General 1.4 sport red on red very rare?

[Zantium]

Well, I'm pretty much sold on a 1.4 sport 500 now circa 2008, I just have to find the right one.
Though I haven't seen one with them combined yet, I quite fancy a red exterior and red leather interior (or black would be fine too).

I've got a few questions which I can't see the answers for yet;
1. Was this option actually available or am I chasing a ghost?

2. There aren't many red cars around, is there a specific reason for that or was it just out of fashion around 2008?

3. Is the Fiat red (and I guess the white and black for that matter) clear over base the same as other manufacturers? I'm pretty sure nobody uses coloured topcoats anymore but wanted to make sure.

I do fancy a red car next, but I've seen available a white one and a black one both with the full red leather interior and I like both of them, probably the black more but the white is £1k cheaper!
There's also a nice looking red but with the standard half-leather which I'm guessing doesn't come with a split folding option which is useful for me occasionally.

 

[jnoiles]

Red fades easier than any other colour. Not many people buy it. Red on red was definitely available in 2008. I remember playing with it on the configuration when I ordered my 2008 1.4 Lounge.

 

[jrkitching]

3. Is the Fiat red (and I guess the white and black for that matter) clear over base the same as other manufacturers? I'm pretty sure nobody uses coloured topcoats anymore but wanted to make sure.

Yes. I've got one.

It's not particularly prone to fading, but the stonechip resistance is abysmal.

 

[grimwau]

There's also a nice looking red but with the standard half-leather which I'm guessing doesn't come with a split folding option which is useful for me occasionally.

Split/Folding rear seats with headrests were an option on the Sport with standard seats.

 

[wellfan]

We have had only two red cars. 1991 VW Golf MK2 and a 2001 Vauxhall Corsa. Both cars paintwork faded terribly. Not sure how indicative this is. Suffice to say, no more red cars in our household. Paintwork technology does improve, I think. So it could be better now.

 

[Zantium]

We have had only two red cars. 1991 VW Golf MK2 and a 2001 Vauxhall Corsa. Both cars paintwork faded terribly. Not sure how indicative this is. Suffice to say, no more red cars in our household. Paintwork technology does improve, I think. So it could be better now.

Well solid colour cars used to be painted and left with the pigmented paint exposed to the elements and clear over base (COB) was just used for metallics.
The reds used to oxidize in sunlight, they didn't fade so much as change chemical structure on the surface. If you cut this oxidization off, you'd have normal red underneath.
However, most manufacturers switched to COB for all colours by 2007 with the requirement for water based paints instead of 2 pac. It became more economical to use a thin coat of the expensive coloured paint and a layer or two of cheaper clearcoat on top. COB red cars don't fade as the clearcoat prevents oxidation.

VW group switched quite early, Ford and BMW also quite a long time ago, I don't know about the Fiat group though.

 

[JTD_Liam]

I wouldn't say the red (Passadoble Red) is especially rare on the 500. Since the 500's been on sale I believe the official figures show it's second only to white in terms of sales. The issue might be the overall number of Sports is a lot lower than that of Lounge spec, hence why Fiat has tried several specs for the Sport (Sport, TwinAir/TwinAir+, Street and S).

My Parents 500 is red. Only 18 months old so too new to judge in terms of fading but I see red Mk1 Punto's (1994-1999) and Mk2 Puntos (1999-2006) & many of those still look fine. Fiat red doesn't seem to fade as bad as the old red used on Vauxhalls or even on Alfa Romeos, oddly. However, ours has picked up a few stone chips. It's not pebble dashed, but it's worse than Fiats I've owned in blue, grey & green.

As mentioned, split/fold rear seats were optional on Sport. If you want to maximise your chances of getting red with leather and split/fold seats it'd be worth looking at Lounge spec too. Lounge had split/fold as standard, as do all cars with full leather, but because the Sport had half leather as standard & Lounge was actually full cloth or cloth & vinyl, more people appear to have upgraded Lounge spec to full leather than Sport.

Lounge was available with black ambience (steering wheel, heater controls etc) as well as ivory, so it is possible to find a 1.4 Lounge in red with leather and dark interior. Given the higher number of Lounge sales there's probably just as much chance of getting one as there is finding a Sport with the same spec.

 

[jnoiles]

I originally thought about the sport but when I played with the configurator I realised that I really wanted a glass roof.

All the rest were options like leather and 16"s so the differences between the two sort of faded.

Once I'd got it into the spec I wanted the only thing I lost was the spoiler on the sport and saved a ton of money by picking the lounge. Made the decision easy.

The lounge does a pretty good at being sporting:

 

[JTD_Liam]

I'm inclined to agree. The worst bit about the Lounges at launch was the checkered seat upholstery, but Fiat soon added the design from the Pop model as a free option, which is a lot nicer and since the OP wants leather interior anyway it's not a concern for them.

You can still get a Lounge to look like a Sport if the original owner added front fog lights, different wheels and the dark interior, plus you have the Lounge benefits of a glass roof which will brighten up the interior if fitted with the black steering wheel, heater controls etc. This is possibly the reason why so many more people went for the Lounge.

Contrary to some press reports, the Sport didn't gain any differences in suspension/steering either, it was just 1.4 versions of Lounge and Sport (maybe Pop too) that gained a Sport button to firm up the steering.

 

[306maxi]

I'm inclined to agree. The worst bit about the Lounges at launch was the checkered seat upholstery, but Fiat soon added the design from the Pop model as a free option, which is a lot nicer and since the OP wants leather interior anyway it's not a concern for them.

You can still get a Lounge to look like a Sport if the original owner added front fog lights, different wheels and the dark interior, plus you have the Lounge benefits of a glass roof which will brighten up the interior if fitted with the black steering wheel, heater controls etc. This is possibly the reason why so many more people went for the Lounge.

Contrary to some press reports, the Sport didn't gain any differences in suspension/steering either, it was just 1.4 versions of Lounge and Sport (maybe Pop too) that gained a Sport button to firm up the steering.

Fiat only added the pop cloth after about 3 or 4 years

 

[rossocorsa]

I had a 1999 Lancia delta hpe turbo in red and it didn't fade at all whilst I had it, finish was base coat and lacquer even back then so fiat probably changed over quite early on

 

[306maxi]

I had a 1999 Lancia delta hpe turbo in red and it didn't fade at all whilst I had it, finish was base coat and lacquer even back then so fiat probably changed over quite early on

Or actually made an effort with the Delta Plenty of faded 90's Fiats about.

 

[rossocorsa]

Or actually made an effort with the Delta Plenty of faded 90's Fiats about.

It was same red as some bravo so I assumed they were also base coat and lacquer

 

[JTD_Liam]

Fiat only added the pop cloth after about 3 or 4 years

I've found a 2010 Lounge with Pop interior on AutoTrader. Tbh I thought they added the Pop interior even quicker than that but even so, it appears it was 2 years

Or actually made an effort with the Delta Plenty of faded 90's Fiats about.

That's a bit unfair. Perhaps in sunnier climbs they might be more faded but of the old red Fiats driving round here I've seen a P Reg Punto, which is still shiny, and an S Reg Brava & W Reg Seicento that lives round the corner which are fine.

I admit it's not exactly indicative of all Fiats but the latter two in particular don't look especially cherished so I don't think it's down to weekends of polishing that's kept them looking decent.