Back in 1988 I was living in Germany after my degree. My dad got me a job with one of his suppliers in the Black Forest near Freiburg. I had a place near the company, but it was in a small village miles from anything, so I needed transport. My landlady sold me her old Fiat 126 for not very much money. I was reminded of this car when I saw a very similar one on the road yesterday. I drive a Hyundai i10 now, which is a small car, but the Fiat looked tiny next to it.
I had a lot of fun with that little car. It's a long time ago, but I think it had the following exciting specs:
- 650cc twin cylinder air-cooled engine pumping out 23HP
- Windscreen washer operated by pressing a rubber bulb on the dash. Same principle as the old squirting flower trick
- Little levers on the floor to operate the choke and starter motor
- Plenty of space for a six-footer such as myself
- Minimal luggage capacity. Who needs luggage anyway?
- Ability to park in spaces other cars could not even attempt
There were some steep roads up the local mountains, but the Fiat always got me there, eventually. I'd do my weekly shopping trips and drive into town for evenings out, but also explored the area. It's a lovely part of the world. You can see I found some snow (with my Dad posing), but they didn't have too much of that in the two years I lived there.
After a year or so something blew on the engine and it was making horrible noises. Unfortunately it wasn't looking viable to fix it and so it passed on. My next car was a 70s Golf that was a little more practical, but the Fiat has a special place in my heart.
Please support my open mic entry.
