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TOP EVOLUTION: THE 124 Special T

We have just seen, so far, by the "History" chapter that the 124 bore as "medium-size Sedan car" for family purpose. Even in 1970 this model was a true best-seller with some 45thousands sold units. She spread on a great piece of Italian market and people showed to like her.

Fiat continued on its own way in offering as many as possible people to have even more refined high performances and low maintenance costs Sedan cars.

At the November 1970 Turin Motorshow, along the first and bigger restyling of the entire 124 range models, a brand new version was presented: she was the famous 124 "Special T", based on the already known base-body car. Fitted with the lower power rating TC engine of the range, this beautiful 1438cc 80Bhp unit performed very well and gave the car the extreme good touch.

Other same range TC engines were the 125 one, a 1608cc rating 100 Bhp and the 124 Sport Coupè version giving 90 Bhp. So she was born the finest and genuine version of the entire 124 models' range, the top of her develop and career. She put together both technical and aesthetyc improvements. Utilizing as many as possible original 124's engine parts, for stated synergy reasons, the "Special T" unit had a bigger diameter V arranged valves, hemispherical cylinder hoods and two slide valves cam shaft distribution gear, located at the top of engine's head and driven by a rubber belt, a true refinement at that time; in fact "T" was standing for "Twin Cam".

Standing, potent although lesser elastic than the previous rods & hairsprings valves gear version, at high speed it was a bit noising; it developed 80 Bhp at 5800 rpm, with a maximum torque of 11,45 mkg at 4000 rpm regime. It was fitted with a two blocks smaller carburettor than other TC version. An electro-magnetic starting fan gave the coolant service.

With this new version Fiat's target was full achived: speed and acceleration were noteworthy and this rose the 124 "Special T" at the top of her competitor's list. Top speed was superior to the Company's declared one, being about 165 kM/h, 10 more than the early "Special" model and supply o f the power was good even at the lowest rpm regime and the "Special T" performed very short time to achive 1 kM distance from the start, being it 33,310 sec., very good at that time.

This true pure-breed horse can endure very well incidentally-achived out-running speeds and the ultimate 7500 rpm regime were the top ceiling performances. The clutch was light but to use but strong built, a very guessed gear box were fitted, being the sole fault the lack of the 5th speed, even more to request. This was available only from 1972 and forward, along with the new 1592cc engine version.

The consomptions were, in turn, lower than the previous (1438cc "Special") version and even more all in this new model was so much optimized: revised strenghtned suspensions, very good brakes with the same previous four disks but now with servo gear and and limiting device-load, precision but hard to handle steering gear. Another little faul was the loosing of adherence performances with raining weather.

Aesthetically the car underwent to an overall refinement work by early 1968 model: the top of the bonnets were without ribs no more, there were totally revised front nose & rear tail end. The first sported a new black radiator grille, fitted with four squared lights, the last had a little changed linear lights (those resembling the Ist serie ones), encircled by a chromate trimming.

Substantially unchanged the side & wheels, revised the bumpers with no more beacks but useful rubber trimming instead; bigger changes to the interiors, with a new beautiful false-wood trimming dashboard, matching the early version one, with two rounded clocks, one being the rounds-counter and moquette carpets and cloth covering seats.
Optional included the radio, the electronic Dinoplex-Marelli starter and the altogether useful automatic GM gear box, the best in its range at that time.

This was the best 124 Sedan version of all, putting together the original car body with the performing TC genuine 124 engine; the following bigger 1972 version, the 1592cc fitted one was a hybrid, being this last engine that of the Fiat 132 (see previous chapter), the maximum power-rating unit of this range.

The 1438cc version was otherwise an all genuine 124, the sole TC genuine version. She achived a great sales success and liked to so many people, being particularly welcomed in Spain (see previous chapter).

At least, the late 1592cc version was heavy modified and imported on USA market in 1973 but, together with her company's sisters, was quite a flop firstly due their poor paint-work bodies, so quickly rust bringing. She was altogether quite awful with the inevitable body changes imposed by so severe anti-accident laws of that country.