The Ritmo Bertone Supercabrio is among the scarcest Italian mainstream convertibles of the 1980s, yet it rarely surfaces in scale form. MITICA, the Italian resin specialist, has produced a 1:18 replica of the 1986 100S variant — the higher-output iteration of a car that Bertone designed and converted in-house on the Fiat 138 platform. Grey Metallic was one of the factory-offered exterior colours during the 1984–1986 production window, and the 1986 car sits at the very end of the Ritmo model line before the Fiat Tipo took over in 1988.
A Bertone Convertible, Not a Factory Option
The Fiat Ritmo Supercabrio was not a simple production variant: Bertone carried out the full open-top conversion in-house, reinforcing the sill structure to compensate for the removed roof and fitting a soft folding hood. The car debuted at the 1982 Geneva Motor Show and went on sale in limited numbers through Fiat dealerships. Fewer than 2,000 units were produced across all variants, placing the Supercabrio in genuinely rare territory for a mainstream European compact of the era.
The 100S: Final-Year Performance Tune
The 100S designation identifies the higher-output engine option: a 1,498 cc SOHC inline-four producing approximately 100 CV (around 105 hp). The 1986 model year represents the closing phase of Ritmo production, which ended when Fiat introduced the Tipo in 1988. As a late-run, higher-specification open car built by one of Italy's foremost coachbuilders, the 100S Supercabrio carries a combination of scarcity and Bertone provenance that few 1980s Italian road cars can match.
MITICA: Resin Craft for the Overlooked Italian Car
MITICA is an Italian specialist known for producing 1:18 resin models of rare Italian road cars that mainstream diecast producers have never catalogued. The resin construction is standard for the brand and allows precise surface detail across the bodywork. The model length is 21.5 cm, computed directly from the real car's 3,940 mm body length divided by the scale factor of 18. Opening parts are not confirmed for this release; detail is concentrated on the exterior surfaces, including the soft-top hood and reinforced sill lines characteristic of the Bertone conversion.
In the Display Cabinet
At 21.5 cm in length, this 1:18 model fits a standard single-car display shelf without difficulty. It pairs naturally with other MITICA releases covering Italian road cars of the same period, and sits well alongside Bertone-bodied subjects such as the Fiat X1/9 or Ritmo-based performance variants. For collectors focusing on 1980s Italian road cars or open-top coachbuilt specials, the Supercabrio 100S occupies a gap that no other 1:18 resin model currently fills.
Frequently asked questions
How big is the 1:18 scale model?
The real Fiat Ritmo Supercabrio measures 3,940 mm in length. Divided by 18, the model comes to approximately 21.5 cm — enough to fill a standard single-car display slot comfortably, with adequate clearance for the folded soft-top profile at the rear.
Does the model have opening parts?
Opening parts have not been confirmed for this MITICA release. As is typical for specialist resin models, detail is concentrated on the exterior surfaces: the bodywork, the Bertone-designed convertible hood, and the reinforced sill structure that distinguishes the Supercabrio from the standard Ritmo body.
What material is the model made from?
The model is produced in resin by MITICA, an Italian specialist manufacturer. Resin construction allows finer surface resolution than standard diecast zinc alloy, and is the standard medium across the MITICA range of limited-run Italian road car replicas.
How rare was the real Fiat Ritmo Bertone Supercabrio?
Fewer than 2,000 Supercabrios were produced across all variants. Bertone performed the full convertible conversion in-house on a reinforced Ritmo 138-platform bodyshell, and the car was sold through Fiat dealerships from 1982 until the end of the Ritmo model line in the late 1980s.
