It’s easy to forget how popular Fiat once was. Today the company feels like a niche outfit, peddling chirpy hatchbacks to learners and middle-class townies. If you’re sitting your test, a 500e or a well-sorted Mk3 Panda will see you right.
But wind the clock back three decades and Fiat was aiming higher. The Uno, Tipo and best-selling Panda gave the brand a solid base, while the 131 and Regata (when they weren’t sulking at the roadside) kept the faith. A proper mid-size saloon was inevitable.
Enter the Tempra, launched in 1990. Hardly revolutionary, but in an age when every manufacturer had to prove itself in the C-segment, Fiat’s new saloon ticked the right boxes. In Ireland, it did more than that: it landed a gig as a police cruiser and scooped Car of the Year in 1991. For a Fiat, that was headline news.
Not that the Tempra was fault-free. Electrical gremlins lingered, rear visibility was poor and it consumed oil like a student at freshers’ week. Yet buyers still signed up, including the owner of this 1994 turbodiesel, now languishing in Bray. It’s been off the road since at least 2011, sharing its corner with a 131 and a Croma that have also taken root.
With just 90bhp from its 1.9 TD engine, this Tempra wasn’t quick, but Fiat’s galvanised construction means it has aged surprisingly well. Rust is limited to the aftermath of a large dent, which is more than can be said for many of its contemporaries.
It could be the last Tempra left in the country, though it probably doesn’t have long left. Still, for a car that once wore Garda stripes and a Car of the Year crown, this shabby survivor deserves a slow clap, or at least a respectful nod as you pass.
Editor’s note: Another spot from Luka, who seems to have a knack for unearthing forgotten Fiats. That bodes well for Petrolblog.
