, machine.

Boom, and there it goes.

I've been around plenty of these.

It doesn't take too
long for it to do its job.

How was it done in the olden days?

It was all done by hand on a manual load.

How long does that take?

Half hour, 40 minutes per cover.

Done.

Nice one, Matt.

Look at that.

That took just a couple of minutes.

Yes, and that's a lot
more accurate as well.

Ah, I recognize this.

This is our turbo.

All ready to go back together.

So the first job?

Journal bearing goes in.

Right, that's gone in.

Flip the bearing housing over.

Yeah.

And the second journal bearing.

Lovely.

Compressor wheel's got to go on next.

You're going to need
to apply a little bit

of heat to it because
it's a very tight fit.

Eventually it will just drop on.

There she goes.

Brilliant.

And that is now ready to be balanced.

This is the moment of truth.

I just hope my handy work on the hybrid
turbo can withstand extreme conditions.

It will face in our fierce engine.

Otherwise, we'll be going nowhere fast.

This machine will take the
turbo up to north of 120,000 RPM.

Wow.

And what are we measuring here?

What are we looking for?

We're measuring the imbalance
in the assembly that you built.

Much like when you
get new tires on your car,

they put weight on the light parts to
make sure your wheel doesn't vibrate.

We do the opposite.

We remove material from the heavy part
to make sure the turbo doesn't vibrate.

A vibrating turbo is going to
wear quicker than it should.

It's going to make horrible noises.

This is the most important
moment of everything we do.

It can actually detonate
your engine, can't it?

Bits fall off into the engine.

It's over.

To increase power and save money, I've
modified the turbo in our 97 Fiat Coupe.

Right, so fingers crossed,
the turbo that I built gets a pass.

Let's have a look.

So it's already doing 50,000 RPM.

Wow.

That's fast.

Whoa.

And it's over that quickly.

And it's a pass.

It's a good pass as well.

Oh, fantastic.

All we got to do now then
is put the turbo housing on.

I'm ready to go.

Correct, yes.

Fantastic.

Look at this.

I've got a rebuilt turbo.

Not only that, I've got
extra horsepower and

I didn't have to break
the bank to do it.

Let's get it back to
Elvis because he's going

to be so happy to bolt
that back to that car.

Mate, shopping list.

That's handy.

We need some toilet roll and tea bags.

They're running short.

Yeah, nice one.

What I'm actually doing is
topping up what we spent on the car

and maybe even how much
performance we've added as a result.

Right, so where are we?

Well, remember right back at the beginning,
we did the timing kit and that's basically

to make sure that if we
are going to add more

performance to the
engine, it can cope with it.

It's strong enough.

That cost me 90 quid.

And there's that sports manifold I managed
to get second hand for just 80 pounds.

And then there's the hybrid turbo.

I was just coming to that.

I don't know what the number is.

What did you spend on it?

Well, it's a bit
embarrassing when you look

at the other numbers
up there, but it's 485.

But they reckon we're
going to get anywhere

between 20 and 40
horsepower more out the engine.

That is a decent return on our investment.

Now look, after we've
done all these things,

we need to go through
a mapping process.

Basically tells the car's ECU
what all these new components

are so it can match things
like fuel pressure to it.

Now that is normally
quite an expensive process,

but you're going to like this because
I've called in a favour for some mates.

200 quid.

No way, really?

Oh, I like your mates.

Are they local?

Well, don't worry about that.

They're not too far away.

Let's just add up the total then.

I'm already ahead of you.

I'm a car dealer.

It's 875 pound.

Now that is not a lot of money, is it?

It isn't.

But what do we get in terms of horsepower?

Well, I mean, look, think back
to the original dyno run we did.

That was 184, wasn't it?

Which was down
the original 220 that it

should have had when
it came out the factory.

Yeah, but that was only
down to that broken pipe.

Yeah, that should bring a lot of that back.

And I think with all the
other things we've done

on top of that, we might
be somewhere like that.

No way.

300 horsepower for 875 quid.

That's hardly any money for a
huge amount of performance.

And on top of the extra
power, that could well

bring us something
close to 30% more torque,

which is going to give us a
massive punch off the line.

I mean, that's Ferrari
territory, Aston Martin, Porsche.

Do you know what?

I reckon a little baby
Ferrari might actually be

a real Ferrari with
performance figures like that.

Yeah, you never know.

Right, I'm going to go and
get the other bits out of the car.

Now, before we take this car to be mapped,

there's one more little
modification that I want to try.

It only cost me 30 quid.

The idea is that a
simple switch mounted in

the car will spray
water from this reservoir

directly onto the intercooler,
lowering the charge

temperature that ends up
going back into the engine.

From that, we should be able
to create a tiny bit more power.

Now, I know what you're thinking.

This is a crazy idea and
part of me agrees with you.

But the science behind
it is good, because

by lowering the
temperature of the charge air

that goes back into the
engine, we raise its density.

An air that has more
density contains more oxygen,

and more oxygen going into the cylinder
gets a better burn and creates more power.

My world, it's all about
bringing performance

advantages, no matter
how small they are.

So it seems like this one's worth a go.

I've got two separate nozzles, each
with two independent jets inside them

that can be moved around on their own

to direct them to give us
the biggest spread over the

intercooler, and that will
give us the biggest benefit.

So simple, it's cheap, and yet
it brings performance to the car.

It's not something we ever
used in Formula 1, of course,

because with those things,
you've got 200 mile an hour airflow

passing over the
intercooler to keep it cool,

and on top of that, we'd have never
got away with what this thing weighs,

even though it isn't very much.

And you know, the other
reason I really like this

is because Mike has
constantly referred to

this car as a baby
Ferrari or a Ferrari beta,

and I know Mike Brewer, I
know where this is going to go.

It's going to end up in a
race against a Ferrari, isn't it?

And if that happens, this could be the
difference between winning and losing.

Okay, moment of truth.

It works! Brilliant stuff.

Obviously this is a very temporary
boost of performance, isn't it?

But if we are going to end up drag racing
this thing, that's exactly what we need.

A switch I've installed
on the central console

will allow me to trigger the water
spray whenever I need a boost in power.

And whilst I'm inside the car,
here's a little life hack for you.

All-purpose cleaner is ideal for cleaning
the residue off a sticky dashboard.

Then just Polish it up with a dashboard
dressing bought from a car shop or garage.

A couple of quid
and a little bit of hard

work, and now the thing
looks as good as new.

All right, mate. Flat out, I see.

Research.

Listen, I'm doing really well. We're nearly
there. What's the plan for selling it?

Well, funny you should mention that.

I was thinking maybe the guy that I picked
to the post when I went and bought the car,

I'll just give him a
call, see if he wants it.

It's a bit cheeky, isn't it?

Not really.
All's fair in love and car dealing.

Tell him that we're turning into
the fastest coupe in the country.

I mean, I've got a couple of little
cosmetic tweaks still to do, isn't it?

But after that, I'm off to get it mapped.

Wicked.

I've come all the way down to
Cornwall, a 500-mile round trip,

to see some mates and
call in a massive favour.

We've upgraded our Fiat with a
hybrid turbo and a sports manifold,

but without them all working in unison with
the car's ECU, or electronic control unit,

a process called
mapping, we won't get that

significant power
increase that we're after.

Now, mapping an unusual
car like this can be expensive.

If I didn't have the luxury of being at a
call on some friends, developing a map for

these upgrades on this car
could cost up to 1,500 pounds.

So, we've done a deal.

They're lending me a rolling road and
mapping software for just 200 pounds,

and in return, they get
to keep the map and

sell it on to future
customers with Fiat coupes.

Which I know, strictly
speaking, is cheating a little bit,

but look, I'm doing
most of the work myself.

So this is it.

This is our Fiat's brain.

Now, on more modern cars,
it's a very simple process

of connecting this up
to a laptop to update it.

But because this is from a 1997 Fiat,
things are a little bit more complicated.

Just popping an anti-static
wristband on to make sure that.

any electrical charge from me doesn't
damage the sensitive components inside.

Now, it's this particular chip
here that we're interested in.

This is the one that controls
things like boost pressure,

fuel injection timing, and ignition timing.

And thankfully for us, Fiat,
when they made these things,

perhaps with one eye on
the future of performance,

given that it's a performance car,

made this particular chip socketed
rather than soldered to the board,

which would be much more
time-consuming and risky to remove.

But here, we can very carefully get
a pick underneath it and prise it out.

It's a little bit like brain surgery, this.

There we go.

Take it to the computer
and read what's on there.

This particular chip from our
Fiat is not reprogrammable,

so we are going to have
to change it for a new chip.

But it's important before we do
that to read what's on this one,

so we know exactly what kind
of baseline we're working with.

So if I pop it into the
reader here, scan it,

the guys upstairs can use that
data to recalibrate all the parameters

to work well with our modifications,
flash that onto a new chip,

and we can pop it back into our ECU.

Hey Mikey.

Hi Elvis, nice to see you again.

I've just been working through your
file, I've worked through your timing,

and now I'm just going on
to do the boost pressure.

And it's almost infinitely
customisable, isn't it?

You can constantly tweak every
parameter to the minutest detail.

So this is the standard
boost pressure map here.

This is how the car will
perform with a standard turbo.

We're going to look to
increase the pressure for you.

Cool, we've got that
nice big hybrid turbo on it,

so I guess that can
now cope with a bit more.

We like the boost to
come in nice and smooth,

so you haven't got an aggressive
punch when you put the throttle down.

So what I'm going to do here is I'm
just going to feather the pressure in.

So it's about getting the
right amount of boost in

the right areas of the
engine's progression, isn't it?

Rather than just coming
in like a hammer blade.

Yeah, so just a few minor adjustments
to really smooth that curve out.

And then I'll send you the
file down so you can load it in.

Brilliant, nice one mate.

Cheers.

Cheers, thank you.

So Mikey sent the file
down to this computer,

so I can put my anti-static
wristband on, take the old chip out.

Pop the new one in and reprogram it.

There we go.

That's just uploading.

Boom, done.

Now we can get it back into the ECU,

and then it's the bit
I'm most excited about.

We can get the car
back on the rolling road.

It's finally time to see if we've created
one of the fastest Fiat Coupe's ever,

or if it'll blow up in our face.

Ah, there you are mate.

Hello mate, how are you?

Yeah I'm good, you made it.

Now listen, I thought
it was local this firm.

Five hours I've been in the car.

I know, sorry about that, but
better late than never mate,

because you've got here
just at the right moment.

We are about to find out whether
all these mods we've done to this car.

have actually delivered what we hoped.

This is Tommy by the way,
he's been helping me out.

Tom, how you doing mate?

Yeah good, thank you.

So we started off with a car that
was only producing 184 horsepower,

when it should have had 220.

But you said that you
was thinking we might get

300 horsepower out of
it, you're still confident?

Less confident now
that I'm stood in front of

it, but you never know,
and do you know what?

We've given it the best shot, because
we've done some great upgrades.

Right.

So Tommy, get ready to fire it up mate.

You stick those on, it's
about to get noisy in here.

Come on.

The moment of truth has arrived.

Come on, come on.

Will the extra power we've added
to our Fiat's engine cause it to blow?

Come on.

Or have we created one of
the fastest Fiat coupes ever?

Come on mate, that is brilliant.

Fantastic.

309, I cannot believe that.

You are brilliant at making
stuff go faster, aren't you?

Mate, that is incredible.

That's nuts, 309.

Do you know what else?

Do you remember the first trace
we had when we dynoed it last time?

We had that immediate drop off.

Now look, we still get a little
tailing off as the wastegate opens,

but then it recovers in this nice
smooth motion, and it's way up.

Look, over 250, and
then peeking out up at 309.

That's amazing.

I can't believe that number.

And look at the torque as
well, 346 pounds foot of torque.

It's got more torque than me, this car now.

And a second run reveals
that my DIY intercooler

cooling spray adds
another 8.8 horsepower.

Brilliant.

Can't believe that.

Oh mate, well done.

Marginal gain perhaps, but they all count.

Yeah, let's see what else.

It's even made that front end with those
ugly frog eyes look a little bit better.

A fast car is always a
good looking car in my book.

No, I might even get some flying goggles
for these ones, because it's flying.

This car really is now.

When we found it, our
Fiat Coupe 20 valve turbo

was a little blue steep
with a need for more speed.

I'm convinced.

When I drove this car
back in the day, it was faster.

We knew it had huge potential.

If anyone can extract more power
out of this, it's going to be hell this.

But could that be achieved
on the tightest of budgets?

Kind of hoping you can help me out.

I'm trying to get as
much power out of the car

as possible without
spending too much money.

Now, thanks to some low
cost, high flying innovations.

It works.

And some high tech tinkering.

It's a little bit like brain surgery, this.

Our little Fiat's vital statistics
are looking mighty impressive.

Do you know what?

I reckon a little baby Ferrari
might actually be a real Ferrari.

But what about our minimum spend?

We spent £2,750 on the car.

The timing kit, 90.

Boost pipe, 20.

Second hand sports manifold, 80.

Hybrid turbo, £485.

Water jet spray, just 35.

Mapping, 200 quid.

Refinishing spray for the wheels and
tinted film for the back windows, just £50.

Giving us a tiny total of £3,710.

That's 40 quid under the £1,000
spend we were limiting ourselves to.

Our Fiat coupe turbo has done
us proud on the rolling road.

Now to see how it does on a real one.

Woah, that is ridiculous,
I can't believe it.

Wow Elvis, what have you
brought that engine in this?

What is going on?

Mate, that's quick.

I mean, under my right foot he just...

Goodness me, he just
chews the road up, look at it.

Can't get the smile off my face.

Huge part of that power, of course,
comes from that incredible hybrid turbo.

It's a bigger, lighter impeller, it
spins up faster, it can gulp in more air.

Bigger expl*si*n.

And of course, that
brilliant mapping process

has made the whole lot
work perfectly together

with each other and the
result is just incredible.

The result is this.

The best thing about
this car is we're getting

this performance without
spending hardly any money.

Got to do it again.

No, alright, one more.

I don't want to lose my license.

Wow, look at that, it's relentless as well.

Officer, I swear I was within the legal
limits of the law then, I promise you I was.

It must be the fastest
Fiat Coupe turbo in

the country now, but
you haven't tried it yet.

So let me pull in here.

And you give it a go.

Yes, please.

Because I love it.

You can feel that turbo kicking massively.

Oh my goodness me.

I could do that all day.

I just wish we could get it
out on a proper open road

and really give it some,
do you know what I mean?

Well, I'll tell you what,
just turn him right there.

It's an airfield.

We're not flying, are we mate?

No, but you know.

You know, I've been banging
on about this being a baby Ferrari.

I thought it'd be time to put that
accurate description to the test.

Yep, right on time.

Everyone's here.

I thought I'd line us up
a nice little drag race.

That's a Ferrari 348, we're racing that.

Love those cars.

You know what, all along throughout
this whole process I had a sneaky suspicion

we were going to end up
with something like this.

Mate, that's a proper Ferrari.

This is a baby Ferrari.

Right, let's go and meet
our professional race driver.

How are you, Charlotte?

Very well.

This is Neil and his son Nathan.

Remember when I bought the Fiat, I
was pipping some other people to the post.

Here they are.

Hello.

Still interested in the
car and I think they'd be

even more interested if
we can beat this Ferrari.

This car is four years older
than ours, 296 horsepower.

Our car, 309.

This car, 0-60, around
five and a half seconds,

we're six and a half
seconds so we're pretty close.

So I reckon we've got a really
good chance of beating Charlotte.

Yeah, but don't forget this car, three and
a half litre V8, that'll be on the driver.

Also, the tyres that are
that wide, giving you a

whole load more traction
off the line than we've got,

and that thing, well it costs
ten times more than this.

No, actually, when you think about
it, it's more like twenty times, isn't it?

Don't worry about the
traction, I'm going to be

sat beside you and I've
got low centre of gravity.

Right then, shall we do this?

Boys, see you at the finishing line.

Charlotte, get your helmet on.

I'm prepared to be
beaten by a baby Ferrari.

You can drive through.

Oh, I'm looking forward to this.

Set the rear view mirror so
I can see Charlotte behind.

Yeah, you've got her off the line.

Oh, she's quick.

Go on, go on, go on.

Go on, Owen.

When she's engaged, we
have now got maximum boost.

Go on, Abi.

Go on, Sam, go on.

Yes, yes.

Oh, she's in her way.

That's a Ferrari as well.

Come on, come on.

Oh, seriously, brother.

What a car.

Isn't it fast?

I can't believe that.

She was quickest during the early part, but
mate, when the turbo kicks in, my goodness.

This is just such a rapid car.

And can you believe it costs 20 times less?

We just beat a Ferrari.

I love it.

Yes, yes.

If that doesn't sell a car,
I don't know what does.

What a great day.

We managed to beat a Ferrari
in front of the respective buyers.

It doesn't get much better than that.

It's like the best advert
I could have asked for.

And I know I'm asking
a decent price for it.

$6,250, but can I put a deal together?

Right then, fellas, first and foremost,
why a little Fiat Coupe Turbo?

Oh, well, my dad had
one when he was younger,

and he said it was the
best car he's ever had.

Showed me pictures of it, and
I've watched one ever since.

Oh, that's lovely.

So who's the car for?

Is it for you, Neil, or for Nathan?

Well, both of us will start with me, but
it'll go to Nathan a couple of years' time.

Oh, it will do.

I was going to say, don't let Nathan
have it with this map on the engine.

No chance.

You'll have to take the map off.

Yeah, definitely.

Right, well, listen, I'm
asking, I think, a fair price for it.

£6,250, what do you say?

Well, we'd like to go to £5,500.

Well, I've got a little bit of wiggle
room in the price, but not that much.

Oh, don't do that place to me.

I'll do a no-haggle price with you.

Six grand.

Yeah, that sounds good.

Sounds good?

Lovely.

You've just bought yourself a cracking
Fiat Coupe Turbo or baby Ferrari Beta.

Fantastic.

The Fiat Coupe Turbo
was a good car in the first

place, and I managed to
find one at a bargain price.

But with the work that Elvis has done
to the car, we turned it into a great car.

So great, in fact, it
genuinely beats a real

Ferrari in front of the
people that want to buy it.

You can't say further than that.

We've managed to turn a good profit,
and we've turned out an amazing car.

If you want to see more iconic cars like
this being turned around by me and Elvis,

join us again soon on Wheel of Dealers.

Salut.