Fiat Ritmo
| Fiat Ritmo | |
|---|---|
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| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | FIAT |
| Also called | Fiat Strada SEAT Ritmo |
| Production | 1978–1988 |
| Assembly | |
| Designer | Sergio Sartorelli at Centro Stile FiatBertone (Cabrio) |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Small family car (C) |
| Body style | |
| Layout | Front-engine, front-wheel-drive |
| Related | |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine |
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| Transmission | |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,448 mm (96.4 in) MkI 2,444 mm (96.2 in) MkII 2,432 mm (95.7 in) (Ritmo Abarth) |
| Length | 3,937 mm (155.0 in) |
| Width | 1,650 mm (65.0 in) 1,663 mm (65.5 in) (Sport/Abarth) |
| Height | 1,400 mm (55.1 in) |
| Kerb weight | 850–955 kg (1,874–2,105 lb) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Fiat 128 |
| Successor | Fiat Tipo |
The Fiat Ritmo is an automobile by Italian manufacturer FIAT, launched in 1978 at the Turin Motorshow. It was a small family car with an avant-garde design by Sergio Sartorelli who headed the Future Studies department at the Centro Stile Fiat. The export version for most English-speaking markets was badged Fiat Strada. In 1979, SEAT Ritmo production started in Spain and was replaced by a facelifted version in 1982, the SEAT Ronda. During the Ritmo's production, which ran from 1978 to 1988, a total of 1,790,000 units were made. It was replaced by the Fiat Tipo.
Fiat started work on the Ritmo hatchback — as a replacement for the 128 sedan — in 1972, at a time when the hatchback bodystyle for small family cars was still relatively uncommon in Europe, although Fiat had utilized it for its 127 supermini. In the intervening years, however, rival European manufacturers began launching small family hatchbacks, the most notable being 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 resolved to follow the precedent set by the Fiat Mirafiori by giving its new car the Ritmo name, rather than another three digit number. In Italian, the name translates to "rhythm", whereas the export Strada name used for most English-speaking markets (i.e. Great Britain, United States and Canada. However, it was sold as the Ritmo in some markets such as Ireland) translates into "road".
Technologically, the biggest innovation of the Ritmo was not the car itself (since it was mechanically based on its predecessor, the Fiat 128) but the way in which it was manufactured at the Cassino plant. Fiat, in conjunction with its subsidiary Comau, developed the pioneering "Robogate" system which automated the entire bodyshell assembly and welding process using robots, earning the car the advertising slogan "Handbuilt by robots", immortalised in a memorable television advertising campaign showing the robots assembling the Ritmo bodyshells to the strains of Rossini's The Barber of Seville. The avant-garde nature of its exterior design is highlighted by large plastic bumper bars integrated into the styling (a trend that became an industry standard, thanks to this plastic's ability to absorb small impacts without damage, unlike the then more prevalent metal bumper bars), the manner in which these intersected the front round headlights and incorporated the rear taillights plus licence plates, and how round shapes (such as the headlights, door handles and the rear edge of the roof ending in an upward sweep) were combined within overall sharp lines (e.g. from those of the sloping rear hatch and slanted rear window corners to the badges and shape of the side indicators and rear view mirrors). Its aerodynamic design resulted in an excellent — for its era — drag coefficient of Cd=0.38,
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