14 Facts About Fiat Ritmo

Fiat Ritmo is small, front-engine, front-wheel drive family car manufactured and marketed by Fiat, launched in April 1978 at the Turin Motor show and offered in 3- and 5-door hatchback and cabriolet body styles – from 1978 to 1988 with two facelifts.

In 1979, SEAT Fiat Ritmo production began in Spain, with a facelift in 1982, the SEAT Ronda.

Fiat Ritmo was manufactured at the Cassino plant using a system developed by its subsidiary Comau, the "Robogate" system – which automated the bodyshell assembly and welding process using robots, giving rise to its advertising slogan "Handbuilt by robots", immortalised in a television advertising campaign showing the robots assembling the Fiat Ritmo bodyshells to the strains of Rossini's The Barber of Seville.

Fiat Ritmo finished second in the European Car of the Year awards, finishing narrowly behind the winning car, the Simca-Chrysler Horizon – which was similar in concept.

Fiat Ritmo responded in 1979 with various revisions and the introduction of the Targa Oro range.

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In September 1981, Fiat displayed the Ritmo Abarth 125 TC at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

In October 1982, the Fiat Ritmo was reengineered and restyled to improve its competitiveness against rivals, which included the MK3 Ford Escort and the first front-wheel drive Opel Kadett.

In 1983, Fiat completed the range with the Ritmo ES models and the hot hatch, Ritmo Abarth 130 TC.

However, the Fiat Ritmo's falling popularity in these markets was compensated for by the growing success of its smaller stablemate, the Uno.

Fiat Ritmo cabrio was originally displayed as a concept at the 1979 Frankfurt Motor Show but went on sale in mainland Europe only in 1981.

Fiat Ritmo was sold on the British market as the Strada from the autumn of 1978 until it was replaced by the Tipo in July 1988.

In North America, the Fiat Ritmo Strada was introduced in January 1979 to replace the 128.

All ties with Fiat Ritmo underpinnings were finally severed when Volkswagen took majority ownership of SEAT in 1986 and began producing cars in Spain based on German-developed platforms.

The new Fiat Ritmo sold slowly and was discontinued in 2009; the name has remained retired since.