I've known about this car for years and have never seen anyone do a review of it. Most people are very dismissive of it, and that's why I like this channel. You have your own opinion and offer refreshing views on cars that have been written off by the automotive press. Also being from the US, I love learning about cars that we never saw here, and how different cars are built and equipped for different markets.
Gotta second this comment wholeheartedly. My liking of HubNut reviews does derive from the unique, intelligent and independent thinking and expressing of views and details You wouldn't hear so anywhere else.
In 1983 my father had the 3.2 liter version with manual transmission. I was just a kid, but I loved this car and its engine. It was very comfortable also compared with German premium brands. But there was issues for spare parts availability also in '83-85 and even for my father that was the owner of an official Fiat Service. He sold it after two or three years mainly for this reason and because high fuel consumption. But he always talked about Fiat 130 as a very high end car. Usually we had summer trips with a very large caravan towed by 130 and I clearly remember my father enthusiast about the stability also towing the caravan. I have very good memories related to this car! ❤
I find this era of Fiat captivating, and intriguing I owned a 1983 Fiat 131 Mirafiori Panorama (estate) the car mechanically was first-rate, the engine was wonderful and magnificent! started the first time every time! very reliable! but was let down by bodywork door panels rusting at the sills steel was made from recycled Russian steel at the time. I replaced the car with a 1985 Fiat Uno 70S 4-door a superb small car! rust/corrosion was sorted out by that year, most cars I've owned since never gave me the same feeling or fun factor!
In my 2nd year Italian class for retired people, today we found the expression 'cucire la bocca a qualcuno' (to shut somebody up). I thought...very Mafia-like, and I also thought: HubNut's just reviewed the luxury Fiat with the perfect boot for disposing of grasses (English slang for an informant) - see 5:23. Mamma mia! Che bella macchina. So nice to see one intact apparently not chewed by tin-worm.
Italians at the time were happy driving a non premium brand as the risk of kidnapping was so high… Also, Fiat had always covered the market top to bottom so people weren’t as surprised to see them making the 500 and the glorious Dino Coupe! It’s only us Brits who are so hung up and shortsighted!
Us too. Witness the VW Phaeton. They say it was a great car, but Americans refuse to pay expensive car prices for a Volkswagen. Chevrolet introduced a big V8 car in 1917 that cost what a Buick cost. Americans refused to buy it because the badge said "Chevrolet", as Chevys were and are supposed cheap.
That grill and twin headlights remind me of late 60s Vauxhall Victor . I read years ago that Hilda Baker (remember her anyone?) had a 130 but not sure if it was a saloon or coupe.
Fiats of that era were rusting when new on our forecourt. As a youngster, I remember an early 132 rusting away behind my fathers garage (along with a number of other traded in Fiats). What amazed me at the time was how the little light clusters and dash lights were illuminated by fiber optic cable from one bulb.
That was really the case for all cars of the 1970's. When you got the car new you would go and have the car rust protected using dinitrol, tectyl or waxoil. The once that were done well probably are the ones we can now still enjoy as classic cars.
Thanks for testing this beautiful classic! But do you think I might "persuade" you, (Mafia NOT involved) to test the COUPE as well, as I do like this one, but am in the COUPE's fan club!
A friend of mine had a new one when I worked in the Middle East, it had sublimely comfortable blue velour seats, it was smooth, quiet and comfortable. A truly great car.
At the turn og the late '70s and early '80s, The Fiat 131 and 132 are clear in my memory as very attractive cars. I was a young lad growing up in England at that time, and Fiat had a very comprehensive range from 600 to the 132. I would wish FIAT offer today such excelent designs and a full range of cars.
About 10 years ago the local auto electricians in my town was working on one. It was rough and I later saw it advertised in Classic Car Weekly for under a grand!
One of the most beautiful vehicles ever but it faced the same problems as mass-market brands trying to sell expensive up-market models. It's easier to sell a base-spec Mercedes Benz to a Ford owner than a Ford to a Mercedes Benz owner. Most people aren't going to pay a premium price for a mass-market nameplate.
That's true, indeed, but doesn't seem to apply in Japan. High-end Toyotas sell in the domestic market as Toyotas, with no need of an invented luxury brand (though I think they have introduced the Lexus brand into the JDM now). The lovely Nissan Skyline I had sells in the US as the Infiniti. I wonder why the difference?
@@michaelwright2986 Home turf brands and less status snobbery are the main reasons I think. Also, US and UK are surely some of the most status obsessed western countries when it comes to cars.
the biggest resemblance is with fiat 125 that was the predecessor of 132. if you can give importance to the opinions of a child (I was 9-12 at the time) in Italy the design of 130 was not really impressive because we had seen 125 before. i was impressed by dimensions, and expecially the engine, cause 3200 cc were a lot for an italian sedan. we saw so big engines only on mercedes and jaguar.
I was six when my dad's 130 was delivered: I loved it. The interior is much sparser in reality than in my memory. I remember the blinds, the electric windows and the amazing comfort!
When I was a kid there was a timber yard near where we lived. The owner had a silver one of these. I remember it being parked out front every day. It had blue velour seats and tinted glass. I was suprised Fiat made such a posh car. Fast forward 2 or 3 years and it had been relegated to the field at the back of the timber yard along with a Commer PB pickup truck. I went over the fence one evening for a look. The sills and wing tops had vanished and a couple of the doorskins were falling off. There were big rust holes along the top of the windscreen and around the sunroof. I found the whole business quite depressing as presumably did the owner. It had been such a beautiful car and it was only 5 or 6 years old by then. Such a shame. In spite of that I've always had a soft spot for them. Big, comfortable, respectably fast and very classy. Just my kind of motor.
Love the review !! Though I loved and owned the coupe for many years, I love the memory of seeing one in my street when I was 10-12? Even my father (also a bit of a petrolhead) went berserk. But the saloon really deserves some serious attention too, thank you !!
They can be something of a Money-Pit . I owned one LONG ago now . Australian Delivery . 3.2 . They DO go well and Handle REALLY well . Just some crazy design decisions in them , make them Nightmarish when things go wrong . Overall a Lovely car . Classic looks and Comfort . That Engine SCREAMS OUT for a 5-speed Manual however . That would improve the Fuel Mileage as well .
My GP at the time had one of these, same colour as this one too. A few of them made it to Australia but only a very few. My GP at the time loved it, he was in fact Italian, but apparently was having issues with the suspension. Not sure exactly what the problem was though as he never told me exactly what it was as he just mentioned one day that it was at the dealership that day getting its suspension looked at.
Ian, in 1982/3, I owned a beautiful 130 Berlina 3200. Metallica Blue with opulently piped tan fabric seats. It was a ‘74 (N reg) model, and I just loved it! One of my regretful mistakes was selling that car; the other was selling a ‘64 Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint that I had in 1974. If only we could rewind the VHS Tape of Life…
My first car was a Fiat 132 with a very revvy 1800cc dual overhead cam (as I recall it), in any way: It had the same type of "cruise control" (manual, lockable trottle) as the 130 and it was a kamikaze feature; Setting it on a speed on level road meant it would slow down substansially in any uphill but go wild crazy in the next downhill. Fun car on winter roads (snowy - I'm Swedish) with the weight distribution front/rear something like 80/20 (a bit subjective). The italian metal did not like Swedish climate so it slowly desintegrated spreading bit's and pieces of itself in the surroundings as we travelled between home and the univeristy where I studied. Electronics - metallurgy possibly would have been better, atleast for the Fiat.
they got a lot of cheap soviet steel contracts in exchange for building "Toliatti" in Russia, and it was commercially decided to use it. It was a disaster, as anything from Russia still is.
MacPherson invented the strut suspension for a Chevrolet project in England. When the car was shelved, he left and went to Ford, taking his patent with him. Ford used the struts first on the Consul, followed by Zephyr and Zodiac. Colin Chapman liked the idea because it added lightness, so he modified the design to be used in the rear of Lotus cars. That is one lovely car indeed. Just to show how different things are this side of the pond, this "large" car, with its 107 inch wheelbase is smaller than the smallest domestically produced Chrysler product in 1974, the Dodge Dart/Plymouth Valiant twins, which were amongst the least expensive domestic cars. Back then cars were bought by the pound, and import duties added a bunch to the prices. Still, an unusual and very lovely car indeed
The coupe is better looking with that orange draylon interior. The lines are better on the 2 door as well. I've always loved these but hardly anybody knows of them. They look great in that metallic blue.
God that's stunning... gotta say I've always loved the 132 aswell. Friend of my brothers had a 2litre 132 with an Alfa sud exhaust system, sounded immense!!
You would be surprised just how many of the coupes are in Australia - running and in good condition. I love their orange interiors and the Ferrari connection engine. They are not small. Quite a lot of it, equates with the Australian standard family car basics, but obviously in a far more upmarket and more engineered way. Melbourne is a good place to see soooo many restored European cars.
I reckon there would be more coupes surviving in Australia then there would sedan/berlinas. Lots of berlinas were left to rust because parts were so expensive and hard to get over here. Melbourne is home to a number of 130s luckily
Great video Ian, haven't seen one of these for many decades. The square Fiat 130 saloon looks even better than I (vaguely) recall, and it sounds fantastic! Passes the wiper test with aplomb too!! No triangle of doom, and limited valley of dispair, Forza Fiat!!!
What a delicious engine note, LPG makes it all the more of a tempting proposition and I agree, rather that than the coupe version, just for the corpse carrying capacity alone lol
Punkah Louver is the correct name for the round vent on the dash. First introduced on submarines, then used on buses and transfered to cars. Just an interesting fact you might like. 😊😊
Can't be more than 10 or 20 of these here in the US of A or Canaduh. COOL car. Thanks for the review, mang! GREAT to see so many people on bicycles there!
I was about to buy one like this when I was in the military 43 years ago. Had an errand in town and ended up with a car salesman who had one like this for sale, previously owned by a ship owner. This was on a Friday, so I couldn't fix the finances just then and when I arrived on Monday, luckily it was sold, but I've always liked the sedan and especially the coupe.
What a great video again to shine light on one of the most underestimated cars ever. I know them well, very well. My father bought one brand new back in 1973. From that moment I was addicted to these cars. It´s like a red line in my life. Till now I´ve owned about 80 saloons and I´m on coupe number 58.... the one shown here in this video was also mine and I restored it years back. I´ve had them in curious shapes and forms, Recently I got my second armoured saloon, the first one was registred on Umberto Agnelli´s name. Also a hearse version and I even lived for one year in the one of camper 130!! I guess it will continue till I take my last breath and that´s ok. You got to have to do something in life right? Cheers to all and should you seek a nice sample, contact me, Glad to help fellow 130 lovers
Love this car. My 1970 FIAT 500 also has that hand throttle/cruise(!) control. A little ’ring pull’ down under the dash, a bit of a reach. Pull the cable and the throttle pedal moves with it. I think it’s intention was a warming up aid rather than cruise control. Took me several years to even spot it there.
Fiat 130 was more on the margin of all salons in the 70s, I remember Vergleichtests in Auto Motor Sport magazine. When I saw the engine compartment I was thinking, there would be enough space for a small V8, combined with a manual transmission, sports road gear, that would make the Fiat 130 a real sports sedan.
My girlfriend bought a Fiat Brava in 1978 just before Fiat exited the US market. Indeed it drove great and was so beautiful. The engine seized within 2 years and she bought a Pinto station wagon.
In 1990 or so CAR magazine ran a series of articles entitled “Lemons” which gave a brief, tongue in cheek, retrospective review of cars which never really quite hit the mark or were as good as they could have been. The Morris Marina, TR6, Mercedes w123 250 all featured. The Fiat 130 was included. I don’t recall ever seeing one on the road but it looks quite a cool motor in your video!
Few of these still here in Arizona/New Mexico. We have a 71 stored in the back of the property...it has March of 1982 Plates on it. An original Quebec car, which is somewhat odd. It's Rust free to boot 🥾👢😜!
GORGEOUS!! It is NOT "HubNut" but understand your rationale... I'm just glad you did a review on these, it seems best of both worlds (ie sports and sedan)
The 130 was a rare sight on UK roads but I was lucky to see one. However, they were rust buckets. I owned a 132 which is the only car that you could hear rusting while you drove it.
A friend dad in junior school had a 130 Berlina. Metallic blue with grey velour interior. First car I had been in with electric windows and automatic transmission, it was fitted with an 8 track/ radio with an electric aerial, would love one today.
Glad to see a test on the saloon i have the 3200 model rhd with handbrake on floor at the door and nicer dash these cars are bespoke look after it but they are very thirsty
@Hubnut, .....I do have a request. My request is that you do a review of Chrysler-Simca-Talbot 160/180/2L. That was an exceptionally undervalued car. No one, I mean no single soul on internet has ever done the review or test drive these cars. How does it drive? How smooth is the engine? How does it ride? No one knows anything except what we can read, which is not much. I personally think they are very handsome cars with lovely profile. The few TH-cam videos on any example are usually just photos or short drive without commentary. It will be very much appreciated if you could find one of these and shed more light on it. After all, under the skin, it is really a British car!
I had one too... sorry Ian, I know, but I've owned SO many weird and wonderful cars in my time. Mine was Mediterranean Blue, with the 3.2 engine. I think it ended up with Martin Buckley, but I might be mistaken. Mine had a rotted out exhaust, which was beyond my means to have specially fabricated (Fiat had destroyed spares, possibly out of pique). so I cobbled up a system from aftermarket cherry-bombs, expansion chambers, and cross-pipes about half-way down, which I judged was needed. The outcome was louder than standard, but what a glorious wail, just like a Ferrari ! As a 'spirited' driver back then (I drove everything nine-tenths, everywhere), I can attest that it had excellent handling and grip. In fairness, it wasn't that thirsty either, by comparison with, say, Jaguars of that time. I seem to recall I had ribbed velour seats in matching blue, and chrome bezelled round dials. Mine was one of very few, I imagine, right-hand drive examples, ever made.
I too had a blue 3.2 130 sedan and alas yes mine rusted away. Out here in Australia, all 130 sedans and coupes were RHD so no there were more than just a few RHD examples. My brother has currently 2 sedans and two coupes. He has previously had another 2 sedans and a coupe but alas they are no more. The UK, NZ and South Africa also would have received RHD 130s.
@@1240enzo In Russia they sold one or two to Breschnew with the V8 4.5 litre 200HP OHV engine that was in fact a Fiat construction later adapted by the soviets to their heavy government cars as 5.4 GAZ 13 and GAZ 14 engine. Originaly Fiat wanted to build a FIAT 140 V8 with that engine but due to oil crisis they "only" build the 130 V6 2.8 and 3.2 - with the huge alluminum V8 (200HP 350NM torque) the 130 flies like a Ferrari and has the rumbling sound of a Maserati V8 !
I prefer the Fiat 131 myself being a 1980's teenager Mr HubNut. Now I've not seen one of those in many a year now, as most of them disintegrated within a couple of years from manufacture. Great video, as its nice to something very different than the normal classic car show gathering.
My walk to school back in the early 70's took me past the local Fiat dealers, I only ever spotted a couple of 130 saloons and just a single 130 coupe(one of the best ever Pininfarina designs IMO). I seem to recall reading that the engine was deliberately under tuned so as not to upset Ferrari! Sadly I have never seen a 130 saloon or coupe since those school days.
I owned a 3.2 litre version of the saloon back in the late 1970s. It drank petrol but was a beautiful car with some lovely touches. It looked much plusher than the one in your video but, like all Fiats of that era, it rusted badly. I ended giving it away, as I couldn't afford to keep it on the road.
2 minutes walk from my house there are a pair of 130's that have been sitting on a drive since the 80's, one blue in remarkable condition and the other in silver in a more advanced state of decay but still amazingly intact.
That throttle lever was also on the 125 and 125S. And it was deactivated by foot brake application. You missed the unique radiator fan, the 4 wheel disc brakes and all the dash lights for park, low beam and high beam and also the light to say you had about a gallon of fuel left. There were lights in the glovebox, engine bay and boot. And they were (along with all fiats at that time) imported to Australia as deck cargo on submarines, which explained the rust. Grin. With a set of Bilstein shocks and a few other tweaks they were magic in the mountains. A very enjoyable video, brought back fond memories.
My Father had an (L reg) 1973 version - The later 3.2 model in blue. I recall a very different interior and dash. A dash board in black with many round dials - Like being in an aircraft cockpit - - And the thing was very quick over south Devons rolling hills - Unfortunatly at 6 years old it was already being attacked by the tin worm.
Another fine vid - love the almost regality of these big fiats - I remember back in the late 80s a few being in autotrader. That radio is mad. Lovely to see one on the road - great test. Thanks, really took me back.
That's so good looking car, i think there isn't bad angle to look at it, and yeah it sure make right noises 👍 I have to agree, this saloon looks much better than coupe, but coupe would be nice to own too, but never gonna afford either of them...
I was offered a 130, at a good price, in the late '70s; it was well maintained, same anthracite colour as the one in this video, and rust free (we don't salt the roads in Australia). I took it on approval for a week (private neighbourhood sale) and was very impressed with its driveability. However, true to my expectations, the electricals let it down too many times (Italian auto-electrics were the continental twin of Lucas Prince of Darkness) so I decided against the purchase.
Coupe was a beauty! Saloon/sedan looked like a bigger and more imposing and special 132. I wouldn't mind either but the Coupe would be my choice. I only ever saw one in the flesh - and that was when they were nearly new.
I had an orange Miriafori 131 Sport and a 132...both manual 2000 twin carb cars, both went like the clappers.....or seemed to back then, I suspect they would feel a bit pedestrian nowadays
I've always liked the look of the 130 sedan. It's the very definition of classy to me. ..and even young me, a kid in the 70s, thought so btw. Such a shame it didn't become a success.
It didn't but for good reasons. Fuel consumption was crazy, something like 3 km/l and it was very expensive, more than double of the 132. It was impossible to sell in Italy
Does anyone see a slight similarity in styling between the 130 and the Mercedes W114/115 saloons? The rear passenger doors and C-pillars in particular....
The 130S Coupe, was exquisite, but the 4-door had its own charm. A thing of beauty that looked years ahead of its time. Pity about quality control issues.. .
I've known about this car for years and have never seen anyone do a review of it. Most people are very dismissive of it, and that's why I like this channel. You have your own opinion and offer refreshing views on cars that have been written off by the automotive press. Also being from the US, I love learning about cars that we never saw here, and how different cars are built and equipped for different markets.
Well summed up, I couldn't agree more, Ian's way of presenting is unique (in the most positive sense)
it was a beautiful car, better the 3,2, but impossible to find spare parts
A mix of Italian design with simple lines of Fiat berlinas of the sixties and a bit teutonic chromes and heaviness
Gotta second this comment wholeheartedly. My liking of HubNut reviews does derive from the unique, intelligent and independent thinking and expressing of views and details You wouldn't hear so anywhere else.
The front of these always reminded me of a '68-72 Chevy Nova. The interiors were very different, the Nova being an economy car and trimmed as such!
In 1983 my father had the 3.2 liter version with manual transmission. I was just a kid, but I loved this car and its engine. It was very comfortable also compared with German premium brands. But there was issues for spare parts availability also in '83-85 and even for my father that was the owner of an official Fiat Service. He sold it after two or three years mainly for this reason and because high fuel consumption. But he always talked about Fiat 130 as a very high end car. Usually we had summer trips with a very large caravan towed by 130 and I clearly remember my father enthusiast about the stability also towing the caravan. I have very good memories related to this car! ❤
I find this era of Fiat captivating, and intriguing I owned a 1983 Fiat 131 Mirafiori Panorama (estate) the car mechanically was first-rate, the engine was wonderful and magnificent! started the first time every time! very reliable! but was let down by bodywork door panels rusting at the sills steel was made from recycled Russian steel at the time. I replaced the car with a 1985 Fiat Uno 70S 4-door a superb small car! rust/corrosion was sorted out by that year, most cars I've owned since never gave me the same feeling or fun factor!
Stunningly beautiful, much more so than the coupe. Absolutely gorgeous car!
In my 2nd year Italian class for retired people, today we found the expression 'cucire la bocca a qualcuno' (to shut somebody up). I thought...very Mafia-like, and I also thought: HubNut's just reviewed the luxury Fiat with the perfect boot for disposing of grasses (English slang for an informant) - see 5:23. Mamma mia! Che bella macchina. So nice to see one intact apparently not chewed by tin-worm.
Italians at the time were happy driving a non premium brand as the risk of kidnapping was so high… Also, Fiat had always covered the market top to bottom so people weren’t as surprised to see them making the 500 and the glorious Dino Coupe! It’s only us Brits who are so hung up and shortsighted!
Was that what they called the years of lead? They weren't far off Northern Ireland for a while.
@@alastairward2774 Yes. 😔
@@alastairward2774You could walk into an Alfa Romeo dealer and order from the factory an Alfetta Blindatta with armour and bulletproof glass.
Us too. Witness the VW Phaeton. They say it was a great car, but Americans refuse to pay expensive car prices for a Volkswagen. Chevrolet introduced a big V8 car in 1917 that cost what a Buick cost. Americans refused to buy it because the badge said "Chevrolet", as Chevys were and are supposed cheap.
It is so classic, I've never seen befor. Thank you.
I have seen only one of those in Finland, and it was owned by Headconsul of Italia in Turku. And he was Eero Kestilä. Very rare vehicle indeed.🇨🇮
That grill and twin headlights remind me of late 60s Vauxhall Victor . I read years ago that Hilda Baker (remember her anyone?) had a 130 but not sure if it was a saloon or coupe.
What a gorgeous looking car. Absolutely stunning 😊😊😊😊
Fiats of that era were rusting when new on our forecourt. As a youngster, I remember an early 132 rusting away behind my fathers garage (along with a number of other traded in Fiats). What amazed me at the time was how the little light clusters and dash lights were illuminated by fiber optic cable from one bulb.
That was really the case for all cars of the 1970's.
When you got the car new you would go and have the car rust protected using dinitrol, tectyl or waxoil.
The once that were done well probably are the ones we can now still enjoy as classic cars.
@@jfv65 like my Austin Allegro! I sold it in 2001, without rust (At 21 years old. And THAT had been Z I e b a r t e d!
Fists DID have an exciting engine tonevif you put your foot down, and a silent tone if you drove gently, so you could hear the radio! Same as the MGB!
Thanks for testing this beautiful classic! But do you think I might "persuade" you, (Mafia NOT involved) to test the COUPE as well, as I do like this one, but am in the COUPE's fan club!
Fiber optic were still used in the MK1 uno, fantastic idea. Plastic fingers were used in pandas.
Sounds nice. Ive always wanted a 124 Coupe. They still look magnificent.
There is one of these sitting in an open barn 5min from my place. I didn't know what is was until I saw this-thank you HB!
That mixed strip and dial dash - plus the radio and heater controls - absolute mish mash of fabulous design - wonderful
A friend of mine had a new one when I worked in the Middle East, it had sublimely comfortable blue velour seats, it was smooth, quiet and comfortable. A truly great car.
Watch The Mechanic from 1972 to see one of these at full chat. A very cool car indeed. Thanks Ian for showing it to us.👍
Fun to see you drive from zaltbommel to Brakel and back over the Waaldijk. Greetings from inhabitant of Zaltbommel
At the turn og the late '70s and early '80s, The Fiat 131 and 132 are clear in my memory as very attractive cars. I was a young lad growing up in England at that time, and Fiat had a very comprehensive range from 600 to the 132. I would wish FIAT offer today such excelent designs and a full range of cars.
About 10 years ago the local auto electricians in my town was working on one. It was rough and I later saw it advertised in Classic Car Weekly for under a grand!
after the Fiat Dino I drove in the Fiat 130 coupe, but it was alas not that! So I switched since on Porche's...
Ian i had a 132 Gls ,loved it Great car.
It makes me miss those years when the world was not completely crazy.
One of the most beautiful vehicles ever but it faced the same problems as mass-market brands trying to sell expensive up-market models.
It's easier to sell a base-spec Mercedes Benz to a Ford owner than a Ford to a Mercedes Benz owner.
Most people aren't going to pay a premium price for a mass-market nameplate.
Some truth in that. They were pretty expensive too!
Yes, like a Volkswagon phaeton, from what i’ve heard a very good car, but still a volkswagon…..
That's true, indeed, but doesn't seem to apply in Japan. High-end Toyotas sell in the domestic market as Toyotas, with no need of an invented luxury brand (though I think they have introduced the Lexus brand into the JDM now). The lovely Nissan Skyline I had sells in the US as the Infiniti. I wonder why the difference?
@@michaelwright2986 Home turf brands and less status snobbery are the main reasons I think. Also, US and UK are surely some of the most status obsessed western countries when it comes to cars.
@HubNut Some cars styling does not age well. This car seems to have improved with the passage of time.
A truly glorious design.
Learning so much from you. My passion for older unique car. Felt if I were road testing this grand fiat.. well done..
Never heard of or seen one of these before. You can definitely see the looks of the 131 and 132 that came later.
the biggest resemblance is with fiat 125 that was the predecessor of 132. if you can give importance to the opinions of a child (I was 9-12 at the time) in Italy the design of 130 was not really impressive because we had seen 125 before. i was impressed by dimensions, and expecially the engine, cause 3200 cc were a lot for an italian sedan. we saw so big engines only on mercedes and jaguar.
I was six when my dad's 130 was delivered: I loved it. The interior is much sparser in reality than in my memory. I remember the blinds, the electric windows and the amazing comfort!
When I was a kid there was a timber yard near where we lived. The owner had a silver one of these. I remember it being parked out front every day. It had blue velour seats and tinted glass. I was suprised Fiat made such a posh car.
Fast forward 2 or 3 years and it had been relegated to the field at the back of the timber yard along with a Commer PB pickup truck. I went over the fence one evening for a look. The sills and wing tops had vanished and a couple of the doorskins were falling off. There were big rust holes along the top of the windscreen and around the sunroof. I found the whole business quite depressing as presumably did the owner. It had been such a beautiful car and it was only 5 or 6 years old by then. Such a shame.
In spite of that I've always had a soft spot for them. Big, comfortable, respectably fast and very classy. Just my kind of motor.
Love the review !! Though I loved and owned the coupe for many years, I love the memory of seeing one in my street when I was 10-12? Even my father (also a bit of a petrolhead) went berserk. But the saloon really deserves some serious attention too, thank you !!
That was a wonderful thing! I remember my dad having a Fiat 128 special with that same throttle control lever for basic cruise control.
They can be something of a Money-Pit . I owned one LONG ago now . Australian Delivery . 3.2 . They DO go well and Handle REALLY well .
Just some crazy design decisions in them , make them Nightmarish when things go wrong . Overall a Lovely car . Classic looks and Comfort .
That Engine SCREAMS OUT for a 5-speed Manual however . That would improve the Fuel Mileage as well .
My GP at the time had one of these, same colour as this one too. A few of them made it to Australia but only a very few. My GP at the time loved it, he was in fact Italian, but apparently was having issues with the suspension. Not sure exactly what the problem was though as he never told me exactly what it was as he just mentioned one day that it was at the dealership that day getting its suspension looked at.
I agree never will that sound get old, beautiful sound track.
Ian, in 1982/3, I owned a beautiful 130 Berlina 3200. Metallica Blue with opulently piped tan fabric seats. It was a ‘74 (N reg) model, and I just loved it! One of my regretful mistakes was selling that car; the other was selling a ‘64 Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint that I had in 1974.
If only we could rewind the VHS Tape of Life…
Wow, rare car, thank you for showing us
Great presentation, lovely car, almost forgotten.
My first car was a Fiat 132 with a very revvy 1800cc dual overhead cam (as I recall it), in any way:
It had the same type of "cruise control" (manual, lockable trottle) as the 130 and it was a kamikaze feature; Setting it on a speed on level road meant it would slow down substansially in any uphill but go wild crazy in the next downhill. Fun car on winter roads (snowy - I'm Swedish) with the weight distribution front/rear something like 80/20 (a bit subjective). The italian metal did not like Swedish climate so it slowly desintegrated spreading bit's and pieces of itself in the surroundings as we travelled between home and the univeristy where I studied. Electronics - metallurgy possibly would have been better, atleast for the Fiat.
they got a lot of cheap soviet steel contracts in exchange for building "Toliatti" in Russia, and it was commercially decided to use it. It was a disaster, as anything from Russia still is.
Fiat 132 was the first car that I have ever driven. Field in my village in Serbia, 9 years old me and FIAT
A fine classy looking machine .
A gorgeous looking Car, a Fantastic Presantation.
Congratulatios and Thank you for this intelligent, interesting video.
Warm Regards,
A.
MacPherson invented the strut suspension for a Chevrolet project in England. When the car was shelved, he left and went to Ford, taking his patent with him. Ford used the struts first on the Consul, followed by Zephyr and Zodiac. Colin Chapman liked the idea because it added lightness, so he modified the design to be used in the rear of Lotus cars.
That is one lovely car indeed. Just to show how different things are this side of the pond, this "large" car, with its 107 inch wheelbase is smaller than the smallest domestically produced Chrysler product in 1974, the Dodge Dart/Plymouth Valiant twins, which were amongst the least expensive domestic cars. Back then cars were bought by the pound, and import duties added a bunch to the prices. Still, an unusual and very lovely car indeed
Actully Earle McPherson did his original design in the U.S.
The coupe is better looking with that orange draylon interior. The lines are better on the 2 door as well. I've always loved these but hardly anybody knows of them. They look great in that metallic blue.
Great looking car.
God that's stunning... gotta say I've always loved the 132 aswell. Friend of my brothers had a 2litre 132 with an Alfa sud exhaust system, sounded immense!!
You would be surprised just how many of the coupes are in Australia - running and in good condition. I love their orange interiors and the Ferrari connection engine. They are not small. Quite a lot of it, equates with the Australian standard family car basics, but obviously in a far more upmarket and more engineered way. Melbourne is a good place to see soooo many restored European cars.
I reckon there would be more coupes surviving in Australia then there would sedan/berlinas. Lots of berlinas were left to rust because parts were so expensive and hard to get over here. Melbourne is home to a number of 130s luckily
I love that car, one of the most awesome cars from FIAT
Great video Ian, haven't seen one of these for many decades. The square Fiat 130 saloon looks even better than I (vaguely) recall, and it sounds fantastic!
Passes the wiper test with aplomb too!! No triangle of doom, and limited valley of dispair, Forza Fiat!!!
What a delicious engine note, LPG makes it all the more of a tempting proposition and I agree, rather that than the coupe version, just for the corpse carrying capacity alone lol
Looks like a MK2 Cortina at the back and sounds lovely as well.
Punkah Louver is the correct name for the round vent on the dash. First introduced on submarines, then used on buses and transfered to cars. Just an interesting fact you might like. 😊😊
Can't be more than 10 or 20 of these here in the US of A or Canaduh. COOL car. Thanks for the review, mang!
GREAT to see so many people on bicycles there!
I was about to buy one like this when I was in the military 43 years ago. Had an errand in town and ended up with a car salesman who had one like this for sale, previously owned by a ship owner. This was on a Friday, so I couldn't fix the finances just then and when I arrived on Monday, luckily it was sold, but I've always liked the sedan and especially the coupe.
What a great video again to shine light on one of the most underestimated cars ever. I know them well, very well. My father bought one brand new back in 1973. From that moment I was addicted to these cars. It´s like a red line in my life. Till now I´ve owned about 80 saloons and I´m on coupe number 58.... the one shown here in this video was also mine and I restored it years back. I´ve had them in curious shapes and forms, Recently I got my second armoured saloon, the first one was registred on Umberto Agnelli´s name. Also a hearse version and I even lived for one year in the one of camper 130!! I guess it will continue till I take my last breath and that´s ok. You got to have to do something in life right? Cheers to all and should you seek a nice sample, contact me, Glad to help fellow 130 lovers
Wow. Thanks for the comment!
Love this car. My 1970 FIAT 500 also has that hand throttle/cruise(!) control. A little ’ring pull’ down under the dash, a bit of a reach. Pull the cable and the throttle pedal moves with it.
I think it’s intention was a warming up aid rather than cruise control. Took me several years to even spot it there.
Fiat 130 was more on the margin of all salons in the 70s, I remember Vergleichtests in Auto Motor Sport magazine. When I saw the engine compartment I was thinking, there would be enough space for a small V8, combined with a manual transmission, sports road gear, that would make the Fiat 130 a real sports sedan.
Beautiful styling, nice motor, thanks for the video, enjoyed it a lot!
So nearly bought a dark blue 130 saloon back in the 80’s. It was beautiful. Got a p6 v8 rover instead. Great review, thanks.
My girlfriend bought a Fiat Brava in 1978 just before Fiat exited the US market. Indeed it drove great and was so beautiful. The engine seized within 2 years and she bought a Pinto station wagon.
Never seen one. Seen a couple of coops which are very lovely. Very cool. Well done for finding this one Ian.
Thank you Ian for bringing back fond memories of my brief career at Knibbs Fiat. The engine sound of the 130 was fantastic.
In 1990 or so CAR magazine ran a series of articles entitled “Lemons” which gave a brief, tongue in cheek, retrospective review of cars which never really quite hit the mark or were as good as they could have been. The Morris Marina, TR6, Mercedes w123 250 all featured. The Fiat 130 was included. I don’t recall ever seeing one on the road but it looks quite a cool motor in your video!
This is such a beautiful car, I agree with you that it looks more timeless than the coupé version
Few of these still here in Arizona/New Mexico. We have a 71 stored in the back of the property...it has March of 1982 Plates on it. An original Quebec car, which is somewhat odd. It's Rust free to boot 🥾👢😜!
GORGEOUS!!
It is NOT "HubNut" but understand your rationale... I'm just glad you did a review on these, it seems best of both worlds (ie sports and sedan)
These were actually designed by Bertone, not Fiat. Such a beautiful car.
No, it was Gian Paulo Buano at Fiat.
@@HubNut oh really? Sorry I must be mistaken.
Nice review by the way
The 130 was a rare sight on UK roads but I was lucky to see one. However, they were rust buckets. I owned a 132 which is the only car that you could hear rusting while you drove it.
A friend dad in junior school had a 130 Berlina. Metallic blue with grey velour interior. First car I had been in with electric windows and automatic transmission, it was fitted with an 8 track/ radio with an electric aerial, would love one today.
Glad to see a test on the saloon i have the 3200 model rhd with handbrake on floor at the door and nicer dash these cars are bespoke look after it but they are very thirsty
@Hubnut, .....I do have a request. My request is that you do a review of Chrysler-Simca-Talbot 160/180/2L. That was an exceptionally undervalued car. No one, I mean no single soul on internet has ever done the review or test drive these cars. How does it drive? How smooth is the engine? How does it ride? No one knows anything except what we can read, which is not much. I personally think they are very handsome cars with lovely profile. The few TH-cam videos on any example are usually just photos or short drive without commentary. It will be very much appreciated if you could find one of these and shed more light on it. After all, under the skin, it is really a British car!
I had one too... sorry Ian, I know, but I've owned SO many weird and wonderful cars in my time. Mine was Mediterranean Blue, with the 3.2 engine. I think it ended up with Martin Buckley, but I might be mistaken. Mine had a rotted out exhaust, which was beyond my means to have specially fabricated (Fiat had destroyed spares, possibly out of pique). so I cobbled up a system from aftermarket cherry-bombs, expansion chambers, and cross-pipes about half-way down, which I judged was needed. The outcome was louder than standard, but what a glorious wail, just like a Ferrari ! As a 'spirited' driver back then (I drove everything nine-tenths, everywhere), I can attest that it had excellent handling and grip. In fairness, it wasn't that thirsty either, by comparison with, say, Jaguars of that time. I seem to recall I had ribbed velour seats in matching blue, and chrome bezelled round dials. Mine was one of very few, I imagine, right-hand drive examples, ever made.
I too had a blue 3.2 130 sedan and alas yes mine rusted away. Out here in Australia, all 130 sedans and coupes were RHD so no there were more than just a few RHD examples. My brother has currently 2 sedans and two coupes. He has previously had another 2 sedans and a coupe but alas they are no more. The UK, NZ and South Africa also would have received RHD 130s.
@@1240enzo In Russia they sold one or two to Breschnew with the V8 4.5 litre 200HP OHV engine that was in fact a Fiat construction later adapted by the soviets to their heavy government cars as 5.4 GAZ 13 and GAZ 14 engine. Originaly Fiat wanted to build a FIAT 140 V8 with that engine but due to oil crisis they "only" build the 130 V6 2.8 and 3.2 - with the huge alluminum V8 (200HP 350NM torque) the 130 flies like a Ferrari and has the rumbling sound of a Maserati V8 !
Very pretty car
The myth that fiat rusted when new; a colleague bought one, a week prior, and showed me the rust on the middle of the door.
I prefer the Fiat 131 myself being a 1980's teenager Mr HubNut. Now I've not seen one of those in many a year now, as most of them disintegrated within a couple of years from manufacture. Great video, as its nice to something very different than the normal classic car show gathering.
Hi Ian. Rear lights more Mk2 Cortina than Mk1 Capri to my eye, but a lovely old car nonetheless. Nice review.
Fabulous review of a perennial underdog, so glad you featured it and concluded that it's excellent, I'd always hoped it would be! Thankyou.
My walk to school back in the early 70's took me past the local Fiat dealers, I only ever spotted a couple of 130 saloons and just a single 130 coupe(one of the best ever Pininfarina designs IMO). I seem to recall reading that the engine was deliberately under tuned so as not to upset Ferrari! Sadly I have never seen a 130 saloon or coupe since those school days.
I owned a 3.2 litre version of the saloon back in the late 1970s. It drank petrol but was a beautiful car with some lovely touches. It looked much plusher than the one in your video but, like all Fiats of that era, it rusted badly. I ended giving it away, as I couldn't afford to keep it on the road.
Lovely styling on the grille. So rare to see a fiat of that age that hasn’t rusted away. In know my old Regatta didn’t last so long 😅
Ah, the Regatta. Not one of Fiat's best. 😢
@@jackiron4785 probably not my finest purchase 😅
Glorious car I had posters on my wall as a kid of the coupe and saloon thanks for bringing this review years since I've seen a real one 😀👍
2 minutes walk from my house there are a pair of 130's that have been sitting on a drive since the 80's, one blue in remarkable condition and the other in silver in a more advanced state of decay but still amazingly intact.
Great to see,my friend actually has 3 of them,one is the actual sales brochure model...if you ever in Ireland,look him up..
I can’t believe you got your hands on one of these. My sentiments echo yours, what a cool car. I’ve only seen one at a car show
Absaloutly brilliant video Ian ❤👍what a beautiful car I love it beautiful piece of Italian history love that v6 noise what an amazing car brilliant
That throttle lever was also on the 125 and 125S. And it was deactivated by foot brake application. You missed the unique radiator fan, the 4 wheel disc brakes and all the dash lights for park, low beam and high beam and also the light to say you had about a gallon of fuel left. There were lights in the glovebox, engine bay and boot. And they were (along with all fiats at that time) imported to Australia as deck cargo on submarines, which explained the rust. Grin. With a set of Bilstein shocks and a few other tweaks they were magic in the mountains. A very enjoyable video, brought back fond memories.
My Father had an (L reg) 1973 version - The later 3.2 model in blue. I recall a very different interior and dash. A dash board in black with many round dials - Like being in an aircraft cockpit - - And the thing was very quick over south Devons rolling hills - Unfortunatly at 6 years old it was already being attacked by the tin worm.
I feel exactly the same way! You always see the coupe and never the berline. So thanks!
Beautiful. Would not be many of these left. Thanks to owner for preserving it.
Another fine vid - love the almost regality of these big fiats - I remember back in the late 80s a few being in autotrader. That radio is mad. Lovely to see one on the road - great test. Thanks, really took me back.
I think the coupe was one of the most elegant cars of its time and, to me it looks still stunning today.
Maybe I need glasses.
That's so good looking car, i think there isn't bad angle to look at it, and yeah it sure make right noises 👍
I have to agree, this saloon looks much better than coupe, but coupe would be nice to own too, but never gonna afford either of them...
I think you mean mark two cortina when you talk about the rear lights
I was offered a 130, at a good price, in the late '70s; it was well maintained, same anthracite colour as the one in this video, and rust free (we don't salt the roads in Australia). I took it on approval for a week (private neighbourhood sale) and was very impressed with its driveability. However, true to my expectations, the electricals let it down too many times (Italian auto-electrics were the continental twin of Lucas Prince of Darkness) so I decided against the purchase.
Coupe was a beauty! Saloon/sedan looked like a bigger and more imposing and special 132. I wouldn't mind either but the Coupe would be my choice.
I only ever saw one in the flesh - and that was when they were nearly new.
The 132 was my favourite in the 80's. You can see the evolution from 130 to 132/131 in it 👍
130 isn't really in that evolution as it was never replaced. It is fun to watch evolution though.
Perhaps the duplication of electric window switches and manual winders was because even Fiat themselves didn't trust their own electrics 🤔
As a Brit you ought to call those 'drempels' a 'sleeping policeman' and the version with two bumps a ;sleeping police woman'.
I had an orange Miriafori 131 Sport and a 132...both manual 2000 twin carb cars, both went like the clappers.....or seemed to back then, I suspect they would feel a bit pedestrian nowadays
Man It looks magnificient, especially front part ,so simple and clean. I love it's boxiness...
I've always liked the look of the 130 sedan. It's the very definition of classy to me. ..and even young me, a kid in the 70s, thought so btw. Such a shame it didn't become a success.
It didn't but for good reasons. Fuel consumption was crazy, something like 3 km/l and it was very expensive, more than double of the 132. It was impossible to sell in Italy
Does anyone see a slight similarity in styling between the 130 and the Mercedes W114/115 saloons? The rear passenger doors and C-pillars in particular....
The 130S Coupe, was exquisite, but the 4-door had its own charm. A thing of beauty that looked years ahead of its time. Pity about quality control issues..
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I love the sound of that engine, beautiful