FIAT's Astonishing Challenge to the Germans Did Not End Well - Fiat 130
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ก.ค. 2023
- Before Fiat owned Lancia and Alfa they made a genuine attempt at a luxury car to rival the German marques, it was a great car but it failed miserably. In this video i tell the story of the Fiat 130 and see how it drives today!
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Just after selling my 1976 Mercedes W116 280SE, l owned a 130 Coupe and a 130 Sedan in the early 1980's.
They were both 3200cc automatics.
For me they won hands down on driving pleasure and smooth ride in comparison to a W116 Merc.
The Mercs may have been more robust, but these Fiats were sooo commfortable and pure fun to dtive!
Enzo Ferrari and Sophia Loren drove 130 Coupes and l still wish that l would own these cars today.
This is the VW Phaeton of its era.
The door closing sound is bank vault quality.
When I was a kid I used to think this was dull, dreary and plain but looking at it now I think it looks sensational. I prefer this to the coupe.
the coupé is a total diferent car lower to the ground and more sportive look ,i ´m not sure now but maybe designed by Bertone or Pininfarina
It’s absolutely stunning
@@RUfromthe40syes the coupé is from Pininfarina
Fiat 130 sedan and coupé very different, the sedan more traditional and later 60's style, with many details typical of that times, similar to Opel Admiral and other.
The coupé looks way more modern, and typically 70's style.
Both of them killed by 1973 oil crisis althogh their style sublimated into 1975 Fiat 131 sedan
@@RUfromthe40s think the coupe was designed by Paulo Martin of Pininfarina but then he left shortly afterwards
When I was working at a FIAT dealership as my holiday job in the late 1970’s I had a delivery spin in the bosses 132 saloon. I was gobsmacked just how solid, comfy and well it went for such a chunky saloon. He did admit they didn’t sell particularly well because they seemed old fashioned but the build quality was surprisingly good. Love the FIATS of this era - nice work 👍
After the VW K70 I mentioned in my previous comment which replaced my Dad's 130 the VW was replaced by a 132, not sure if it was a 1600 or 1800, after that he had a Lancia Beta 2000 Berlina. Happy Days
@@benzinapaul7416 i think it is 1300 and 1302 my grandfathers last cars ,he used to say that in Africa he was called to take Land-Rovers from the mud ,the tires were very large for mud ,today they are even larger
In the early 70s, Fiat was the biggest selling car brand in Europe. There was a reason.
I had a 132 and loved it. It even became a hotel room when required. The only problems were a fuel tank which rotted out at just six years old and the front of the bonnet rotted around the hinges.
@@JohnDoe-uw9nq that´s why they closed doors?
Bad timing and generally bad branding - this car was astonishingly good, but it's just like the VW Phaeton, nobody was willing to buy a "Fiat luxury car".
I agree. People thought of the FIAT brand as a cheap, practical small car that corroded quickly. German luxury cars have prestige, while French and Italian ones do not. Their attempts were doomed to failure because people are snobs.
2:17 I love the interior and especially the upholstery. I don't know how leather became the go-to seat covering. Good cloth is probably better.
Not just 'probably', it is for sure!
well its strange becuae back in the 1960's leather was the norm, the new velour when it came out was an optional extra on lots of cars,,, like vauxhall viscount and ford zodiacs ,,, it stayed like that for about 20 years niow peopel want leather the stuff that cracks and look crap after a year or so and it terrible in the hot or cold..... i liked the velour myself..
My father in spite being a German has been a Fiat-6-Cylinder-Customer since 1958. At that time he bought a 1800 Berlina. Two years later he bought the 2300 Berlina. Then in 1966 he desperatly expected the new model 130 Berlina to come out as Fiat and the local Fiat-Dealer had promised. When the delay became too long he bought the brandnew W108 250S and stayed to Mercedes-Benz for the next 38 years. So I missed my chance to travel by such a nice Fiat 130 in my childhood. But I have to admit: I loved our white Mercedes 250S.
great story!
once you go mercedes all others seem inferior,at the time ,even more, my first car with drivers permit still have it today in perfect condition was a 69 280S 4 door, it was smooth ,huge and at the same time very fast ,an old man gave it to me it had 4 years and in his family no one wanted it, so because my father had sold fast his agricultural land and big house included by much more money he thought the land and the house would value, this to a person from Denmark
I used to subcontract to a garage in Barnet London in 1985 and the owner had an amazing 130 coupe that I used to restore every time he spotted rust or he scratched it. He had about 6 other 130s parked up that he used too take parts from when things went wrong. The interior was in a amazing orange draylon type material which was super comfortable. Even to day I think it looks amazing and I would have it over any BMW or Merc of the time.
i own all those car brands and the 130 coupé is very nice but not close to a mercedes coupé or sportive ,bmw was other history they were similar but when turning the key the engine feels far into the future and the 2800 coupé was one of the best cars in the world ,same years of release but Fiat released it first and ended the production first but they released the Fiat Dino that was another great Fiat, this i never found one at cheap price they were rare at the time as the 130 that only put my hands in one in late 70´s , i drove all over Europe with my future better half and in Italy it was dificult to find a 130 coupé in good condition and saw at the most 3 ,one is mine still, the owner was amazedby the BMW ,i let him drive it . Today when i think of it i think it was what made him sell me the car ,after i shiped it to Portugal when returning home after a big 4 monthes travel by car , i arrive at 5 in the morning due to the heat in my region and when entering the street i notice the car parked in front of my door, the BMW only asked for gasoline not even a flat tire in 5.000 km´s
To follow up on my own comment below: the 3.2 version came out in late 1972, and it was a really well sorted car (as you mentioned in your test drive). However, a 10 mpg luxo-barge with a Fiat badge didn't have any chance of survival in the post-1973 oil crisis. At a time when even big BMWs and Mercedes were struggling to sell, the writing was clearly on the wall for the 130. So maybe it was a victim of poor timing with the oil crisis, more than anything else.
10mpg? Ouch
Precisely. The oil crisis finished this limo. And to a certain extent the brand. People who could afford it in the early seventies preferred to buy a german car. Mercedes and BMW had a name of solidity and quality, whilst FIAT bore a reputation of shoddy quality.
@@horatiohornblower868 that was in the US in europe and in Portugal that happened already in 1980, i remenber in the 70´s me and a friend from the netherlands in the second half of the 70´s we went to L.A. where we had a friend and he would try to find the cars we wanted to bring to Europe and we did it till second half of the 80´s and won a lot of money ,first i was afraid of loosing a lot in initial investment but we shipped around 20 cars and i telefone our secretary and only by the listing and photograph´s when we were returning to Europe the first cars shipped were sold and we had to cancel the flight and look for more before we returned ,off course at the time being young and having all cars sold we had to party in L.A. in 76 and our friend there knew where to go,he also won a lot of money, i still have a few cars i liked one of them i had to sell it because the interested person was ofering more and more money and i sold it a formula something in metalized green ,the second model of the firebird ,the body basically was the same as the camaro which i also kept a split bumper one all in white with blue tinted windows and my favorite at the time was a 69 mercury cougar with a 7.0L engine all black with interiors in red but real red not orange like today and they call it red, it´s darker the red, all equiped and special wheels but metal ones not alloy, it looked like a inflated 65 mustang, also have 3, 67 pontiacs two coupés and one convertible with automatic gears, the only i kept with automatic gears ,all others had manual, someone told me that the formula firebird was for monthes the faster car in the world, early 74 model
Mutta 130 ja edeltäjä 2300 (sedan, wagon ja coupe) olivat laadukkaita ja urheiluauto Dino myös. Näiden myötä Fiat oli tuolloin premium merkki.
@@mako0971 the other brands were what at the time with several better car models?i do have Fiats, i started by buying cars no one wanted or even some were ofered to me, normally because of the price gasoline costs, nothing related with oil crisis ,we have the most expensive gasoline of all europe, even today. do you know Mercedes or even italian brands like ferrari , alfa-romeu and lancia, amongst other european brands at the time or since at least the late 40´s, i do colect cars from all this brands and others but all started by buying very nice cars for what today is 300€ or even less like 80€, later when having more money i bought some i always liked and the 130 coupé was one of them , but already had a fiat 600, 500, 850 and their litle sport versions, also the fiat 131 and 132 ,128 sport, 127, 124 sport coupé and from my father i got the Dino from Fiat and already had the Dino built by ferrari in 72, when starting to earn more money, and didn´t stop there ,what about Volvos i have 5 models since the 60´s as i also have 5 saabs since mid 60´s till the second body of the 9000 turbo in early 90´s and many more brands, and from the orient i have some datsuns, toyotas, mazda´s, the last was the 87 two seats RX-7 that i bought new and from my father i have the previous model, somehow never had a MX-3 or MX-5 Miata, they asked me a lot of money for them
What a treat this video was, I’ve always absolutely loved these handsome 130’s.
Here in Australia, my dad owned 3 Berlina’s, and 3 coupes back in the 80’s/90’s.
They were all automatic’s, which were lovely to drive, if not a little too short geared for the hwy.
But they felt racy, while still being supremely comfortable and luxurious.
Brilliant vid ! The 130 saloon and coupe are utterly stunning cars... and easily comparable to the luxury BMWs and the luxury Mercs of the era. FIAT were huge in Ireland back then and these were not uncommon - I remember seeing them around regularly. People have always been obsessed with brand image and could not see past the FIAT badge. If you were an executive at the time, can you imagine telling colleagues at a wine bar that your steed was a FIAT - the company that made 500s and 128s ? It was doomed before it left the drawing board... more's the pity because FIAT showed how good they were all the way across the market segment.
I grew up in Ireland too. I remember a family that owned a successful business near us had a 130 saloon. Back then, it did make a huge statement. We had two 124s and I loved both of those cars. I can still remember HIY465 and PIY118. I passed my driving test in PIY118 first time!
I had a close friend in Dublin that bought a 130 Coupe and tried to restore it, but decided it was too much work.
@@petermolloy992 FIATs were really popular in Ireland back then... 124s, 127s and 128s. Loved the 128 Sport and 3p... friends were racing them at the time. Great days.
FIAT was the most successful brand in Europe at the time, so she was convinced that people would follow it in the luxury class. The Kippour crisis and the FIAT 500 prevented the success it deserved
I have driven the amazing Pinifarina coupe...what a great car, such a sublime ride! The 3200cc engine is buttery and sweet.
I always thought the Berlina looked a bit dull but as time has gone on appreciate how elegant they look. Time has served the styling well, which is something I doubt about today's 130 class competition.
Yeah 🤣 Four doors four wheels and four head lights
What about the Coupé ?
The Coupe version of this is just an absolute treat. The cars were great, but the price was just too high for anyone else to buy than someone who really wanted a Fiat in particular.
The 1300 Vignale is lovely
Looked like a big Ferrari. Very impressive in the metal back in the day, still does.
they were high-end models more luxury and better equiped compared to other models more sold at the time, like the 131 mirafiori or the 124 ,not forgeting the 128 and 127 or the 600 that were very usual on Portuguese streets ,my first car when i was 12 was a Fiat 850 sport abarth ,in scholl they called it ,the litle ferrari, because it was red, sportive body and alloy wheels (rare) , i broke the chassi in half for driving fast(80 km/h) in dirt roads ,no police having not drivers permit, but during the day no one would stop a car, my next was a toyota corolla coupé white with black vinil top and special wheels also alloy ,normally the special wheels were made of iron ,more rally wheels than racing ,also had a special edition of the datsun SSS with a 1800 engine ,comemorative version because of the rally´s won with it. It was golden and had velour seats very high in the fron and a large rally steering wheel with blue windows,is also known as 1500 and bluebird from early 70´s(71, mine), my first car with drivers permit was a mercedes looking new from 1969 a 280S ,enough for 3 in the front and 4 in the back seat ,this confortabily speaking ,one day i carried 12 girls i knew,plus our phisics teatcher on the trunk, this at 4.30 in the morning after the disco closed , some of them were going to have a test at 8.30 with the teatcher in the trunk very drunk he was in the 12th year of highschool or year zero ,could be made in some universities, the older ones, one was opened in late 1500´s it as one of the most old bibliotecs uin the world ,to avoid the bugs eating the books they have bats living there and the books are in good condition ,this having books that tell the history of travelling around the world by boat ,Portugal was the first country to have conection with all the coutry´s at the time around the world ,they were comercial travelers having good relations with the impreors and kins of those far countries and making arrive to Europe great quantities of silk , spyce´s etc. that before were transported by land and most of the cargo´s were stolen along the way ,arriving to Europe small quantities and very expensive, later the pope divided the world in two one part for the portuguese other for the spanish ,it was the tordesillas treaty but the Portuguese king didn´t sign and all thought he was crazy because he demanded one more parallel line in the globe and there was nothing there so they did added one line and later it was in that parallel line the North american continent ,no one knew but we portuguese had already been there and we had terranova that still exists today under a more recent name, so no vikings, their boats were to travel in rivers and only large enough for two people seated, in the sea they would be sunk , but history today is told by the ones with more money and all it´s perverted, vikings just were killed because they had a tribal life and in europe there were already big knigdoms, they did arrive to nothern england but terminated by english soldiers, again no viking in the midle ages in Europe,some history´s on discovery , history or national geographic are a lie and don´t even make sense ,a mix of history´s passed in the B.C. years or century´s
sorry for the history lesson ,it´s a thing of the age either than informatic engenier i was also a history teatcher
Nice car, but the dog in your profile photo looks amazing
Great review Jack, I love the 130.
I started in the motor trade in the 80,s at a Fiat / Lancia garage. The owner had a nice collection of cars including a Dino 246GTS and a silver 130 Coupe ( HKM130L) which I thought was amazing.
Working there gave me a fantastic opportunity to drive many of the cars you have featured including the Beta range, Fiat X19, and many interesting others like the Fiat 131 Sport, Lancia Gamma Coupe ( we couldn't sell them for love nor money!).
I was on a test drive one day when clients mentioned that the gear change was ' not like the dino', I asked which Dino and they said the Fiat dino spider which was and is my all time favourite car. Later that day they they drove their yellow one to the garage and kindly took me out in it, it turned out the client was Michael Morris who has written the definitive book on the Dino. Naturally I purchased the book which I still have to this day ( they are quite valuable now).
Thanks for bringing back the memories Jack👍
What doomed the 130, I think, was the lack of a domestic market. At 3.1 million lira in 1972, it cost almost twice a Fiat 132 (1,7 million) and the latter was already seen as a large and expensive car in Italy back then. Abroad it carried the brand's burden. It could have been a very good starting point to develop a new luxury sedan, replacing the thirsty and tame engine and adopting a more convincing design language. Unfortunately Fiat bought Lancia, decided to concentrate the production of luxury models there, and proceeded to wreak havoc in Chivasso.
ferrari owned Lancia it become famous by using the racing cars Lancia´s brother developed and lead them to bankrptcy, later the Italian governament paid ferrari to keep Fiat group "cosa nostra" as they say or "thing of our own", that´s history, so Fiat never bought Lancia but Enzo Ferrari did back in the early 30´s or today ferrari was a thing of the past
@@RUfromthe40s well, no. Enzo Ferrari used Lancia cars for his F1 team in 1956, but Ferrari as a company never owned Lancia. It only acquired Lancia’s F1 team including cars in 1955. When the car company struggled, Lancia family sold it to Mr. Pesenti, and Fiat took over from Pesenti some year later. The political maneuver you mention took place some 15 year later, when state-owned Alfa Romeo was sold to Fiat, to keep it in Italian hands (using “cosa nostra” to define this state of thing would be offensive for any sensible Italian who does not live in a novel by Mario Puzo).
FIAT never had a good idea what to do with brands it owned either. First it allowed internal competition in rallying between itself and Lancia while owning the latter and allowed Lancia to make cars that didn't have any economical sense. In late 80s and early 90s when Lancia completely dominated WRC, Fiat suddenly decided to flush Lancia's heritage down the toilet and make them made luxury cars but based on cheap fwd platforms. Similar thing happened to Alfa Romeo. First it went into internal competition, then flushed heritage down the toilet pretty much the same way as with Lancia and tried to save money by unification of almost everything. Perhaps the only worse self-sabotage company was GM that for a decade or two dominated the US market but ended up making terrible quality cars and killing half of their brands in the process.
Could have bought a mint one for $3,000 30 years ago when all these exotics were worth very little, drove it, loved it, so comfortable and great ride as you mentioned, but I was 30 years old and wanted a sporty car, not a comfort barge, so I ended up grabbing an Alfetta instead (which I dearly loved, the thing was part alive I swear!). .
Doesn't seem so big to us in the U.S.
Interior size is quite decent if compared to full size cars from same era, some usa made land yacths have tiny interior in length comparison
Great review. Lovely car. Much more charismatic than the similiar MB offerings. But in Australia they suffered from sun damage and rust and cost.
This is a fabulous example of the beautiful 130 Berlina, a car I have always loved since the first time it was revealed. Love this color and spec too. Thank you for doing this video! I love it!
What an amazing find, a 130 Berlina! When I was a kid I fell in love with the gorgeous 130 Coupe, and the only thing that held me back from buying one when I was in my 20s (they were very cheap) was the horrendous fuel consumption, the stuff of legends back then. Mpg in the low 10s were the norm with this car not the exception...
My sedan returned 13l/100km and the Coupe 12l/100km on mixed driving.
@@helmuthhaass3631 - Seriously that is way lower than anything I’ve ever seen reported on a 130 3.2. I have the original 1972 Quattroruote magazine test drive and the fuel economy was described as “abysmal” - between 16 and 25 l/100km (with the manual being slighlty better)
From what I understand, the reason these engines never made big power was due to the cylinder head design, particularly how the valves were not positioned inline with the cylinder bore axis, but angled inward towards the Vee of the engine. This resulted in unfavourably routing of the exhaust ports with a very tight radius turn inside the head, which led to poor exhaust gas flow, thus limiting power and probably also causing the terrible fuel consumption of these cars.
I think the Abarth SE036 used a 3.6L Version of this engine tuned to 280ish hp. Which was no better than what the 2.5L Dino V6 was capable of.
Not sure what do you mean and I haven't seen schematics of this engine but as far as I know Fiat at that time basically made HEMI engines. I'd rather suspect that FIAT either wanted this engine to be more reliable or wanted it to have better low rev torque to give more effortless premium feel. FIATs at the time usually made more power because of rather aggressive tune towards higher rpms. Earlier 115c push-rod would rev up to 8 thousand rpms when standard and as tested it could could go all the way up 12 thousand rpms before falling apart, despite high-revs unfavorable push-rod design. I don't think the power was an issue in 130 either, since Merc would sell their eqivalent with like 60BHP diesels. What I think hurt Fiat the most was lack of choice in the engines and the FIAT badge. A snob will go even for overpriced garbage, just as long as it's not associated with anything cheap.
OK, Jack... I spent a week with one of these in 1981. Picke it up in Le Havre and drove it down to a friend who had just moved to Palermo. Nice road car, but had more wind noise than my 280 Merc. I thought the Merc's engine was nicer, but the 130 was a bit more comfortable if not as crisp handling. Gary kept the car for a number of years and had more than a few problems, despite giving it plenty of care. The upholstery deteriorted badly, rust showed up on the wing lips and the head gaskets leaked. I remember at the time thinking the steering wheel was every bit aas big as my Merc's...and that was BIG. Even without the problems, this car was never going to really challenge BMW and Mercedes, just based upon public perception. I spent 30 yers in the top-shelf car business, and I can guarantee you those customers are always concerned with value retention. The Fiat just did not have it, much like VW with the Phaeton - not their market, in either case. That's the thing about challenging": I'm a golfer, and I can indeed challenge Rory McIlroy to a match...but that doesn't mean I can REALLY compete with him.
Rust issues was a problem all Italian, and some French, cars had in those days.
And unfortunately this otherwise absolutely nice automobile had this very same problem. Giving them a bad reputation in countries like the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. They did ride quite well, as you said, but a nice ride isn't all you need to make a car succeed.
I think at the time people bought the mercs for reliability and many were used as taxis and the BMWs were more for sportiness and the Fiat was thought of as unreliable but it looks quite lovely and retro today,watching while eating my ravioli 👍
Actually, Fiat secretly had the best engines in the world but the masses were ignorant.
@@marcelhandsome6042.. yes Abarth used the 130 engine (just a tiny little bit tuned.. 310bhp 😂) in the 030. The 030 only participated in one race.. the girò d’italiano) and won it! The second car was a Lancia Stratos with the Dino engine btw. So yea that Fiat isn’t so bad. Until a few years ago still a bargain! Greetings from Belgium 🙋🏻♀️🏎️🏎️
Italian food and Italian engines. Nothing better. 😊
What really doomed the car was the fact of none of any corrosion protection: these cars tended to start to rust when you were looking sadly at them - and they did it quickly! That was at the time an undeniable fact which spread quite as quickly too. Nobody wanted to invest in a car way more expensive than a Mercedes without gathering information about it. I always loved the 130ies from Fiat, but even in the 80ies when you could get them cheap everybody warned me not to buy one.
That rusting problem is to be blamed by soviet steel. When Fiat licenced it´s car of the year 124 model to soviets (VAZ-2101 or Lada 1200), soviets paid for it with steel. That poor quality steel earned italian cars a very bad reputation for rusting so quickly.
To be honest, rust affected more Alfa Romeo than Fiat.
In a way, Fiat was ahea of the time, because cars now literally do not have any corrosion protection underneath except for a very thin layer of primer, and Mercedes who's never fixed it's corrion problems like Audi did, actually seems to rot faster than ever.
But both electronics and engines in current cars won't last 10 years, and outside ridiculously expensive dealerships, nobody can really repair them so it doesn't matter.
I've recently learnt some cars will malfuction even if you fail to 'program' a battery replacement in ECU with special software. Which is ridiculous because just a few years ago there was not a single component you would have to 'program' in ECU. And of all things a battery? A thing that worns out and is exactly the same for all cars, just with size and capacity variation?
The Fiat 130 2 door coupe was a really gorgeous car, expensive at the time, and fast. That would be an excellent car to feature on your show.
What a lovely car. And, Jack, thank you for saying, "Fee-it" and not, "Fee-ahht", which is all I hear in the States. My Fiat-factory-trained mechanic of years past, who spoke with an accent thicker than top-quality Alfredo sauce, pronounced it as you do. In my American accent, I have always said, "Fee-at" with an acceptably flat, "a". But, "Fee-ahht"? Never!
At that time FIAT had the most complete range in Europe in its catalogue: from the 500 to the 130, passing through the 750, 850, 128, 1100, 124, 125, DINO, almost all also available in coupé and spider versions, some of which were family cars.
In the late seventies, a friend's father was the driver of an industrialist and his car was the 130; me and his son, boys, in september we went to the campaign of the tomato harvest to earn something; we usually went on a moped, sometimes his father took us with the 130 🤣.
The industrialist didn't want to change that car because he said there was no other car on the market that he liked so much. No Lancia Gamma, no Alfa 6, no Merc, no BMW...
Early 90s up the mountains in Italy my father was testing a Citroen XM, all tech and power, and we came upon an elderly couple on a perfect 130. We were dusted by them and had to work the Citroen herd to make up the distance.
I was in the Ford Dev Ctr in Essex back in the early 1970s. We had a Fiat 130 on 'evaluation'. A LHD bought in Europe and shipped over. It was 2.8 auto version (3 speed).
I drove it many times and rather liked it. It was no ball of fire, but it cruised nicely at the speed limit (tongue in cheek).
It was one of the most comfortable cars I drove at the time. There was also a Mercedes 180D (auto), which was mega solid, but not as nice to drive.
Essex center no longer there ???
Much of the reason it did not sell well was the older styling- yet the coupe, which always sell less, was so different. Up to date gorgeous styling, you don't even think they are siblings. In Australia the coupes also had a reputation for electrical issues and rust, even while still under warranty.
Thanks for producing this presentation. That is an awesome, wonderful automobile! I've seen many photos of the Fiat 130 over several decades, but never saw one in motion, as they never came to North America. The quality of this video production really showed the quality of the car itself. My opinions of the car, which I held for many years, were spot-on. I would own one in a heartbeat! While I don't care what other people think of what I'm driving, I will say that piloting one of these beautiful cars would be a very exclusive and attention-getting experience, and that's cool! You certainly won't see yourself coming and going...LOL! I appreciate the efforts to create this superb review.
Interestingly, Gianni Agnelli used to drive other exquisite marvellous Fiat 130's the; estate version "Familiare" with the wicker ski rack and the shooting brake version "Maremma" designed by Pininfarina.
Actually the 2300 series competed very well with the Merc 230/6 in its day also exceptionally well built.
Absaloutly brilliant video Jack ❤👍 what a beautiful car it's a pity they don't make them like that any more
there are hundreds of nice cars that would sell a lot today but expensive to built and not profital for the brands, the last VW bug they released was much more similar to the original bug design but almost no one bought it ,the first that in my opinion was horrible it sold a lot mainly in the U.S. this last model even i was tempted to buy one due to it´s design other sport cars were re-released with similar shape to the original but sales were very low, like the Renault Alpine and the Stratos from Lancia, if i had enough money i would buy both ,the alfa-romeu 4C was a litle sport car with a 1.6 L engine but the only problem was not having manual gears ,only those padles next to the steering wheel ,it was a real pleasure to drive in mountain roads but one misses the gear changer on the right ,normally in those roads one drives with one hand in the steering wheel and other in the gear changer to use the gearbox to reduce in tight corners like in the past where no sport car had automatic gears, they started to put them on sport cars because of the american market, at the time almost a revolution happened ,it was dangerouse and if one can´t drive shouldn´t drive sport cars, Lotus never released a car with automatic gears and one of the best brands in litle tradicional sport cars, the Evora was not that expensive and it glued it self to tight corners at high speed, a fantastic car, like the Europa that i owned one from 72 or 3 i used tom kae fun of some that couldn´t enter the car ,when i was 50 i gain 50kg this trough the 4 years before one day i was going for a drive in it but i couldn´t enter the car , i ended up selling it last summer for 150.000€ looking new , In Portugal cars are doble expensive than any other europen country
The Italians really know how to make their engines sound just incredible.
Legend has it that when the "Avvocato" (Gianni Agnelli) was presented the car he went ballistic and said "I asked you to build me a Mercrdes and instead you gave me an Opel"
Jack, you found a really nice car. You know, dad and I really like watching your channel together. You really know how to pinch our hearts, because you often bring us back to some more meaningful and happy times. Dad told me that this car was really beautiful to him as a coupe and that it was a rarity on the streets of Stockholm. He wanted to buy it, but mom said the XJ 6 was nicer (actually it was the other way around, and the XJ was only a little cheaper then, so dad chose the color, bought the XJ and drove it from '76 to '93). And again everyone was happy. One last thing Jack. After watching your comment about the car, we are trying to find the answer how did this happen to us? Everyone in the house comments that today's cars are endlessly ugly, and the ugliest and most senseless to us is the SUV segment. Are the manufacturers selling illusion to us in order to satisfy the frustration of younger generations? I would really like to hear your opinion, because you are far more objective than the eminent German car magazine. Just to let you know, the German comments in AMuS at the time were bad about 130, because even Fiat proved back than, that German cars are not some "holy cows".
Anything rides brilliantly compared to the huge alloys and paper thin low profiles that we have now.
One of the reasons it didn't do well is that it looked a bit too much like a 125 special and slipped under the radar.
In July 1976 I was a rear seat passenger in a 130 from Kano to Maidugiri (540 km) and return in northern Nigeria. Very comfortable but as I remember the rear got little a/c reach. A fine car that deserved better.
I've lived with the 128, 131, and 132 but always had more respect for the flagship 130 saloon/coupe even though I've never driven one
You bring some really wonderful cars to us. I’d have this one in a heartbeat.
An amazing car, that has aged well, it's a shame it didn't succeed.
Stunning car. I love the squared-off look. I see echoes of the BMW Bavaria. What a time capsule. ❤
Very nice car. Thank you for showcasing this car. Seeing all these different cars is very nice to all the SUVs I see while driving around. Looking forward to the next video. Keep up the good work.
Oh man, it's a BLAND road scape now, unless your in LA & Beverly Hills.
That is a beautiful car. I always had a soft spot for the 3 box Fiats of the 70s and 80s, so the 130, 131 Sport and 132. There was a touch of elegance to their design.
I always thought that the Regata was a smart looking car. My dad's had electric windows, that was quite a thing back then.
@@joejoejoejoejoejoe4391 We owned a Regata 100S in 1986.
It was nice to drive and a real Lionheart, but the inferior front suspension had to be rebuilt after only 22000km from new.
In Australia it became known as the 'Regretter"
What's about the Argenta? This was my first 'western' car after the Berlin wall had fallen.
@@ALP839 The Argenta was a fine car.
Here in Hobart l knew a wealthy car collector, who owned a couple of dozen, mainly expensive, cars and his daily trandport was a Fiat Argenta.
He was full of praise for this car and l perfectly understand why he said it.
Designed I understand by Gian Paolo Boano at Fiat Centro Style I think it looks very elegant for its time, and quite Mercedes-like about the rear three-quarter. But I really prefer the Pininfarina coupe version: stunning, with more than a hint of 365 or 400GT. As to the ride, we are nowadays very used to firm suspensions. You have judge the 130 by the standards of the day.
I was in Zambia in mid 70's. They started to build 127s under a license. After the announcement, President Kauanda was driven around in a dark blue 130, instead of his white Rolls. Then, everyone believed that 130 is at least as good as Mercedes.
This brings back memories for me,
Many many years ago, when I was a kid, my Mum used to drive a FIAT ELITA 132
It was a big soft comfy car and being a 1980 car, it still had quite a few modern touches.
Power steering, power windows, alacantra seats, headrests, auto retracting seatbelts, etc.
I distinctly recall how that huge 85litre fuel tank took up half the boot space as well. 😆
Thank you for another great car video.
Excellent stuff as always buddy 👍
This 130 îs truly a wonderful car.
I didn't live in that era, but in the '90s when I was a young driver I bought a 131 Supermirafiori (1983) 2.0 l DOHC.
After 2 years, I sold it and bought a 132, it had the same engine but more interior luxury.
În the years that followed I became a Mercedes fan, W116 (280 SE) and W123 (230 E).
When I started my first job after leaving school, it was at a FIAT, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, and Mercedes dealership. One of the directors sold one to his father when you sat it next to a Mercedes. The Mercedes looked very plain and boring, the big problem with all the Italian cars we sold was the price, followed by rust, we also used to have loads of 246 Dino owners come in to buy parts as they shared many parts with FIAT but the FIAT parts were half the price, happy days drooling over Lancia Fulvia HF's😊😊😊
Gotta love the awesome obscure cars you bring on the channel! Keeps us ultra nerds very satisfied, I'll tell ya that! Thank you for the great content😉👌
Intriguing design, and the French headlights add a distinct look. I definitely would have bought this back in the day.
To be honest with today's eyes it looks very nice, proportionate, elegant, but when it came out it looked very classic, almost boring, even more so when compared to the later Pininfarina coupe
Just a lovely car, what a blessing to drive and test these cars. Good for you. You and Harry’s garage are the best.
Beginning to really love your channel. I can (almost) guarantee it will really take off! I feel it in my bones.
it's just the badge and the biased press that didn't help - also the price. Loved it and still do!
I had one of these in the early eighties; a gorgeous vehicle! Mine was a rhd 1975-model (N-reg) and a quite similar metallic blue, but a darker shade, and with that beautiful corded velour interior in a golden colour. Four leccy windows, aircon, tinted glass (I seem to recall!) and automatic. It drove beautifully, so I don't know why, Jack, you should be so critical of the BW 3-speed 'box! I sold a 1971(J) XJ6 4.2 in favour of the 130, and it was equally as lovely to drive, if not as fast (although I think that now I'm used to my current XJ's 8-speed trans, I'd be critical of any 3-speeder!).
It was so comfortable that one of my daughters was conceived in the front passenger's seat... 😁
Along with a 1964 Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint that I owned in 1974, it remains one of my biggest regrets to have sold it on!
Lovely see a 130 saloon on here, love these cars. Very elegant.
It didn't mark the end of Fiat making large cars under their own badge though - The 1985 Croma was a large car (part of the Type 4 family with 9000, 164 and Thema) and could be had with a 2.5-litre V6. Lovely to see one in motion though.
Croma mk2 was my favourite besides those fab four.
I like Alfa but 164 was fwd and a bit too pretentoius
Used to drive one in the 70s, cracking car with subtle looks and a presence
C'mon, that V6 is up there with the Busso to me.... it sounds really sexy! Shall we compare it with the Ford V6 lump of the same era..?
My Dad had a 130 Coupe for a few years from when I was 5yrs old in 1978. Had a Lancia Gamma Coupe an Saloon at the same time. Ithink he would have liked this a lot. Thanks for the look back Jack :-)
Beautiful car, beautiful colour. Thanks for another great video Jack.
My neighbor had one of those back then. Very rusty after a few year's. To me, this car always looked cool.
Nice looking car. My Dad had a Fiat 125 in the late 60s that he loved, right until it threw a rod through its cases ...that was his last Italian car ...
The 130 has aged beautifully. But I seem to remember that it was more expensive to buy than the Jaguar XJ6 of the same era. We were also rather cautious of foreign vehicles in the late 60’s and early 70’s ☺️
The Fiat 130 was more expensive than the Jaguar XJ12 in 1972
I used to own a metallic blue 130 3.2 but auto sedan out here in Oz. You are absolutely right Jack, I used to refer to it as the Limo. Such was the ride and quality of the car. For me, i don’t recall the engine noise as being an issue of concern, but perhaps this was something I actually really I liked being a bit of petrol head.
Interestingly as a teenager, my Dad bought a second hand E3 2500, which I also totally loved. On reflection though the 130 had a higher quality interior to the BMW. Two things I found with my 130, rust was a huge problem (basically my car was riddled with it), and it was also very thirsty. My brother has owned and still has a fleet of 130s. He has two sedans and 2 coupes. They are a special car and while their values have slowly increased over the years, in many respects they still remain undervalued. Btw, Iain Tyrell test drove a manual 130 coupe with a triple webber setup and it sounded awesome.
In one respect, the attempt by Fiat to make a upmarket sedan and coupe with the 130 to compete against makes like Mercedes, Jaguar etc wasn’t their first attempt. The 2300 coupe and sedan in the early 1960s was very much aimed at this segment of the market but similarly failed.
I had my two 130s in Tasmania during the 1980's and never had any rust problems. Both cars were Australian delivered when new.
Did your 130s live close to the sea by chance? eg. NSW or Qld...
The 2300 Coupe was a glorious model, but how dare they build such a fine car with infetior steel.
You could almost 'hear' a 2300Coupe rust away.. 😐
@@helmuthhaass3631 I live in Hobart, but as to where my poor old 130 did prior to me owning it, I don’t know. My brother owned it prior to me owning it and I actually sold it back to him. He subsequently bought another blue sedan, it too was quite rusty. A while ago he bought a silver sedan from a deceased estate and as I understand it, this one is pretty decent re rust. It’s interesting that Alex Jupe’s one is a manual. Out here I only ever saw one manual sedan (silver) but I understand it was sold on to someone on the mainland.
@@helmuthhaass3631 A guy I know here in Hobart looks after his uncle’s red 2300 coupe, it’s in lovely condition.
@@1240enzo i have seen that 3300S in a show a few years ago.
Very collectible and rare.
Still own a red 1977 Series l Lancia Monte Carlo that l bought in 1992.
It 's always garaged and hardly ever gets driven.
Also a red 1988 Alfa 75 3ltr America.
Alfa 75s are such a fantastic machine; perhaps one of the most fun cars l've owned or driven.
The TwinSpark and the 2.5V6 also are fine driver's cars.
The aywon Spark is the most agile, l think.
Another great review, another great car, thanks Jack! I think you hit the nail on the head with regards the lack of sales. FIAT had made some glorious and luxurious cars in their distant past, but had concentrated for a long time on the more urbane models (which they mostly did very well). I suppose by the 60s they'd left it too late, that demographic of buyers weren't going to buy a FIAT. That applies especially to their domestic market - since Lancia already had a reputation for sublime luxury and innovation it was going to take more than the 130 to make any noticeable inroads. Pity though as you say, especially for the coupe which, at least IMO, is just beautiful.
Excellent again Jack, but let's quash the furphy about any relationship between the 130 V6 and the engine in the Fiat Dino. There is none: completely different designs from different eras. Lampredi left Ferrari in 1955 and the Dino engine post-dates his time there. It was inspired by Alfredo Ferrari but designed by Vittorio Jano. That engine (built in sizes ranging from 1.6 to 2.8 litres) had twin overhead camshafts and a 65-degree vee. (Supposedly, the ideal 60-degree angle for a V6 being widened to accomodate straighter inlet ports.) It had twin chain-driven camshafts and a 6-throw crank like Jano's earlier Lancia Aurelia. When Lampredi had been at Ferrari, he did some big V12s and the Tipo 500 2-litre 4 that Ascari took to world championships in 1952-3, but had nothing to do with the Dino. He joined Fiat much later and did the sohc 4 that went in the 128 and the X1/9, the twin-cam 4 for the 124 coupe and spider, Lancia Beta etc, and the 130 V6. These are all more modern engines than the Dino. Lampredi gave them toothed-belt cam drives and patented valve adjustment by shims that sit on top of the bucket tappets rather than underneath. (These later migrated to Ferrari V8s, as you know from the Influenzo.) The 130 V6 had single overhead cams, a 60-degree included angle, and a three-throw crankshaft with opposite rods sharing a journal. It was, in short, an advanced late-60s engine as opposed to the traditional mid-50s Dino. The Dino engine only ended up in Fiat road cars in order to homologate it for the 1.6 litre F2 that started in 1967.
Great video! Thanks for your efforts! 👍
I am totally unfamiliar with the 130! Which is surprising to me, because I have the fondest memories of my Dad's Fiat 132 GLS 2000.
Thank you for the review of this beautiful piece of automotive history. It's such an in Dearing car, it really is strange why they were not more successful! Thank Jack Sir for the great content ✌✌👍
I learned to drive in a 132 - my Grandfather's, gold, auto, velour, the works. Predominant memory is recessed sun-visors on the headlining, which shot down like peril-sensitive sunglasses when I stamped on the brakes! ❤
Stoll holds the family record from Newcastle-under-Lyme to Stratford upon Avon, which my big brother nailed in under an hour late at night in the early 80s. He's got a Mazda 2 now...
@@Lemma01how the mighty fall
@@Lemma01 Those amazing sun visors that "deployed" with a loud bang when you stamped on the brakes. But I fondly remember the excellent sun visors on the sides. I loved my 132/2000 '79 that I had in a lovely deep maroone colour.
@TheSwedeMcCoy of course - totally forgot the sides! How much is one now, if they've survived? A lively and lovely family cruiser. Grandfather was 7th Armoured D-day, and drove his Sherman to Hamburg, then Berlin. Always drove on the Continent with the white lines between his wheels. No kidding. We followed (dad driving) in a Renault 16... 😏
@@Lemma01 I doubt that there's that many left, at least in northern Europe. I learned to control a rear drive car at fairly high speed on loose gravel roads and ice roads back in the day and the car behaved lovely. I really felt that I was in total control in it.
There’s been a couple of road tests of these lovely cars recently. Personally I think the reasons for their lack of traction in the market are the badge, and it just looks like a bigger 125. Shame that FIAT didn’t have another go at a luxury car - the nearest they got in the 80s was the Chroma - related to the lovely Lancia Thema, Alfa 164 and SAAB 9000 - but that just looked like an enlarged Uno…….but, I think it was that badge that did for it!
The door handles are the same as in the 125, it definitely looks as a 125, who itself looks as a 124... no wonder no one wanted to buy one; and my dad had a 125 "Potenciado" in Argentina, a 1600 ccm with 125 HP; a 2.8 engine with 140 HP was lame....
Beautiful car. Stunning example. Very interesting as usual thanks Jack
More tech info about the engine, carburetors and suspension would be nice.
As a youngster in Shepherds Bush, I used to work in a fish & chip shoot. One evening a gleaming Red 130 coupe came towards me with no other than Elton John behind the wheel 😊 the road was often used as a cut through to Chiswick. One of the moments I'll never forget. 😍
'Chip shop' not shoot 👍
cars back then were very airy and full of natural light..and that exhaust note
Hi Jack, another good choice of car. I always loved. This period of fiat, all of them 124, 124 sport, spider, big fan of 125s, twin cam 4 wheel disc breaks, all the little ones like the 850 sport. Obviously the 130 &130 coupe are still heigh as there best. If Fiat had of continued building cars like that '70s period I would have owned fiats instead of French cars. They had so much passion built in to them that's hard to resist. Such a shame they didn't stay on that path. I will add that that period of Alfas and Lancia's were also desirable. I'm sure I don't need to mention rust.
Back in the day a local had an automatic transmission one of these, I lived adjacent to a t-junction and he would always accelerate hard away from the junction, the car did sound good. The personal plate later shifted to a Rolls Royce which was often wheelspinning up the road. Your video provoked me into looking up the personal plate which is now on a classic car with a V8.
He had that Fiat over 40 years ago, a spectacular looking car in the day but have not seen one for decades. From memory the car I used to see squatted like crazy under hard acceleration making it look faster than it was. Probably the soft suspension you described. Try a Fiat 128 if you get the chance, some terrible engineering in places but a fun little car when you consider what 1300cc cars of the time were like.
I had a new 128 in 1973. Such a joy to drive - when it was going.
Service interval was 3000 miles but at about 1500, it needed a push to start most mornings.
Additionally, a nasty flaw underneath the maroon paint - just below the C pillar was badly repaired by the dealer - a different shade.
The dealer said that the starting problem was down to it being a highly tuned engine.
Aside from the joy of hurling it around my local country roads - almost but not quite coming a cropper on a few occasions, the best day I ever owned it was the day I limped across town to pick up the two year old Triumph Spitfire that was waiting for me at a pretty dodgy car dealership. It was 6 months old and chugging along in fits and starts.
Don't ask about the Spitfire. The dealer upped and went before any of the supposed warranty work could be carried out.
In many ways, we should be thankful that they don't make them like that anymore.
Really enjoying your channel. Engaging and 'light'.
A friend in Junior School, his dad had one in this colour, it was the first car I had been in with automatic transmission, electric windows and an AM/FM radio 8 track player..
I have such a car and it is a good car not worse than an old BMW E3 or Opel Diplomat...My one has 3 Weber 43DCNF carbs with an Abarth Kit a Ind 5 Speed like this one! I use 268 degree mild cams and the engine cranks out 215HP! The single carb was too small on these cars! Dont forget that a Mercedes W108 280SE only had 160HP too!
Again, another treat from the past. Love the pointy shark-nosed front. Gives a hint of menace.
Nice vid, Jeff. Cheers.
One of my mother's friends owned one. She drove quite enthusiastically and the car was wonderful. The kids would pile up in the back and my mum and her friend would sit in the front. We'd race round the Belgian countryside.
Nice! I saw a test of this car already, nice to see a second opinion.
When I got my first proper job in 1976 the company MD had one, it was his second and I can it was GORGEOUS! manual and RHD in a very similar colour
My Dad owned 3 131 Mirafiori saloons Mk 1 2 and 3 from the late 70's to 1987 great cars shame they were rust buckets though this Fiat 130 very nice example Jack
These Italian luxury cars like the Fiat 130 or Alfa Romeo 6 etc... exemplifies everything that is missing from modern executive luxury cars; uniqueness, class, beauty, human touch, charisma, emotion, and feel-good factor to accept a man for all his imperfections! I hope car enthusiasts will start voting with their wallets and demand a resurrection and reproduction of these cars or at least sell them alongside their latest electric vehicles and let buyers decide!
Great car and its classic lines are timeless. What a great example and pity its left hand drive. Love the yellow lights as well so sixties cool. Looking forward to a review on the 124 Sports Coupe from around 1973 - my first car
That is a FANTASTIC-looking Lada.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Beautiful car always loved the 130 and the coupe. A left field choice but I think I’d go with it and stand out from the herd. I wish Fiat would do something like this today to take on Peugeot and DS. I think the interior is better than the Alfas. Great video many thanks. You make my favourite reviews.
I was always in love with these cars. For style, class and exclusivity, neither the BMW nor the Mercedes can hold a candle to it. The Coupe is a work of art. And the soundtrack of any car is a huge attraction. They were out of my range then and I find they're out of my range again. Somewhere in between, I've missed an opportunity.
A lovely car.....I recall a 130 Berlina was used in a movie ,I think was called The Mechanic.. I think Charles Bronson featured in it..A great video as usual Jack.
My girlfriends dad had one back in the late 70's with a 3 speed borg warner auto gearbox. Same colour, same interior. UYF 9M. My dad was the mechanic for it. Rotted out very quickly in a few years and needed a respray. Engine wise, it was solid
Cracking video, beautiful looking motor.
My brother in law had the UK spec auto version 3.2L, definitely super comfortable and very quickly reaching speed limits. Fully loaded with family and great cruise vehicle
I think the biggest problem was the Fiat badge, and perhaps more significantly, the dealer network which was just not geared up to the expectations of a Mercedes/BMW buyer. I suspect the relatively low power output was to provide more torque to match to the 3-speed auto box which was by far the bigger seller.
I used to own a Fiat Mirafiori 131 sport in black with orange velour interior. Dead cool. Can’t find one now..
Beautiful Car. Love Italian Design and the Sound of the Engine. In Germany we have a Saying about Cars from Fiat. It is " Fehler In Allen Teilen " and when you translate it, it means "Mistakes in all Parts"
I worked at a small Fiat/Datsun/Toyota/ dealer in high school, I alway admired the frailties of the Italian cars, it was like everything was built to reduce weight and the styling was tiny eyes beautiful. Had no ideal this car ever existed!❤️ it though!
Such a nice clean looking car with very good engine! It is one of my favourite 1970s cars
To be honest with today's eyes it looks beautiful proportionate, elegant; when it came out it looked very classic, almost dated, even more so when compared to the later Pininfarina coupe.
Now I appreciate it a lot
How about a review of the very rare VW K70? I bought mine to use as a taxi, and it was an eye catching phenomenal success. The compliments from my passengers for that car were numerous.
Someone that lived near me in the 70s had one of these -I thought it looked beautiful then and they still look beautiful now .