The Fiat Ritmo is a small family car which was manufactured and marketed by Fiat from 1978 to 1988 with two facelifts. It has a front-engine, front-wheel drive layout and was offered as a three-door or five-door hatchback or as a two-door cabriolet. Export versions for the UK, US and Canada were marketed as the Fiat Strada. In 1979, SEAT Ritmo production began under licence by SEAT in Spain, which was restyled in 1982 to become the SEAT Ronda.
The Ritmo was styled by Sergio Sartorelli at Fiat's Centro Stile in Turin and was launched in April 1978 at the Turin Motor show. The name Ritmo derives from the Italian for "rhythm", and Strada derives from the Italian for "road." Production reached a total of 1,790,000 and ended in early 1988 it was replaced by the Fiat Tipo.
Development
Fiat began designing the Ritmo hatchback – as a replacement for the 128 sedan – in 1972, following the body style of its 127 supermini as European manufacturers began launching small family hatchbacks, notably the Volkswagen Golf in 1974.
Prior to its launch, the press speculated that the project codename 138 would be the final production name, however, Fiat instead gave its new car the Ritmo name, rather than another three digit number.
The Ritmo was manufactured at the Cassino plant using a system developed by its subsidiary Comau, the "Robogate" system – which automated the bodyshell assembly and welding process using robots, giving rise to its advertising slogan "Handbuilt by robots", immortalised in a television advertising campaign showing the robots assembling the Ritmo bodyshells to the strains of Rossini's The Barber of Seville. The exterior has plastic bumper fascias integrated into the styling which combined strong round shapes with overall sharp lines, achieving a . The plastic bumpers also resisted damage from impacts of speeds of up to .
First series (1978) The initial four-cylinder engine range included 1.1-litre (), 1.3-litre () and 1.5-litre () petrol engines, inherited from the Fiat 128, although the engines were noticeably quieter in the more insulated Ritmo.Leyrer, p. 106 Suspension was independent all-round, the braking system comprised front discs and rear drums and the wheels measured 13-inch in diameter. Gearboxes ranged from a standard four-speed manual (five-speed optional on CL models) and an optional three-speed Volkswagen-derived automatic. Its boot capacity ranged from 330 to 1,100 litres (with the rear seats folded).
The Ritmo finished second in the European Car of the Year awards, finishing narrowly behind the winning car, the Simca-Chrysler Horizon – which was similar in concept. The initial range in Italy was designated by their respective engine horsepower (PS):
60 L (3- and 5-door, priced L4,407,000 to 4,608,000) (prices in lire) 60 CL (3- and 5-door, priced L4,679,000 to 4,879,000) 65 L (5-door, priced L4,726,000) 65 CL (3- and 5-door, priced L4,797,000 to 4,997,000)
The CL range were the better-equipped models (with the 60 CL comprising 80% of total initial sales in Italy) and the whole range also distinguished itself by having numerous optional accessories unseen in past Fiat cars. These included: larger tyres; a rev counter; stereo system; safety seatbelts and headrests; passenger-side rear view mirror; split-fold rear seat; tinted windows; rear window wiper; rear window defroster; metallic paint; sunroof (the most expensive at L259.60). The instrumentation was incorporated in a rectangular pod with modular slots that could house various gauges and switches, either standard depending on the model or optional (e.g. digital clock and switches for hazard lights or adjustable-speed ventilation fan). Export markets also received the 1.5-litre 75 CL with a five-speed manual, a model which was initially unavailable in the domestic Italian market.
The colour of the interiors was determined by the external paint, as follows: beige interior: azzurro rodi (light blue), rosso cina (red), verde Kent (green) and metallic verde medio (medium green); blue interior: bianco yacht (white), blu lord (royal blue) and metallic azzurro (light blue) and alluminio (silver); brown interior: arancio messico (orange), grigio jet (grey) and metallic rosso rame (copper).
The Ritmo was criticized for its basic interior trim (e.g. no fabric on door panels). Fiat responded in 1979 with various revisions and the introduction of the Targa Oro ("gold plate") range. The latter was based on the Ritmo 65 (or 75 for export markets) and was distinguished by mink or black paint with gold striping and accents in the alloy wheels, foglights, dark bumper bars and velour trim interiors. From February 1979, the 75 CL range had an optional VW-derived automatic transmission – the Automatica was the only 1.5-engined version marketed in Italy. At the same time, the 60 L models for Italy and some export markets had its 1.1-litre 128-derived engine replaced by a 1049 cc petrol engine built by Fiat of Brazil. Through the use of a new carburetor and altered timing, power and torque figures were kept the same as those of the 1.1, up by ten horsepower over what the engine produced as installed in the 127. The 60 CL - the fastest-selling Ritmo in the Italian market at the time - continued to use the comparable 1116 cc engine.
At the 1980 Geneva Motor Show, a five-door only diesel version – marketed as the Ritmo D and available in both L and CL trim – was introduced with a 1,714 cc engine (). To accommodate this considerably heavier engine, the steering rack was slowed down (from 3.5 to 4 turns) and the suspension adjusted. Nonetheless, a 65.5% forward weight distribution was hard to mask and both handling and braking suffered when compared to petrol-powered Ritmos.
In 1981, the Targa Oro and 75 models were replaced by the five-door only Ritmo Super (or Superstrada in some export markets). They brought higher specification and fittings (from chrome trimmings to a more complete instrumentation and optional central locking), larger, 14-inch, wheels and, most significantly, revised engines with (1300) and (1500). This extra power was gained through slight alterations to the camshaft profile, a twin carburettor, and a twin exhaust system. Other differences included lower profile tyres (Pirelli P8) and a close-ratio five-speed manual gearbox. The steering was also somewhat faster.Salon 1981, p. 91 By this time, the Ritmo range in Italy also included three- and five-door manual versions of the 75 CL and three-door 75 CL Automatica, with the price of the popular 60CL now ranging from L6,868,000 to L7,180,000 for the three- and five-door versions, respectively.
In May 1981, the first sports version, the Ritmo 105 TC, was launched. Available only as a three-door, it was powered by a Fiat DOHC engine with a displacement of 1,585 cc, which was derived from that used in the 131 and 132 models. This car had the same wheels as the Ritmo Super, but with black centre hubcaps. British and Irish models had black and silver Speedline alloy wheels (5.5 x 14) as standard. Other distinguishing features relative to the normal range included: front fog lights integrated into the front bumper; integrated front spoiler combined with wheel arch extensions; black lower door paint; black mesh air intake; and a rear spoiler at the base of the rear window. That same year, Fiat also launched the Ritmo Cabrio.
In September 1981, Fiat displayed the Ritmo Abarth 125 TC at the Frankfurt Motor Show. This model was not available for right-hand export markets because the position of the exhaust downpipe did not allow for a relocated steering column and system. The 125 TC was a modified and revised 105 TC with a 1,995 cc DOHC four with , ventilated front discs, a new five-speed ZF manual gearbox, revised suspension settings and strengthened components. Outwardly, the 125 TC differed only slightly from the 105 TC – it gained the chunky four-spoke 14 in alloys later seen on the Bertone Cabrio models, featured an "Abarth" red and black badge on the rear hatch, and the side badges featured the Abarth "Scorpion". The 125 TC version had a top speed of and it could accelerate from 0 to in 8.7 seconds. These cars were the last ones assembled on a separate Abarth production line, following the Fiat buyout in 1971.
Second series (1982)
In October 1982, the Ritmo was reengineered and restyled to improve its competitiveness against rivals, which included the MK3 Ford Escort and the first front-wheel drive Opel Kadett (Vauxhall Astra in the UK). The chassis was lighter by and benefitted from better noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) control. Suspension mounts were altered and the spare tyre was moved from the engine bay to the boot, along with a relocation of the fuel tank to ahead of the rear axle. The fuel tank move resulted in the fuel cap being moved to the right side and under a lid instead of remaining exposed. The facelift saw the Ritmo acquire a more conventional look. For example, the round headlights no longer intersected the bumper bar but were now integrated in a separate grille, and the tail lights were similarly integrated into the body instead of inset in the rear bumper. In addition, all models now featured Fiat's new corporate five-bar emblem at the centre of the grille, with base models featuring single round headlamps and all other, double round headlights (in Britain, all models of this generation featured twin headlamps). The bonnet no longer had an air scoop and the roof was now completely flat (with the upward sweep of the first series found to cause vortices and contribute to dust and water over the rear window). The 1,049 cc "Brazil" engine was discontinued. Better aerodynamics, lower weight, and engine optimizations combined to increase fuel mileage by around ten percent on most of the range.
The 105 TC was relaunched with revised interior trim, a dashboard similar to that of the earlier Ritmo Super and an upper hatchback spoiler in place of the lower one. In Britain, seven-spoke alloy wheels replaced the earlier Speedline ones. In British advertising the car was named Strada II, but it was badged as the Strada. The North American version was unchanged but was finally discontinued at the end of the 1982 model year (at which time the Fiat range included only the X1/9 and the 124 Spider).
In 1983, Fiat completed the range with the Ritmo ES ("energy saving") models and the hot hatch, Ritmo Abarth 130 TC. The latter was based on the 125 TC but was powered by a 1995 cc engine with power output increased to . This was achieved by replacing the single Weber carb used in the 125 TC with twin Solex/Weber carburettors on a side-draught manifold, and via improved cam profiles. The 130 TC had a top speed of and accelerated from 0 to in 7.8 seconds. It was fitted with Recaro bucket seats in Britain and Ireland (optional in Europe) and it remained one of the few 1980s European hot hatches to continue to utilise carburettors instead of fuel injection. Ignition timing was controlled electronically. Although appearing outwardly similar to the restyled 105 TC with its lower door and wheelarch trims, the 130 TC could be distinguished by its polished four-spoke alloy wheels (continued from the earlier 125 TC), aerodynamic perspex front door wind deflectors, and lower hatchback spoiler. The powerful twin-cam was mated to a close ratio five-speed ZF manual gearbox and had superior performance to its contemporary rivals, which included the Volkswagen Golf GTI, Ford Escort XR3i, Vauxhall Astra GTE and the MG Maestro.
A second-series Ritmo 125TC was made available for 1983 only in Austria and Switzerland. It was externally identical to the 130TC, but featured a single carburettor, which reduced power to comply with tax regulations in those two countries.