By Robert Emslie
Kids today may have their smart phones and their vapes, but they’ll never know the joy of cutting and pulling the fenders on a war wagon Fiat 126 late at night in a bartered garage space. Pity them if you care.
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Jeff Glucker
Isn’t the Fiat 126 the model that would go on to become the Yugo?
No that was the slightly larger FWD Fiat 127, the 126 was the last hurrah for the old running gear from the earlier 500. That 126 is STANCED.
https://s1.cdn.autoevolution.com/images/gallery/FIAT-127-2385_7.jpg
Yep, if it wasn’t built by “kids these days” who else would be silly enough? I mean, it must have at least 1/2″ of suspension travel before those welded-together arches start slicing the tyres… Or did they spend double the value of the car on air suspension?
Fairly annoyed at my IS300 today. Have concluded there are few things more un-Zen than the combination of an overly aggressive traction control and a slow-witted five-speed automatic. “Okay the wheelspin was half a kilometre ago, really, it’s okay to downshift now…”
Nothing like early traction control systems. “Ok, so there was a puddle in the gutter when I pulled out onto the road, but do you really go lie down in a darkened room before I can accelerate?”
Polish plates so it’s Polski Fiat 126p 650 E, the 652cc, 24 hp HiPo(!) version. The art of modifying rims by turning center plates around (no idea how these wheels are called in English) was very much alive behind the iron curtain, one of the little bit more advanced modifications to Lada -or whatever car you had- to get.
This photo is current probably so yea, hipsters or rat-rod’ers at it again.
I thought the rears might have been widened by adding a section between the beads. I haven’t seen that kind of tire fitment, narrow tire on wide rim, since the ’90s. Then just after seeing this pic I saw a Miata on the street with the same treatment. Why widen the rim and keep the same contact patch? Then again, why ask why, these are things done just to be ridiculous and I support that.
If you think of the forces that act on a vehicle in aeronautical terms, you can increase the radius of the roll axis of the vehicle by spacing the tires farther apart. This won’t change the traction of each tire, because you still have the same contact patch, but it may improve skidpad performance, because you are keeping all tires on the ground during cornering by decreasing body roll.
Can be, but adding perfectly uhmm… symmetrical section is kinda difficult, no?
In my language these rims are known as “turned rims” so I thought those are made just by turning center section around, but you’re right at least rears on that Fiat are also widened. One way to create something similar is to do it like behind below link, by putting rim together from 2 different parts: http://morrisminorowners.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=5332
“Do not be surprised if you local tyre fitter swears at you when trying to balance these wheels” Says a bit really!
Batshitbox, that tyre fitment is probably more common now – google “stretched tyres”
Somebody’s dream just turned into a nightmare: Bus based RV with two rallycars in tow goes up in flames in Eastern Norway. Ouch.
https://www.nrk.no/buskerud/brann-stenger-e18-i-lier-1.13521609
https://gfx.nrk.no/Fby-miSzfr7QWD5W6-o3VARwsc27-QitqXGXMoHqUmcg
The two cars look like they might have survived. It also looks like the front one was the get-around car while the bus was parked, it’s a bit sooty nosed. No pics of them after the whole thing was doused in foam.
My pal drove quite far in a VW Beetle with an engine fire before it burnt through something that stopped the engine.
A classic advise among old-school semi drivers: When a tire catches fire, drive on until it’s falling off.
There can be more important thngs than stopping when your car is on fire… I gather the car spat big enough flames, often enough, that the rear bumper caught fire!
post-script – it was either the same car or its replacement that burned to the ground on another rally.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxWoFGoGh_Y
“The rally cars had visible damage after the fire” – well, before the fire, too.
https://gfx.nrk.no/hYLco0yYGJmnv6j6U3KPrwiLDAK77WpCLBJ0XctnYAYg
Fair point.
Pretty sure the drivers of stanced cars are major contenders in terms of smartphones and vaping.