[DeTomaso] NPC: 850 Fiat Spider driving impressions

[Stephen Nelson]

It is interesting to see the many thoughts on the Fiat 850.  Had one as my
third car.  Rebuilt the engine soon after getting it (they like a rebuild
every 40K miles), and then again 40K miles later.  I put about 60K on it
over my college years, running back and forth over the Rockies from Golden
to Grand Junction Colorado.  I remember saving my pennies so I could go
visit my girl friend in Greeley.  70 miles each way, took 4 gallons, or $2.
But, it assured me a good meal!

 

Neat feature of these little engines - no oil filter - instead a hollow
pulley on the end of the crank that acted as a centrifuge to remove
particulates.  Imagine my surprise the first time I rebuilt the engine,
opened up the pulley and found it loaded with a grey solid.  Took a bit for
me to figure that one out.  At which point I also realized there was no oil
filter.  Bright kid back then.

 

Given the rather anemic power to weight ratio, the little engine needed all
the help it could get going over mountain passes.  Early on I figured out
that being able to adjust the timing could help a lot when going up a pass.
So, I installed a choke pull-cable between the seats and hooked the other
end to a Rube-Goldberg affair on the distributor so I could adjust the
timing while driving.  Simple really, just floor it and push/pull until I
got the strongest acceleration.  

 

The little thing lasted through college, including a summer in Midland,
Texas, and my drive to NYC for my first job.  Where I figured out that a car
really did not fit in a studio apartment on the upper east side.  Way upper
east side.  Not quite Harlem, but you get the idea.

 

Can't say I want another, but gads what a great little car!

 

Stephen Nelson