Its a nice car, for Göttingen 178 HP you just have to advance static idle ignition from 10 to 12 degees and open up that tiny airfilter opening snorkel....
I'm 66 and I was a huge car fan from the day I was born but the first cars I was truly in love with were those early 70s Fiats, when they were new, starting with the Dino and then the 130 Coupe. I really don't give a damn about power and speed. Presence is everything and the 130 Coupe has it in spades. Scarcity just made it more desirable.
Why look for arguments to underline that it didn't sell well at the time ? The Italian market was full of people who could afford Fiat 500/128/124 maybe - Those who could afford a Mercedes or a BMW would obviously want to show that they didn't drive a Fiat. End of. It simply didn't fit in with the Fiat Brand. They should have sold it as a Lancia. Rich people with egos make rich mistakes. This is one of them.
@@Team33Team33 Well the 2300S Coupé and Dinos sold well and were Fiat branded....the difference they had very good engines. I would swap the mediocre 130 engine for an Alfa Arese Busso 3 litri V6 EFI from 75 America ar a Rover SD1 Vitesse dual plenum EFI unit. The 130 engine works well in the Fiat Campagnolo 4x4 Off road car! (Many installed them in such cars in Italy for offroad trials during the 1980s when scrapyards were full of 130 cars, also in homebrew Motorboats for water ski) A good restomod is a fine thing.
The shape of these is utterly stunning. Perfectly proportioned, and the front-end headlamp/grille treatment manages to strike elegance with subtle aggression simultaneously. Another cracking review Jack. Bravo.
This is a beautiful car - very clean design; it probably failed because Fiat was known for small lower priced cars, much like VW and the Phaeton about 20 years ago, and why Toyota, Honda and Nissan created new brands when they wanted to go upmarket in the 1980s.
The main thing was FIAT told they will bring a V8 car on the market called the 140 due to fuel crisis they skimped out at the engine and only offered that too small V6 - the 130 chassis was intended to carry a V8. (Same story with the Peugeot 604!)
Your car here has some ignition miss under hard acelleration at high revvs, you might check the breaker contacts and capacitor or the optional Dinoplex CDI ignition. Many installed here an 123 ignition its breakerless and works great together with a red Bosch ignition coil and ballast resistor.
Either that or it was just the wind interfering with the mike. Hearing it go past it sounded fine, but with the rear mount camera, it sounded like it was misfiring like a bi-atch
For a few years I used to "car pool" with a couple of other guys travelling to work, one had a four door version of the Fiat 130, it was a very nice vehicle to travel in, short or long distances. Watching this just took me back to those days more than 30 years ago.
@@louisgiokas2206 at the end of the 90s they became very reliable, i see plenty of them on the road still, i think the usable golden years of fiat were 85-2015
@@EyesWideOpen61 Well, my experience predated yours. Actually, early in the current millennium I was living in UK and had an Alfa Romeo GTV (2.0L Twin Spark). That car was very reliable and a whole lot of fun to drive. My brother, who has a 1964 Giuletta with the 1600cc Duetto engine (he fully restored it and has had it for decades) told me I could bring the GTV back to the US. I really wanted to. I put new larger wheels on it with Bridgestone low profile wet weather racing tires. With the original tires I could spin the wheels and burn rubber (which I was wont to do). Not so with those Bridgestones. Then my foreign assignment came to an early end because of economic conditions, and I found the cost to bring the car to US was prohibitive. I was very, very sad. On the other hand, I sold it in the UK for almost what I paid for it.
Another Gianni Agnelli Peak era Fiat. Beautiful example, I have never seen one as nice. Double thumbs up for Signor Menghini's preservation of a car that excercised Fiats talented and dedicated design and engineering staff into new territory. The high end Fiats including this coupes sister the saloon and the Dino's are great examples of a noble pursuit well done. Sales success be damned there's more to life than working in circles.
Beautiful classic car,as you say a Fiat like no others.For me one of the most beautiful and refined coupès ever. A car killed by two factors: the oil crisis and the fact that it was a Fiat,a model with the same badge of the popular 126,127 and 128. This car inspired the most expensive car of her time,the Rolls Royce Camargue,that featured many particulars in common with the 130.Probably the 130 coupè could have been a success if only it had been under the Lancia badge.But the 130 represented Fiat's pride and the demonstration they could be able to made the most economical and simple citycar and the most luxurious grand tourer.
A 130 4,6 litre Coupe with a Rover SD1 Vitesse twin plenum EFI V8 (235BHP) is a BMW E9 slayer its all up to the engine. The Fiat skimp engine was a number to tiny for that heavy body. A Ferrari 400i has the same weight as the 130 BUT a V12 with 350HP, so a 130 stock version should have beed equiped with at least 230HP and an engine above 4 litre :-))) The 3200 V6 would work pretty well in the smaller 124 Coupe and Spider. (would make a nice italian kind of TR6)
I love the ribbed headlining. Very reminiscent of the Rolls Royce Camargue (also styled by Pininfarina). They sold a few in Australia at the time. Very elegant.
It’s such a beautiful car, inside and out, here in Australia 513 coupes were sold new. My dad owned 2 coupes and 2 sedans many years ago. The engine was wonderful with its smoothness and raspy note👌
*MY UNCLE HAD 2 OF THESE* said they were the best cars he has ever owned - and he has had E-Types, Ferraris, endless Jags, Lotus, De Tomasso, Facel Vega, Lancia Gama coups... Literally hundreds of classics but when I asked him which was the best, which he enjoyed the most - the Fiat 130 Coupe was his No1. Got a Mk9 Jag at the moment
These were good cars and if porperly waxoiled with Finnigans stuff rust wasnt a big problem, but most people did not do any service and rust prevention, in this case after 2 years these cars were rotboxes and slipping cambelts (that had to be changed any 20.000KM) ruined engines. Pretty much the same story with the Rover SD1 2600.
It would be interesting to compare this one with 5 speed version (if you could find one). Borg warner was in some DS citroens but it is very rare. It would be inreresting to see if 5 speed would make it a bit sharper.
@@trwsandford No I dont think he has had a A H. Had Triumph TA. Had Jenson Interceptors, 2 I think. He is a farmer and he restored classics over winter, but he is nearly 80 now, he had to pay to have the Mk9 Jag restored. He once told his son he was off to buy a Lamborghini and came back 2 days later with a tractor, after the kid had told all his school mated they were getting a Lambo LOL
Many parts for brakes and suspension can be used from FIAT DINO many other parts can be taken from Lada and Fiat 124 and some expensive parts from Alfa and Ferrari.
I knew this car from Top Trumps and found it strangely sexy with its' oversized boxy body. It looked more Bertone than Pininfarina and in my head it seemed like a relative of the Mk 2 Granada and also the huge Chevrolet Impala of the day which was for a time the New York Taxi. Right angles and flat surfaces can look great when done properly. I don't think I've ever seen one, but briefly drove a 4 door 3200 sedan which was also cool. I'm glad that the man called 27 keeps finding these Italian eccentrics.
Fords Germany chiefdesigner Uwe Bahnsen told he liked the 130 design so much that he copied it on the MK2 Granada. Same story with the Audi 100 Type 43 (Claus Luthe)
Many years ago I had a saloon version of this, what a car, I loved it, had to do work on the engine, but after that it performed flawlessly. I was doing some body work on it and took the side stainless steel scuttle covers off, to reveal that there was basically nothing the, they had just rusted away, and then I started looking, rust had invaded the whole body. In the end I had to sell it, to me it was not safe, I sold it at an auction house "as is". Of course the dealer who sold it to me brought it back and sold it again at even a higher price because of all the work I had done to it. I found out later it had been involved in a crash and had folded up like a house of cards, and had killed the driver... thus I lived to tell this tale... thanks for the memories.
I have always thought the 130 Coupe was a beautiful creation, but like the similarly stylish Lancia Gamma Coupe, let down by their engines. Definitely mafiosa material though, they have a certain formidable presence still. Like many beautiful women, lovely to behold but often disappointing to live with ;) It would be great if you could show some of the underpinnings of the unusual machines you get to review. Thanks for an excellent channel.
From the 130 to the Lancia Flavia coupe and Lancia Gamma coupe there were beautiful Pinifarina luxury GT designs of the period that fell flat. Loved them in the 80s.
I agree with everything you say, but I think that the 1973 fuel crisis is what really killed this car. Its enormous fuel consumption and weak engine had no chance, and Fiat abandoned any plans to upgrade the performance after the Suez crisis.
Great review. I owned an even rarer, less beauteous, Fiat 130 saloon. Also automatic, but a right-hand drive. It was in Mediterranean Blue metallic, and I have reason to believe it still exists even today.
Jack! You should have derssed for this review. A smart italian, shirt, cravatt, waistcote, to set off the gentlemans GT the 130 really is. Inspite of its squareness, its a class act in its own right. The shots of the sides remind me very strongly of the Gamma. A beautiful and elegent car. Another ace review from No27. Best wishes fron the Forest of Blackness, Mike.
Having a moment - I learned to drive in Grandad's Fiat 132 auto - pure velour, teak trim, amazing purple perspex sunblinds recessed in the headlining. In gold. Too sporty for a GT (4k rpm @ 80+ rpm) but a sporty saloon par excellence; Pa's first cross-continental trip was running a Sherman with the 7th Armoured in 1944, so this was a real step up as he enjoyed his annual tour to revisit old friends. I went with Jim a couple of trips- pure magic. But he did have a tendency to drive with the white line between the wheels. Happy days. ❤
My Dad and I shared a love of cars and we both loved these. Fabulous design. I grew up in Melbourne, Australia and quite a few went there in right hand drive form. As a kid in the 70's ad 80's, they were not that uncommon to see- rare but there. It was commonly said back then, and I agree with you, that the engine is the weakest point- underpowered, overpriced against it's competitors and thirsty. And they rust, even in Australia. I heard stories of electrical gremlins with the wipers, indicators etc which were unfixable, or unfindable probably, so the owner just had to put up with them. The manual did help performance, but even still- just lack of power gave it a bad name of all show and no go. I still love them though. If I ever get one I'd want to try and get more power and better mpg too- maybe even an engine swap to something (Busso?) that would still have character but give it the extra muscle it deserves.
You can tune it relatively easily for another 40-50 bhp with simple changes to intake, carburettor (unless it's the "injection" version) and advance. The head design is quite poor, so it's not easy to go beyond that - but Abarth got 250+ hp with more extensive changes.
The saddest thing is what's NOW happened to Fiat since Stellantis took over. Fiat used to make some of the greatest cars ever. I owned a 125 Special which in its day was a real Lotus Cortina eater. It's SO sad to witness the demise of a once great brand. Their ohc twin cam engines were truly magnificent.
I love these. I grew up in a little town in North Italy and the local actuary had one of these in silver with red velour interior. It looked enormous driving around the cobbled streets.
Funny never really seen these in coupe or saloon form in Italy when I used to visit ...never saw ...a Gamna coupe either ..well only UK registereed one ....
I've had a strange relationship with the 130 Coupe. Absolutely adored it when I first got into cars in the 80's, then kind off went off it in preference of the saloon, but I've come back round to the Coupe again!. One thing is for sure though, it absolutely has to have that fabulous red velour😁👍 But sticking with the velour, surely in this day and age it would be feasible to come up with something which looks and feels like velour, but is more hardwearing?
We had a saloon. Lovely car. For me the coupe always looked slightly “ American” . Rust was the number one enemy. After 4 years we moved onto a 604, and then a series of 280 SE’s non had the same grace, pace and poise, or noise of the 130
I owned a 125S, 130 saloon and a coupe and a 132. All technically advanced for the era. I bought the 132 new in 1975. The 130 saloon one year old in 1973. They all suffered from the same problem - basically falling apart with rust as soon as driving out the dealership. The 130's 3200 engine - nobody wanted to work on them. Dealerships pointed you to the Ferrari mechanics. Apart from the 125s none of the cars were very economic fuel wise. By playing around with the carburettor jets and the air intakes you could get a bit more horsepower out of them - at the expense of fuel economy. All my cars were velour (apart from the 125s). Would have loved the five speed from the 132 behind the 3200 engines of the 130's. I don't know what Fiat were thinking with the 130 saloon. Maybe just made it for Italian politicians to Chauffeured around in. It seemed to be a dated glorified 125. I bought one for that very reason. The E3's and E9's plus the introduction of the W123 really outclassed the Fiats. I loved my Fiats though. - The noise.
@@robertomalatesta6604 Maybe not. Back when these cars were new. A regular commute in country North Africa had a two mile down hill windy road. A compatriot in a BMW 2002 Ti would leave my 132 for dead.
I've heard some sources claim that the cylinder head design was partially to blame for the poor power and terrible fuel economy. The head itself was modeled after the engine found in the 128, a belt driven SOHC with wedge combustion chambers but where the 128 was a reverse flow engine the 130s exhaust ports make a near 120° radius turn to exit on the outside of the engine, which predictably caused very poor exhaust flow. Having looked at some cutaway drawings of the Lampredi V6 I can definetely see where those claims are coming from. Imagine what could have been if those heads were modeled after Lampredis earlier Ferrari engines or even just an adaptation of the Twin-Cam design. In some ways the 130 feels to me almost like a successor to the Lancia Flaminia, which incidentally ended production just after Lancia became part of Fiat and as the 130 Berlina entered production.
Well the 130 has the same proven head design as any Chevy Small Block, Rover V8 or Ford Cologne V6 of that time its a proven "normal duty" wedge chamber "no nonsense" design and well recommended for high volume "normal" engines but not good for a small CC revvy unit or even a sports engine. You need hemi combustion chamber heads for a good revving and effective engine if you have a medium cubic centimeters unit or you have to develop a complex design like BMW used first in the M10 neue Klasse (3sphercicalturbullence chambers). The 130 was planned to be a V8 like the PRV6 of the 604 was. Development code 140. Lampredi just copied the small block chevy V8 and converted it to single OHC with belt driven cams. You will understand if you compare a production Chevy 5.7 litre small block unit with the 130 engine. Very close in any dimension except 2 cylinders are missing. You can find Chevy V6 units in Buicks that look like the 130 engine but they are OHV with long lasting hydraulic valve clearance tappets. Sadly Lampredi did not install hydraulic valve tappets in the 130. According to turbo experts you easily could turbocharge the stock 130 with 0.8 bar to around 230 HP. (Turbo May did that with simple Ford Iron V6 2.8 units!) Wedge chambers are good for turbo charging. Low compression 2.8 130 engines could be turbocharged like crazy without any changes
You can get the original velour in the three colours originally available by the same provider from 50 years ago, I mean Bellesio maker. They did a short production to meet the request from owners of these cars. It's exactly the same velour.
It's one of the most elegant post WW2 cars [period]. And yes, that Borg-Warner is a pity. And 165HP was actually a lot at the time for a cut-short sedan. Please convert to HP/kg when comparing between e.g. a Jag and a FIAT, because that's what HP are about: accelerating a kg of mass per second. For those referencing torque, but not understanding it, note that HP are about the max ability to apply some or all of that torque per second. £5,500 in 1971 would be £100,000 today. And that's inflation rate only. In the time between 71 and today all sorts of value shifts have happened, so a better comparison would be difficult. Around the world, today, one comparison of economies is the "Big Mac Factor", but those Macs still needed to cross the Atlantic, at the time. The comparison with a Jag V12 at the time might have started many a content continental EUropean mentioning that Jags would spontaneously burn through their cable looms (followed by the car burning out) - at some point when the factory tried to solve that with a double loom, they would start the fire at both left and right side of the cars. And they already rusted in the showroom. OK, some continental brands already rusted in the brochure, but in a Mediterranean climate that would remain invisible for more than 10 years and that was 10 times better than a Capri in NW Europe. The 130 Pinin Farina has so much car-upper-class that one classic car crooner Iain T had one in for maintenance and made a video about that, about a year ago. If you think it wasn't fast enough in top speed, then note that fuel consumption exponentially increases with speed and you get in the range where you loose more time at the petrol station than you gain by going faster. At top speed, your Veyron empties its full tank in 12 minutes. After the refill, you now have only 8 minutes until it needs a new set of tyres, if you started the previous top speed leg with new tyres. Comparing specifications is nice - in an armchair. That's what made drivers of cars like these who could make the distinction so distinguished.
I remember seeing one of these in the metal very rare beauties new back in the early seventees as a kid, in silver metallic paint and dark blue velour interior. It was a stunner and as cool as any thing on the road back then.
The sad truth Fiat missed (and VW would, too) is that the luxury car market isn't about quality. Most people who spend huge sums on luxury vehicles only care about the prestige and clout that the badge brings, which is why Mercedes has been producing nothing but trash for the last 30 years, as they realised people don't care about a good car, they care about saying they drive a Mercedes.
This true, but there is another point: Mercedes and BMW made their reputation with bigger cars, and downscale them with success later. It's the Seiko effect. You must have a luxury reputation first, it is.much more difficult the other way round
Yup, particularly noticeable in the headlining. Iain Tyrrell does a brilliant video on this: th-cam.com/video/NjfnhtlF66E/w-d-xo.html He also does a review of the Fiat itself - th-cam.com/video/vpWV3E2-yIg/w-d-xo.html
@@markstott6091 I saw that, I always had somewhat of a soft spot for the Camargue in the sense of what an intriguing desing, it got better and better with age but that video, in that colour, won me over completely.
Great video.. kinda reminds me of VW'S attempt with the Phaetom, an every day manufacturer for the masses trying to do luxury and actually doing it but not in the mass mind. Great Video Jack...doing well.
I think it's a very elegant car. As I remember it in period, my father was still buying Jaguars and Mercedes, I don't think he would have considered a Fiat, they were better known for producing small cars and probably the 130 was pitched at too higher price to attract people like him. I'm not sure the lower top speed would have made much difference, people forget that many British A roads were very congested until new bypasses and motorway sections were built.
cs or csi i ,have them since 1968 and the 2800cs from 72 and the 74 csi are amazing nice, also have a 3.0CSi fourdoor that is faster than the coupésn as said to me sometime ago but never race them, but yes the 68 wasn´t so nice as the 130 coupé from fiat allthough the fourdoor is horrible
Absolutely brilliant video jack ❤👍what a beautiful car I've never seen anything as stunning wish I had that I'd have gone for that more than the jag back in the day brilliant
My first love was a 96 (N reg) Cinquecento Sporting with a heady 55bhp at the fly… I messed around with it plenty.. K&N 57i, plugs, leads, scorpion back box etc etc and probably reduced power whilst maxing my credit card… however… I have not found a car that handles in urban environment (south circular, following motorbikes and ambulances) like my Cinqy.. wheels on corner, perfectly weighted steering, 760kg kerb weight.. what a car..
Brilliant start of your video. Seldom seen the 130 coupé. It is very elegant, and yes the badge and dealer network must have been a challenge. Would e fun to see one with a manual and a different carb set up.
I use to walk past a 130 in the exact same blue on my to school and back in 1980-81. I fell in love with that car. So great to see one in action. Thank you!
I had an unusual job in 1974-5 working as a personal assistant and chauffeur for a well-to-do owner of a local building company. He had several cars at the time, including a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, a TR6, and a Fiat 130 coupe in metallic blue. It had the orange velour interior you briefly show in the video. I was in my early twenties and this was in many ways a dream job until I went on to University. I really liked the Fiat 130; it was fast enough and the ride was a great balance between sporty and wafty! The R-R was way too floaty but they do go! The TR6 was fun but harder work to drive, of course, with a heavy clutch and no power steering. It was fun to slide it in the wet but you had to be careful not to overdo it. So, overall I preferred the 130. I believe they used poor quality Russian steel though and many have rusted away.
Gorgeous car, always one of my favourites. For 1971, it looks design-wise more like 1978-1979 car, and I have a soft spot even for the sedan version. Almost bought one like 4 years ago but it was rusted to hell and back and to repair it was beyond my means. And I am a Ford guy, so this was outside of my wheelhouse. I would still love to own it thou!
Lovely car. Peak Fiat, sadly the badge worked against it. That is why Honda, Toyota, Nissan and Hyundai created whole new brand names and dealers for their entry into the luxury market. If parts are still available, a 130 is a collectors dream.
I tell you soon there wont be no slow 130 Coupes left on the market....its so easy to resto mod them to 300HP you can use a turbo kit and programmable multipoint EFi on the stock engine or install a Rover V8 Vitesse unit or an Alfa Busso 3 litre V6 )
@@Schlipperschlopper Why in the world would you want to put computers in a classic car? That destroys one of the reasons for owning a classic that is a driver in the first place. Turbos don't work well on gasoline engines. Superchargers are better. A V8 engine would be much more in keeping with the luxury image this car was trying to convey.
@@michaelbenardo5695 Turbos on fuel engines work well, no problem. Ask the Japanese. Audi had a good turbo on the 200 luxury sedan as well. And installing an EFi on a classic car is not a problem. Alfa had this on the Busso GTV6 right from the beginning. (L-Jetronic)...the original induction of the 130 (Airfilter intake, Carb and manifold) is completely undersized in every respect (in fact it would run ok on a 2 litre 4 cylinder car). The engine itself is fine for 230HP if another aminfold with 3 40IDF or DCNF is used...But carbs are stoneage and the adjustment and linkage is a nightmare as well the vaport lock problem with modern fuels that contain ethanol, methanold and acetone--destroying carb floats and gaskets. Fiat did this undersizing to hold down the power and make the 130 slow. (Same story with the Ford Cologne and Essex V6 they were slowed down to save insurance fees and taxes) Put a turbo kit with 0.8bars overpressure on that mickeymouse intake and it will work fine. The only V8 that would fit perfectly in the 130 (weight wise) would be the ROVER V8 3500 and the 3,9 from the TVR combined wih the Vitesse electronic ignition and dual plenum intake. The Rover V8 cranks out 230HP DIN (3.5 Vitesse unit EFI dual plenum) and is an aluminum V8 weight is even less than the 130 V6 lump.
This is certainly a very pretty car. All your comments about the luxury aesthetic are well taken. That said, with an equivalent price, ('dollars to donuts' as we Yanks would say) it would have been hard in 1971 not to choose the Bimmer E9. The 130 Coupe definately deserved to do better in the marketplace. And the overall feature set is outstanding even considering the price. Another great video!
I had never heard of this car before. Looks like Fiat was going to invent the 6 series before BMW did! Great video and great editing. A lot less gulps after sentences. Loving the show.
That is a rather magnificent looking car! Especially from the side, the lines are so clean. As a Canadian these are completely new to me almost every time but I’m green with envy with how stylish european cars are! Not that I don’t love our North American iron - I just wish it was easier to have both 🥲
I was at the Sydney Motor Show when these were first launched in Australia. Your review is spot-on, but the bogey in the room was the way these cars rusted before your eyes. Rust, rust, rust, is what hobbled the great FIAT and Alfa of the period and beyond. Only rusted on aficionados bought these and self-flagellated accordingly.
I had a neighbour who restored one of these back when I was a boy in the late 70s/ early 80s, one of those cars I’ve always loved as a result. He did a great job on it and it turned out to be a practice run for a Mercedes 600 which he restored next!
Great machine Similar aspirations to the Citroen SM which had a smaller boot and higher top speed of 135 mph and also came out in 1970... ironically with a 168 hp V6 Maserati Italian engine... Sold three times as many - 12,920. The original 2.7 V6 used to throw timing chains. Cured with 3.0 litre and had 174 hp and 142 mph.
Back then, Fiat and Peugeot released, at the same time, similar luxury cars with similar aims.....beating the Germans. The 130 and the 604.....both failed, one was good, one was crap.....the 604.....and I'm a Pug fan. I owned a 604 for a while and while it was comfortable to drive and well appointed, it's V6 engine was nothing but trouble. The father of a friend of mine at the time bought a 130 and they gave me a lift home after he picked it up. It was beautiful.
The 604 PRV engine is very reliable as long as you do the basic maintenance the later ones with EFI were great and even more reliable, especialy the 604 Gti 2.8 with the Renault Alpine / Delorean V6.
I'd forgotten about the 130. Watching this video brought back memories of regularly seeing one exactly the same as this beauty parked outside the offices where I worked in central London in the mid 70s. I thought back then that it looked amazing and it still does. It's just a simple 3 box design but it looks fantastic. Wonderful car. A quick search & I've found this very car in the video is up for sale!!
It missfired/sputterd alot in the hard pull in the higher revs so the owner gotta look it up and tune it. What a really beautiful Fiat and great video! 👍
Addendum: I can remember comparing this 130 Coupe to my Lancia Flaminia Pf coupe, which has several years older at the time. The Lancia was everything the Fiat wanted to be...but did not quite manage. That Flaminia was one of my longest-kept cars, and a true bellwether. Of everything I've owned, only my 330GTC Ferrari tops the Lancia (and I still have the 330, which I bought in 1977). Good video, as usual!
@@Schlipperschlopper True, but I bought it in 1968 for $1600, abut the same price as a decent used Alfa Guilia Spider. It's still the only car I've sold that I regret not keeping!
@@rustyturner431 Yes you could buy a BMW 507 V8 roadster für under 10.000 Deutschmark during early 70s too :-))) Today I would kill for one. Today at least 1.5 Millions worth. You just cant compare used cars with new cars because of inflation and loss of value. A new Fiat 130 Coupé made to the Lancia Flaminia standards would have cost as much as a Lamborghini Espada back in 1971. I would compare the 130 Coupe with a Jaguar XJ6 or Rover SD1 or Peugeot 504 Coupe (the same class of executive cars)...the BMW E9 was half a class above the Fiat as long as Fiat did not install the proposed 140 Type of 4.6 litre V8 that was canceled during fuel crisis. Same story with the wonderful 504 Peugeot Coupe...the PRV6 only had 130HP but it should have been a V8 with over 200HP.
@@Schlipperschlopper If Fiat had been ABLE to build the 130 to Lancia's standards...well, they would not have been Fiat, would they? Over the years, I've owned dozens of high-end and exotic cars, and the only one I bought new was a BMW Bavaria in 1971, which I sold a year later for almost what I paid for it (yep, inflation had come into play). New top-shelf cars are almost ALWAYS a horrific place to put your money. If you'd bought that 507, you would have had the pleasure of driving a great car until the time came to spend all the money it would have cost to "restore". Then you could have then sold it to somebody (arguably a bit of a fool) with much deeper pockets, who'd restore the car and probably drive it a couple hundred miles per year, and you could go to the bank. Worthwhile cars are kinetic devices and should always be driven, not polished and treated like jewelry. That's like having a great cellar and never drinking the wine!
I remember photographing one of these when I was a professional car photographer back in the 1970s . . . a dream to photograph and a great car to drive.
I remember jumping a humpback at Dobbs weir in one of these early 80s. Landed on the sump and broke it clean off 15mile journey home left it destroyed Also the hand throttle was fun, especially when your passenger moves it to full throttle
Beautiful and rare car. If launched today they would dream up a luxury brand name to try and differentiate it. Just wonder how much of the price difference back then was due to taxes and import duties?
From about 30 years ago I can still very clearly remember a pair of these sat in our local scrapyard tucked away in the corner, one on top of the other they were there for at least 20 odd years plus, one day the yard closed and everything went I was always fascinated by them
Another good video - thanks. I think I might know why the competition existed between the BMW Coupe, and the 130 Coupe. Being over 60 years old, I find comfort and access, more important than anything else. The Fiat, is easy to access, and looks more comfortable, so my choice would be the Fiat.
Wow! If that had driven by just before watching this video I would have had NO clue this was a FIAT. Probably as unexpected in the days it was built. The name "Pininfarina" explains, why it is such a beauty. Stunning looks!
The one thing I have read about 70s Italy was that people wanted to avoid “showy” cars as the was a very real risk of kidnapping at that time so people didn’t want to look to rich… Great film of a wonderful car!
I loved the 130 (saloon and coupe). Unfortunately I never drove one but as an apprentice for a Fiat dealers in the late seventies I did get driven in a couple!! Mind you in Ireland of the seventies there weren’t many of them on the road, they were expensive and rare in rhd. I liked all the Fiat range of those days, especially the big ones!
This one so wanted one of these as a young lad of the 70s. There was a white one for sale at a Fiat dealership not far from home, and I often used to visit it as it was parked on the forecourt, and spend a lot of time looking inside and out, way ahead of its time, and beautiful. In later life, it wasn't meant to be, sadly.
My dad had two in total fiat 130 coupe… one when we lived in Perth, a Marion one when we shifted to Adelaide South Australia and there were a few around in 1984… the sedan was bat shit ugly but the coupe is very Ferrari 412 like….. many fond memories as a 14 yr old in Adelaide… the two tone horn the sort of cruise control…. dad believed it was a Ferrari engine but it wasn’t…. Still was a lovely comfortable car. His maroon one had velour seats…. Beautiful
Thanks Jack for reviewing my car, great video! 😊
Thanks for sharing it with Jack, and with us through Jack. It's an absolutely fantastic car inside and out. Lovely. 🍷
Its a nice car, for Göttingen 178 HP you just have to advance static idle ignition from 10 to 12 degees and open up that tiny airfilter opening snorkel....
I loved the styling, beautiful car.
Lovely car, thanks for allowing it to be brought to my attention... Very interesting to see and hear about 😉👍
@@Haffschlappe yes just advance ignition and open up aircleaner box....Fiat throttled the cars due to insurance cost purposes.
I was brought home from hospital as a newborn in one of these !
could be worse
@@BEGGARWOOD1 awesome!
Can you recall any memory what the ride was like?
Ur name is Giovanni De Medici???
U were also conceived in one of these.❤❤❤
I'm 66 and I was a huge car fan from the day I was born but the first cars I was truly in love with were those early 70s Fiats, when they were new, starting with the Dino and then the 130 Coupe. I really don't give a damn about power and speed. Presence is everything and the 130 Coupe has it in spades. Scarcity just made it more desirable.
I'm 66 too and I agree!
Beautiful, elegant, understated styling.
@@markallen2984 Agreed!
Why look for arguments to underline that it didn't sell well at the time ?
The Italian market was full of people who could afford Fiat 500/128/124 maybe - Those who could afford a Mercedes or a BMW would obviously want to show that they didn't drive a Fiat. End of.
It simply didn't fit in with the Fiat Brand.
They should have sold it as a Lancia.
Rich people with egos make rich mistakes. This is one of them.
@@markallen2984 I agree!
@@Team33Team33 must have been an incredible project by all at Fiat!
@@Team33Team33 Well the 2300S Coupé and Dinos sold well and were Fiat branded....the difference they had very good engines. I would swap the mediocre 130 engine for an Alfa Arese Busso 3 litri V6 EFI from 75 America ar a Rover SD1 Vitesse dual plenum EFI unit. The 130 engine works well in the Fiat Campagnolo 4x4 Off road car! (Many installed them in such cars in Italy for offroad trials during the 1980s when scrapyards were full of 130 cars, also in homebrew Motorboats for water ski) A good restomod is a fine thing.
The shape of these is utterly stunning. Perfectly proportioned, and the front-end headlamp/grille treatment manages to strike elegance with subtle aggression simultaneously.
Another cracking review Jack. Bravo.
I think its got a definite Maserati feel.
Brillant.
Thanks Jack.
Time for that cold beer and a sit down to watch it.
Greetings from the Netherlands
Thanks buddy.. big wave 👋 to 🇳🇱
I was thinking Maserati too!
Yeah I would love to see the Bora V8 in that 130
@@justinbrown6558 Ferrari 400
Have adored the 130 since I was a young lad, a neighbour in London had one in the mid-70’s, it’s drop dead gorgeous, end of story!
I'm with you about the styling, been loving the 130 for the past few decades.
Classic
So rear and beautiful coupe always a head turner remember just a couple of them in and around London in the 70 ties a very unique car
This is a beautiful car - very clean design; it probably failed because Fiat was known for small lower priced cars, much like VW and the Phaeton about 20 years ago, and why Toyota, Honda and Nissan created new brands when they wanted to go upmarket in the 1980s.
The main thing was FIAT told they will bring a V8 car on the market called the 140 due to fuel crisis they skimped out at the engine and only offered that too small V6 - the 130 chassis was intended to carry a V8. (Same story with the Peugeot 604!)
Your car here has some ignition miss under hard acelleration at high revvs, you might check the breaker contacts and capacitor or the optional Dinoplex CDI ignition. Many installed here an 123 ignition its breakerless and works great together with a red Bosch ignition coil and ballast resistor.
Either that or it was just the wind interfering with the mike. Hearing it go past it sounded fine, but with the rear mount camera, it sounded like it was misfiring like a bi-atch
For a few years I used to "car pool" with a couple of other guys travelling to work, one had a four door version of the Fiat 130, it was a very nice vehicle to travel in, short or long distances. Watching this just took me back to those days more than 30 years ago.
Fiat in the 60’s,70’s,80’s,90’s were lovely, beautiful, characterful, cars. 🇮🇹 ❤
And very unreliable. Made my MGs and Austin-Healey's look reliable.
@@louisgiokas2206 at the end of the 90s they became very reliable, i see plenty of them on the road still, i think the usable golden years of fiat were 85-2015
@@AledPritchard I love my 2008 Bravo, 1.4 turbo six speed. It’s fantastic 🤷♂️ held up great. It looks like new.
@@louisgiokas2206 that wasn’t my experience, I’ve been driving Italian cars for 25 years
@@EyesWideOpen61 Well, my experience predated yours.
Actually, early in the current millennium I was living in UK and had an Alfa Romeo GTV (2.0L Twin Spark). That car was very reliable and a whole lot of fun to drive.
My brother, who has a 1964 Giuletta with the 1600cc Duetto engine (he fully restored it and has had it for decades) told me I could bring the GTV back to the US. I really wanted to. I put new larger wheels on it with Bridgestone low profile wet weather racing tires. With the original tires I could spin the wheels and burn rubber (which I was wont to do). Not so with those Bridgestones. Then my foreign assignment came to an early end because of economic conditions, and I found the cost to bring the car to US was prohibitive. I was very, very sad. On the other hand, I sold it in the UK for almost what I paid for it.
This car is fabulous! We never saw these in the states. I have always loved the Fiat 130. Thanks Jack!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Probably next to none here for sure.
Personally I’d never seen nor heard of one. This was a real treat.
Another Gianni Agnelli Peak era Fiat. Beautiful example, I have never seen one as nice. Double thumbs up for Signor Menghini's preservation of a car that excercised Fiats talented and dedicated design and engineering staff into new territory. The high end Fiats including this coupes sister the saloon and the Dino's are great examples of a noble pursuit well done. Sales success be damned there's more to life than working in circles.
Beautiful classic car,as you say a Fiat like no others.For me one of the most beautiful and refined coupès ever. A car killed by two factors: the oil crisis and the fact that it was a Fiat,a model with the same badge of the popular 126,127 and 128. This car inspired the most expensive car of her time,the Rolls Royce Camargue,that featured many particulars in common with the 130.Probably the 130 coupè could have been a success if only it had been under the Lancia badge.But the 130 represented Fiat's pride and the demonstration they could be able to made the most economical and simple citycar and the most luxurious grand tourer.
This is such a good looking car, it looks good from just about every angle. I dont know if that headliner is original but it is gloriously beautiful.
I just LOVE the old school FIAT big stylish coupes. Not successful, but very cool looking.
Although I prefer the E9 BMW, this car is not far behind in my taste. I think it aged very well and it's got a lot of character. Great review!
A 130 4,6 litre Coupe with a Rover SD1 Vitesse twin plenum EFI V8 (235BHP) is a BMW E9 slayer its all up to the engine. The Fiat skimp engine was a number to tiny for that heavy body. A Ferrari 400i has the same weight as the 130 BUT a V12 with 350HP, so a 130 stock version should have beed equiped with at least 230HP and an engine above 4 litre :-))) The 3200 V6 would work pretty well in the smaller 124 Coupe and Spider. (would make a nice italian kind of TR6)
I love the ribbed headlining. Very reminiscent of the Rolls Royce Camargue (also styled by Pininfarina).
They sold a few in Australia at the time.
Very elegant.
I sure agree on the RR Camargue similarity.
More expensive at time than the carmague
What a glorious looking car, that rear window line is pure Ferrari 400. Wow what a gem.
It’s such a beautiful car, inside and out, here in Australia 513 coupes were sold new.
My dad owned 2 coupes and 2 sedans many years ago.
The engine was wonderful with its smoothness and raspy note👌
Could have bought one - mint - for $15K in Brisbane, 1989 but bought a 308GT4 for $45K instead. Often wondered...
*MY UNCLE HAD 2 OF THESE* said they were the best cars he has ever owned - and he has had E-Types, Ferraris, endless Jags, Lotus, De Tomasso, Facel Vega, Lancia Gama coups...
Literally hundreds of classics but when I asked him which was the best, which he enjoyed the most - the Fiat 130 Coupe was his No1. Got a Mk9 Jag at the moment
These were good cars and if porperly waxoiled with Finnigans stuff rust wasnt a big problem, but most people did not do any service and rust prevention, in this case after 2 years these cars were rotboxes and slipping cambelts (that had to be changed any 20.000KM) ruined engines. Pretty much the same story with the Rover SD1 2600.
It would be interesting to compare this one with 5 speed version (if you could find one). Borg warner was in some DS citroens but it is very rare. It would be inreresting to see if 5 speed would make it a bit sharper.
I didn't see Austin Healey on that list... lol
@@trwsandford No I dont think he has had a A H. Had Triumph TA. Had Jenson Interceptors, 2 I think. He is a farmer and he restored classics over winter, but he is nearly 80 now, he had to pay to have the Mk9 Jag restored.
He once told his son he was off to buy a Lamborghini and came back 2 days later with a tractor, after the kid had told all his school mated they were getting a Lambo LOL
A man who had good taste.
This is a gorgeous classic design. I saw one offered for sale in the US for $15k but had no idea what it was, and what if any parts support existed.
Not knowing what it is will become more of a problem with selling classics as those of us who lusted after them in our youth die off!
@@ian-nz-2000 I wonder how long before a Ford Escort Mexico Mrk 1 starts to depreciate in value...
Many parts for brakes and suspension can be used from FIAT DINO many other parts can be taken from Lada and Fiat 124 and some expensive parts from Alfa and Ferrari.
Even in the early ..80 s ...certain parts for 130 ...we're becoming rare
@P.Galore
I love the design …but trust me, there always were and always will be 101 better/rationsl ways to spend $15,000 😂😂
Oh gosh, love these. So classy, understated style. Used to see them around when I was a young'un..just look at that profile 😍
Amazing looking thing for sure ..
Best with 5 Speed Gearbox!
@@Number27 Agreed, if you squint, it's a bit like an early Montego!
I knew this car from Top Trumps and found it strangely sexy with its' oversized boxy body. It looked more Bertone than Pininfarina and in my head it seemed like a relative of the Mk 2 Granada and also the huge Chevrolet Impala of the day which was for a time the New York Taxi. Right angles and flat surfaces can look great when done properly. I don't think I've ever seen one, but briefly drove a 4 door 3200 sedan which was also cool. I'm glad that the man called 27 keeps finding these Italian eccentrics.
Fords Germany chiefdesigner Uwe Bahnsen told he liked the 130 design so much that he copied it on the MK2 Granada. Same story with the Audi 100 Type 43 (Claus Luthe)
Many years ago I had a saloon version of this, what a car, I loved it, had to do work on the engine, but after that it performed flawlessly. I was doing some body work on it and took the side stainless steel scuttle covers off, to reveal that there was basically nothing the, they had just rusted away, and then I started looking, rust had invaded the whole body. In the end I had to sell it, to me it was not safe, I sold it at an auction house "as is". Of course the dealer who sold it to me brought it back and sold it again at even a higher price because of all the work I had done to it. I found out later it had been involved in a crash and had folded up like a house of cards, and had killed the driver... thus I lived to tell this tale... thanks for the memories.
That's a dark story ..ioooo
People did not do any rostproofing with Waxoyl so they rotted away like the old Toyotas
I have always thought the 130 Coupe was a beautiful creation, but like the similarly stylish Lancia Gamma Coupe, let down by their engines. Definitely mafiosa material though, they have a certain formidable presence still.
Like many beautiful women, lovely to behold but often disappointing to live with ;)
It would be great if you could show some of the underpinnings of the unusual machines you get to review. Thanks for an excellent channel.
From the 130 to the Lancia Flavia coupe and Lancia Gamma coupe there were beautiful Pinifarina luxury GT designs of the period that fell flat. Loved them in the 80s.
I agree with everything you say, but I think that the 1973 fuel crisis is what really killed this car. Its enormous fuel consumption and weak engine had no chance, and Fiat abandoned any plans to upgrade the performance after the Suez crisis.
Fiat even developed a 4.6 all aluminum V8 under project code 140
Great review. I owned an even rarer, less beauteous, Fiat 130 saloon. Also automatic, but a right-hand drive. It was in Mediterranean Blue metallic, and I have reason to believe it still exists even today.
Hi Jack, for me the 130 Coupe is one of the best looking cars ever made, aestheticly every line is just right, a beautiful car, qudos to the owner 👍
Jack! You should have derssed for this review. A smart italian, shirt, cravatt, waistcote, to set off the gentlemans GT the 130 really is. Inspite of its squareness, its a class act in its own right. The shots of the sides remind me very strongly of the Gamma. A beautiful and elegent car. Another ace review from No27. Best wishes fron the Forest of Blackness, Mike.
Your car? Pretty car. Italian Job mafia style.
Having a moment - I learned to drive in Grandad's Fiat 132 auto - pure velour, teak trim, amazing purple perspex sunblinds recessed in the headlining. In gold. Too sporty for a GT (4k rpm @ 80+ rpm) but a sporty saloon par excellence; Pa's first cross-continental trip was running a Sherman with the 7th Armoured in 1944, so this was a real step up as he enjoyed his annual tour to revisit old friends. I went with Jim a couple of trips- pure magic. But he did have a tendency to drive with the white line between the wheels. Happy days. ❤
My Dad and I shared a love of cars and we both loved these. Fabulous design. I grew up in Melbourne, Australia and quite a few went there in right hand drive form. As a kid in the 70's ad 80's, they were not that uncommon to see- rare but there. It was commonly said back then, and I agree with you, that the engine is the weakest point- underpowered, overpriced against it's competitors and thirsty. And they rust, even in Australia. I heard stories of electrical gremlins with the wipers, indicators etc which were unfixable, or unfindable probably, so the owner just had to put up with them. The manual did help performance, but even still- just lack of power gave it a bad name of all show and no go. I still love them though. If I ever get one I'd want to try and get more power and better mpg too- maybe even an engine swap to something (Busso?) that would still have character but give it the extra muscle it deserves.
You can tune it relatively easily for another 40-50 bhp with simple changes to intake, carburettor (unless it's the "injection" version) and advance. The head design is quite poor, so it's not easy to go beyond that - but Abarth got 250+ hp with more extensive changes.
The saddest thing is what's NOW happened to Fiat since Stellantis took over. Fiat used to make some of the greatest cars ever. I owned a 125 Special which in its day was a real Lotus Cortina eater. It's SO sad to witness the demise of a once great brand. Their ohc twin cam engines were truly magnificent.
I love these. I grew up in a little town in North Italy and the local actuary had one of these in silver with red velour interior. It looked enormous driving around the cobbled streets.
Funny never really seen these in coupe or saloon form in Italy when I used to visit ...never saw ...a Gamna coupe either ..well only UK registereed one ....
Stunning car - could only be Pininfarina (or maybe Gandini). Btw, wasn't the Alfa 90 recognised as the archetypal Mafia staff car?
This is one of those vehicles i hope to own one day
Absolutely beautiful gem
I've had a strange relationship with the 130 Coupe.
Absolutely adored it when I first got into cars in the 80's, then kind off went off it in preference of the saloon, but I've come back round to the Coupe again!. One thing is for sure though, it absolutely has to have that fabulous red velour😁👍
But sticking with the velour, surely in this day and age it would be feasible to come up with something which looks and feels like velour, but is more hardwearing?
We had a saloon. Lovely car. For me the coupe always looked slightly “ American” . Rust was the number one enemy. After 4 years we moved onto a 604, and then a series of 280 SE’s non had the same grace, pace and poise, or noise of the 130
The front of the 130 Coupe copies the Dodge Charger a litle bit
I owned a 125S, 130 saloon and a coupe and a 132. All technically advanced for the era. I bought the 132 new in 1975. The 130 saloon one year old in 1973.
They all suffered from the same problem - basically falling apart with rust as soon as driving out the dealership. The 130's 3200 engine - nobody wanted to work on them. Dealerships pointed you to the Ferrari mechanics. Apart from the 125s none of the cars were very economic fuel wise. By playing around with the carburettor jets and the air intakes you could get a bit more horsepower out of them - at the expense of fuel economy.
All my cars were velour (apart from the 125s). Would have loved the five speed from the 132 behind the 3200 engines of the 130's.
I don't know what Fiat were thinking with the 130 saloon. Maybe just made it for Italian politicians to Chauffeured around in. It seemed to be a dated glorified 125.
I bought one for that very reason. The E3's and E9's plus the introduction of the W123 really outclassed the Fiats.
I loved my Fiats though. - The noise.
Fiat 125 Special with 132 1800 engine but keeping the former final drive, a BMW 320 killer
@@robertomalatesta6604 Maybe not. Back when these cars were new. A regular commute in country North Africa had a two mile down hill windy road. A compatriot in a BMW 2002 Ti would leave my 132 for dead.
@@lezivanerrol3697 "...keeping the former final drive,"
read 132 1.8 engine with 125S differential which had a shortest ratio than the132
Used to love these back in the day. Think it was the headlights.
And the back end... and the side profile 😀
The flag is very stylish, Italian Jaguar is a good example of what Fiat were trying to achieve.
Thanks for watching dude!! 👋
@@Number27 always a pleasure.
I've heard some sources claim that the cylinder head design was partially to blame for the poor power and terrible fuel economy. The head itself was modeled after the engine found in the 128, a belt driven SOHC with wedge combustion chambers but where the 128 was a reverse flow engine the 130s exhaust ports make a near 120° radius turn to exit on the outside of the engine, which predictably caused very poor exhaust flow. Having looked at some cutaway drawings of the Lampredi V6 I can definetely see where those claims are coming from. Imagine what could have been if those heads were modeled after Lampredis earlier Ferrari engines or even just an adaptation of the Twin-Cam design.
In some ways the 130 feels to me almost like a successor to the Lancia Flaminia, which incidentally ended production just after Lancia became part of Fiat and as the 130 Berlina entered production.
Well the 130 has the same proven head design as any Chevy Small Block, Rover V8 or Ford Cologne V6 of that time its a proven "normal duty" wedge chamber "no nonsense" design and well recommended for high volume "normal" engines but not good for a small CC revvy unit or even a sports engine. You need hemi combustion chamber heads for a good revving and effective engine if you have a medium cubic centimeters unit or you have to develop a complex design like BMW used first in the M10 neue Klasse (3sphercicalturbullence chambers). The 130 was planned to be a V8 like the PRV6 of the 604 was. Development code 140. Lampredi just copied the small block chevy V8 and converted it to single OHC with belt driven cams. You will understand if you compare a production Chevy 5.7 litre small block unit with the 130 engine. Very close in any dimension except 2 cylinders are missing. You can find Chevy V6 units in Buicks that look like the 130 engine but they are OHV with long lasting hydraulic valve clearance tappets. Sadly Lampredi did not install hydraulic valve tappets in the 130. According to turbo experts you easily could turbocharge the stock 130 with 0.8 bar to around 230 HP. (Turbo May did that with simple Ford Iron V6 2.8 units!) Wedge chambers are good for turbo charging. Low compression 2.8 130 engines could be turbocharged like crazy without any changes
You can get the original velour in the three colours originally available by the same provider from 50 years ago, I mean Bellesio maker. They did a short production to meet the request from owners of these cars. It's exactly the same velour.
It's one of the most elegant post WW2 cars [period]. And yes, that Borg-Warner is a pity. And 165HP was actually a lot at the time for a cut-short sedan.
Please convert to HP/kg when comparing between e.g. a Jag and a FIAT, because that's what HP are about: accelerating a kg of mass per second. For those referencing torque, but not understanding it, note that HP are about the max ability to apply some or all of that torque per second.
£5,500 in 1971 would be £100,000 today. And that's inflation rate only. In the time between 71 and today all sorts of value shifts have happened, so a better comparison would be difficult. Around the world, today, one comparison of economies is the "Big Mac Factor", but those Macs still needed to cross the Atlantic, at the time.
The comparison with a Jag V12 at the time might have started many a content continental EUropean mentioning that Jags would spontaneously burn through their cable looms (followed by the car burning out) - at some point when the factory tried to solve that with a double loom, they would start the fire at both left and right side of the cars. And they already rusted in the showroom. OK, some continental brands already rusted in the brochure, but in a Mediterranean climate that would remain invisible for more than 10 years and that was 10 times better than a Capri in NW Europe.
The 130 Pinin Farina has so much car-upper-class that one classic car crooner Iain T had one in for maintenance and made a video about that, about a year ago.
If you think it wasn't fast enough in top speed, then note that fuel consumption exponentially increases with speed and you get in the range where you loose more time at the petrol station than you gain by going faster. At top speed, your Veyron empties its full tank in 12 minutes. After the refill, you now have only 8 minutes until it needs a new set of tyres, if you started the previous top speed leg with new tyres.
Comparing specifications is nice - in an armchair.
That's what made drivers of cars like these who could make the distinction so distinguished.
I remember seeing one of these in the metal very rare beauties new back in the early seventees as a kid, in silver metallic paint and dark blue velour interior. It was a stunner and as cool as any thing on the road back then.
The sad truth Fiat missed (and VW would, too) is that the luxury car market isn't about quality. Most people who spend huge sums on luxury vehicles only care about the prestige and clout that the badge brings, which is why Mercedes has been producing nothing but trash for the last 30 years, as they realised people don't care about a good car, they care about saying they drive a Mercedes.
This true, but there is another point: Mercedes and BMW made their reputation with bigger cars, and downscale them with success later. It's the Seiko effect. You must have a luxury reputation first, it is.much more difficult the other way round
@@webersteve1547 Thats why Toyota founded LEXUS and CENTURY brand.
I am still driving my '88 Mercedes 300e
@@wahid-lg1kk 30 years ago was 1994, 1980s Mercedes was great, it's 90s Mercedes (and all the following decades) which sucks.
@AlexTenThousand ya don't buy one made after '92, mine is an '88
One of my favourite car designs. Beautiful
Another informative and entertaining video, Jack. (To be a pedant ,velour is pronounced vel-oor (as in moor) and not vel-ur.)
Rolls Royce designed their Camargue around this car 👍
Paolo Martin was the designer of the 130 Coupe, the Camargue, the Lancia Gamma Coupe, the Peugeot 604 and 504 Spider and Coupe
@@Schlipperschlopper Don' t forget the Ferrari 365/400 GT
The Camargue is such an underrated design, even by me for many years.
Yup, particularly noticeable in the headlining.
Iain Tyrrell does a brilliant video on this: th-cam.com/video/NjfnhtlF66E/w-d-xo.html
He also does a review of the Fiat itself - th-cam.com/video/vpWV3E2-yIg/w-d-xo.html
@@markstott6091 I saw that, I always had somewhat of a soft spot for the Camargue in the sense of what an intriguing desing, it got better and better with age but that video, in that colour, won me over completely.
Great video.. kinda reminds me of VW'S attempt with the Phaetom, an every day manufacturer for the masses trying to do luxury and actually doing it but not in the mass mind. Great Video Jack...doing well.
I think it's a very elegant car. As I remember it in period, my father was still buying Jaguars and Mercedes, I don't think he would have considered a Fiat, they were better known for producing small cars and probably the 130 was pitched at too higher price to attract people like him. I'm not sure the lower top speed would have made much difference, people forget that many British A roads were very congested until new bypasses and motorway sections were built.
"room for a couple of bodies" was a big and unexpected laugh!
😁
So perfectly delivered, just slipped in nicely. Great laughs for sure!
Fiat catered to the Mafia too of course. xD
One of the most elegant cars of the 70's and it's even improved with time. Actually, I always reckoned it was better looking than BMW 3.0 coupe.
cs or csi i ,have them since 1968 and the 2800cs from 72 and the 74 csi are amazing nice, also have a 3.0CSi fourdoor that is faster than the coupésn as said to me sometime ago but never race them, but yes the 68 wasn´t so nice as the 130 coupé from fiat allthough the fourdoor is horrible
What a beauty.. ❤..its so ahead of it time for me
Absolutely brilliant video jack ❤👍what a beautiful car I've never seen anything as stunning wish I had that I'd have gone for that more than the jag back in the day brilliant
Glad you enjoyed it Danielle, thanks for watching!
My first love was a 96 (N reg) Cinquecento Sporting with a heady 55bhp at the fly… I messed around with it plenty.. K&N 57i, plugs, leads, scorpion back box etc etc and probably reduced power whilst maxing my credit card… however… I have not found a car that handles in urban environment (south circular, following motorbikes and ambulances) like my Cinqy.. wheels on corner, perfectly weighted steering, 760kg kerb weight.. what a car..
Brilliant start of your video. Seldom seen the 130 coupé. It is very elegant, and yes the badge and dealer network must have been a challenge. Would e fun to see one with a manual and a different carb set up.
I use to walk past a 130 in the exact same blue on my to school and back in 1980-81. I fell in love with that car. So great to see one in action. Thank you!
I had an unusual job in 1974-5 working as a personal assistant and chauffeur for a well-to-do owner of a local building company. He had several cars at the time, including a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, a TR6, and a Fiat 130 coupe in metallic blue. It had the orange velour interior you briefly show in the video. I was in my early twenties and this was in many ways a dream job until I went on to University. I really liked the Fiat 130; it was fast enough and the ride was a great balance between sporty and wafty! The R-R was way too floaty but they do go! The TR6 was fun but harder work to drive, of course, with a heavy clutch and no power steering. It was fun to slide it in the wet but you had to be careful not to overdo it. So, overall I preferred the 130. I believe they used poor quality Russian steel though and many have rusted away.
Gorgeous car, always one of my favourites. For 1971, it looks design-wise more like 1978-1979 car, and I have a soft spot even for the sedan version. Almost bought one like 4 years ago but it was rusted to hell and back and to repair it was beyond my means. And I am a Ford guy, so this was outside of my wheelhouse. I would still love to own it thou!
😊 such a stylish car, still looks good today
Couldn't agree more!
Lovely car. Peak Fiat, sadly the badge worked against it. That is why Honda, Toyota, Nissan and Hyundai created whole new brand names and dealers for their entry into the luxury market.
If parts are still available, a 130 is a collectors dream.
I tell you soon there wont be no slow 130 Coupes left on the market....its so easy to resto mod them to 300HP you can use a turbo kit and programmable multipoint EFi on the stock engine or install a Rover V8 Vitesse unit or an Alfa Busso 3 litre V6 )
@@Schlipperschlopper Why in the world would you want to put computers in a classic car? That destroys one of the reasons for owning a classic that is a driver in the first place. Turbos don't work well on gasoline engines. Superchargers are better. A V8 engine would be much more in keeping with the luxury image this car was trying to convey.
@@michaelbenardo5695 Turbos on fuel engines work well, no problem. Ask the Japanese. Audi had a good turbo on the 200 luxury sedan as well. And installing an EFi on a classic car is not a problem. Alfa had this on the Busso GTV6 right from the beginning. (L-Jetronic)...the original induction of the 130 (Airfilter intake, Carb and manifold) is completely undersized in every respect (in fact it would run ok on a 2 litre 4 cylinder car). The engine itself is fine for 230HP if another aminfold with 3 40IDF or DCNF is used...But carbs are stoneage and the adjustment and linkage is a nightmare as well the vaport lock problem with modern fuels that contain ethanol, methanold and acetone--destroying carb floats and gaskets. Fiat did this undersizing to hold down the power and make the 130 slow. (Same story with the Ford Cologne and Essex V6 they were slowed down to save insurance fees and taxes) Put a turbo kit with 0.8bars overpressure on that mickeymouse intake and it will work fine. The only V8 that would fit perfectly in the 130 (weight wise) would be the ROVER V8 3500 and the 3,9 from the TVR combined wih the Vitesse electronic ignition and dual plenum intake. The Rover V8 cranks out 230HP DIN (3.5 Vitesse unit EFI dual plenum) and is an aluminum V8 weight is even less than the 130 V6 lump.
This is certainly a very pretty car. All your comments about the luxury aesthetic are well taken. That said, with an equivalent price, ('dollars to donuts' as we Yanks would say) it would have been hard in 1971 not to choose the Bimmer E9. The 130 Coupe definately deserved to do better in the marketplace. And the overall feature set is outstanding even considering the price. Another great video!
Cool car, aren't old cars just much cooler than the modern clones we get these days! Cracking stuff as always Jack buddy 👍
Too right old boy!
Another gorgeous car we never got in Canada. Awesome review, Jack. I'd love one of these babies.
One of the few ‘tubers who takes the time to respond and interact with the viewers too… lovely guy, great channel
I remember visiting Fiat shop when they got it as a new model, I was a kid and I still like this car so much , really rare also in France
Mint car and very much like the 504 coupe which is equally stylish
As I was watching this I was trying to think what it reminds me of and you nailed it. Were they both Pininfarina designs?
@@slacko1971 yes they were as were many Peugeot cars
@@slacko1971 yes Peugeot 604 and 504 Coupe and Spider also designed by Paolo Martin at Pininfarina.
I had never heard of this car before. Looks like Fiat was going to invent the 6 series before BMW did! Great video and great editing. A lot less gulps after sentences. Loving the show.
That is a rather magnificent looking car! Especially from the side, the lines are so clean. As a Canadian these are completely new to me almost every time but I’m green with envy with how stylish european cars are! Not that I don’t love our North American iron - I just wish it was easier to have both 🥲
I was at the Sydney Motor Show when these were first launched in Australia. Your review is spot-on, but the bogey in the room was the way these cars rusted before your eyes. Rust, rust, rust, is what hobbled the great FIAT and Alfa of the period and beyond. Only rusted on aficionados bought these and self-flagellated accordingly.
Imagine if they had put a Ferrari V12 from the Daytona in it.
Well that would be the Ferrari 412i
What an elegant and totally beautiful car, so much better to me than the Jag or BMW.
Jack.. the guy who proves Fiat don’t just make shit
Boxes… what a lovely guy.. what a quality looking product
A Fiat 124 Spider (BS type 1971 1600 110HP DOHC) isnt a shit box at all.
@@Schlipperschloppermy most reliable car was a fiat seicento
Beautiful car. I had its little brother, the 124 Coupe. Another brilliant Fiat.
I had a neighbour who restored one of these back when I was a boy in the late 70s/ early 80s, one of those cars I’ve always loved as a result. He did a great job on it and it turned out to be a practice run for a Mercedes 600 which he restored next!
Great machine
Similar aspirations to the Citroen SM which had a smaller boot and higher top speed of 135 mph and also came out in 1970... ironically with a 168 hp V6 Maserati Italian engine...
Sold three times as many - 12,920. The original 2.7 V6 used to throw timing chains. Cured with 3.0 litre and had 174 hp and 142 mph.
I've never ever seen one of these before. What a wonderful thing. Great review as ever Jack - Cheers.
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks buddy!!
Back then, Fiat and Peugeot released, at the same time, similar luxury cars with similar aims.....beating the Germans. The 130 and the 604.....both failed, one was good, one was crap.....the 604.....and I'm a Pug fan. I owned a 604 for a while and while it was comfortable to drive and well appointed, it's V6 engine was nothing but trouble. The father of a friend of mine at the time bought a 130 and they gave me a lift home after he picked it up. It was beautiful.
The 604 PRV engine is very reliable as long as you do the basic maintenance the later ones with EFI were great and even more reliable, especialy the 604 Gti 2.8 with the Renault Alpine / Delorean V6.
@@Schlipperschlopper I bought mine second hand....maybe it hadn't been looked after and serviced as it should have been.
I'd forgotten about the 130. Watching this video brought back memories of regularly seeing one exactly the same as this beauty parked outside the offices where I worked in central London in the mid 70s. I thought back then that it looked amazing and it still does. It's just a simple 3 box design but it looks fantastic. Wonderful car. A quick search & I've found this very car in the video is up for sale!!
Such an elegant car and I love the roof lining! Just needs triple Weber 40s up front to make it go as fast as it should have in the first place.
It missfired/sputterd alot in the hard pull in the higher revs so the owner gotta look it up and tune it. What a really beautiful Fiat and great video! 👍
Addendum: I can remember comparing this 130 Coupe to my Lancia Flaminia Pf coupe, which has several years older at the time. The Lancia was everything the Fiat wanted to be...but did not quite manage. That Flaminia was one of my longest-kept cars, and a true bellwether. Of everything I've owned, only my 330GTC Ferrari tops the Lancia (and I still have the 330, which I bought in 1977). Good video, as usual!
Well the Lancia during the 1960s was as expensive as a Mercedes 300SL that would be 2-3times the price of the 130 Coupe when it was new.
@@Schlipperschlopper True, but I bought it in 1968 for $1600, abut the same price as a decent used Alfa Guilia Spider. It's still the only car I've sold that I regret not keeping!
@@rustyturner431 Yes you could buy a BMW 507 V8 roadster für under 10.000 Deutschmark during early 70s too :-))) Today I would kill for one. Today at least 1.5 Millions worth. You just cant compare used cars with new cars because of inflation and loss of value. A new Fiat 130 Coupé made to the Lancia Flaminia standards would have cost as much as a Lamborghini Espada back in 1971. I would compare the 130 Coupe with a Jaguar XJ6 or Rover SD1 or Peugeot 504 Coupe (the same class of executive cars)...the BMW E9 was half a class above the Fiat as long as Fiat did not install the proposed 140 Type of 4.6 litre V8 that was canceled during fuel crisis. Same story with the wonderful 504 Peugeot Coupe...the PRV6 only had 130HP but it should have been a V8 with over 200HP.
@@Schlipperschlopper If Fiat had been ABLE to build the 130 to Lancia's standards...well, they would not have been Fiat, would they? Over the years, I've owned dozens of high-end and exotic cars, and the only one I bought new was a BMW Bavaria in 1971, which I sold a year later for almost what I paid for it (yep, inflation had come into play). New top-shelf cars are almost ALWAYS a horrific place to put your money. If you'd bought that 507, you would have had the pleasure of driving a great car until the time came to spend all the money it would have cost to "restore". Then you could have then sold it to somebody (arguably a bit of a fool) with much deeper pockets, who'd restore the car and probably drive it a couple hundred miles per year, and you could go to the bank. Worthwhile cars are kinetic devices and should always be driven, not polished and treated like jewelry. That's like having a great cellar and never drinking the wine!
I absolutely love the Fiat 130 Coupe, such a clean, simple, and elegant design.
And such a lovely example, too.
I remember photographing one of these when I was a professional car photographer back in the 1970s . . . a dream to photograph and a great car to drive.
I loved this episode, now - a dream would be to see Alfa 6 or Alfa 90 2.5 on this channel
I remember jumping a humpback at Dobbs weir in one of these early 80s.
Landed on the sump and broke it clean off
15mile journey home left it destroyed
Also the hand throttle was fun, especially when your passenger moves it to full throttle
Beautiful and rare car. If launched today they would dream up a luxury brand name to try and differentiate it. Just wonder how much of the price difference back then was due to taxes and import duties?
I never realised just how similar the 130 coupé was to the Peugeot 604.
From about 30 years ago I can still very clearly remember a pair of these sat in our local scrapyard tucked away in the corner, one on top of the other they were there for at least 20 odd years plus, one day the yard closed and everything went
I was always fascinated by them
Another good video - thanks.
I think I might know why the competition existed between the BMW Coupe, and the 130 Coupe. Being over 60 years old, I find comfort and access, more important than anything else. The Fiat, is easy to access, and looks more comfortable, so my choice would be the Fiat.
Wow! If that had driven by just before watching this video I would have had NO clue this was a FIAT. Probably as unexpected in the days it was built. The name "Pininfarina" explains, why it is such a beauty. Stunning looks!
The one thing I have read about 70s Italy was that people wanted to avoid “showy” cars as the was a very real risk of kidnapping at that time so people didn’t want to look to rich… Great film of a wonderful car!
Fascinating quirks and features! Doug would love this. I sure do
This and the Peugeot coupe are two of my favourite cars - thank you
I had a 1976 124 sports coupé in the late '70's which shared some of the corporate identity and switch gear. Brilliant cars.
I loved the 130 (saloon and coupe). Unfortunately I never drove one but as an apprentice for a Fiat dealers in the late seventies I did get driven in a couple!! Mind you in Ireland of the seventies there weren’t many of them on the road, they were expensive and rare in rhd. I liked all the Fiat range of those days, especially the big ones!
This one so wanted one of these as a young lad of the 70s.
There was a white one for sale at a Fiat dealership not far from home, and I often used to visit it as it was parked on the forecourt, and spend a lot of time looking inside and out, way ahead of its time, and beautiful.
In later life, it wasn't meant to be, sadly.
you can still get good examples in Italy for just 8000 Euros
My dad had two in total fiat 130 coupe… one when we lived in Perth, a Marion one when we shifted to Adelaide South Australia and there were a few around in 1984… the sedan was bat shit ugly but the coupe is very Ferrari 412 like….. many fond memories as a 14 yr old in Adelaide… the two tone horn the sort of cruise control…. dad believed it was a Ferrari engine but it wasn’t…. Still was a lovely comfortable car. His maroon one had velour seats…. Beautiful
Thanks for the memories!!
Put a smile on my face Jack… love your enthusiasm and delivery.
Sorry the 130 sedan is super Mafia elegant
@@Haffschlappewhen you put it that way I guess it is lol
@@timscarman4599 its the Mafia pates sedan Nr1 together with the Alfa 6 Berlina :-)