Fiat Marea and other wonders of the oldest concern

If you are a lucky owner of Fiat Marea, Punto or another neat "Italian", you should be aware of this fact. The fact is that FIAT is not a single manufacturer of inexpensive cars, but a whole transnational corporation that owns such luxury acquisitions as Ferrari, Lancia, Alfa-Romeo and Maserati. But this is not the whole story. The concern, in addition to the automobile industry, also owns a number of developed industry directions, including aviation technologies, space development, publishing and mass media, and metallurgy.

By the way, Iveco, which produces reliable and pretty trucks, also belongs to Fiat. The annual turnover of this giant octopus of the economy has long exceeded 70 billion euros.

If the model Fiat Marea is produced without small 50 years, the very concern "Fiat" has long struck for more than a century, because the company was founded in 1899. Since then, more than 75 million cars have come to the hands of happy motorists from its conveyor belts. Unfortunately, the rate of export growth is inferior to that of other European countries, and even more so to Asian countries, however, the company compensates for this by implementing elite cars. After all, cars "Fiat" and the name "Ferrari" we have never had anything in common until now!

More about the legend

Giovanni Agnieli, signing at the end of the 19th century a document on the creation of a new enterprise, dreamed of creating a light and super-high-speed car, but for the time being he could only produce bicycles. The first half-century "Fiat", so to speak, experimented - sharpened their skills, smooth forms of cars, and most importantly, the economy of consumption.

In 1966, the first Fiat Marea, which became a visiting card of the Italian car industry, came off the assembly line. This could be the "Lada", but for some reason our developers do not pay attention to the clues of foreign colleagues. Initially, the model was called "124" - we can say that it was far from Marea. There was not enough grace to be a family car.

And here it is - a successful modification - Fiat Marea Weekend. Narrowed headlights, elegant streamlined body, too narrow grille, vertical racks of tail lamps in black frame, like precious stones in a bracelet.

In the cabin the car is captivated by a milky cream-colored upholstery. It seems that the car is seriously ready to claim a place in the segment of Luxory. The steering wheel is always covered with leather. The front panel is trimmed easier, but for that time it's quite futuristic. The radio tape recorder with an abundance of buttons looks too intricate. In fact, management is much easier. Of course, the salon abounds in cavities, pockets, containers, because the car is designed for the whole family, going for a trip along the Italian coastal serpentine.

As for the two-liter and five-cylinder Fiat Marea engine, it can comfortably and reliably achieve fast acceleration, good traction and at medium revs. The smooth suspension, however, provides stability on sharp turns.

Alas, before this car was rarely seen on the roads of the CIS because of the high cost, and the practical lack of spare parts. Nevertheless, once rolling on this old lady-aristocrat, you do not want to go out from behind the wheel. Perhaps in the foreseeable future, the fashion for Chinese cheap cars will leave our mind, and we will return to the old good retro.