In my car park, a Swiss gentleman has stored a gunmetal grey Fiat 130 coupe, a black Citroen DS 21 Pallas and another grey Peugeot 504 coupe which he all uses as daily drivers. I applaud that man for his tremendous style in cars every time I see him.
and it's actually the one of the three which is in the best condition. they are all well maintained and loved, but the 504 looks like it just came out of the factory and it has never been restored
These quirky Italian coupes alway make my heart jump.. Blaming my dad for this defect, because of his taste, driving cars like this and a Lancia Gamma Coupe when I was a young..
Well, it was already evident you are a man of impeccable taste, Mr. Tyrrell, and your fondness for the Fiat 130 only confirms that! As you've pointed out, it had the wrong badge and the timing of its release was unfortunate, but it sure is the finest car Fiat has ever made. A thing of beauty that would have deserved much more success.
Dear Matteo. Good to see you here! What happened to your video about the fiat 130? For me it is no longer available. It's a shame because I simply love watching it, even more so now that I managed to acquire one of the only 5 units of the 130 Coupé that arrived in Brazil, all in 1974. Just two of which survived and mine is the most original and complete (with manual transmission, by the way)
For me as someone from the continent (Switzerland), it has a very tasteful feel when an Englishman reviews an Italian car: Someone who knows something about being fair describes the uniqueness when Italian engineering meets quality. I think Mr Tyrrell is a good example of how deep inside every English petrolhead is a lover of Italian cars.
I loved this comment ! As an Englishman, I do see the qualities of an MG, or a Triumph, or a Jaguar, and I've owned a few of them over the years. BUT......they just don't have the same driving experience . The car I've got now and will never part with is a FIAT 124 Spider ! So much better than its English equivalents.
I would bet my bottom dollar those seats like the ones in a Mercedes featured on the channel are 400 million times more comfortable and welcoming that a leather seat. Love the car and that interior is just something else.
I had two of these. Had one then I went ahead and bought a second! The second was that blue. So many fun trips. I drove it 600 miles to my parent's home in outback Australia and back. Three up. Luggage. High speed. Fantastic ride. Easy. I want another one please.
My grandfather ran a fiat dealership and he had a chocolate brown one in circa ‘74 followed by a blue one. The blue one came along after our red setter ate the interior of the brown one! Stunning car.
wow, I never thought I would see a fiat130 featured in this channel. As an Italian I am quite fond of these cars... I am also surprised about how the design is actually more pleasant now, than it was 50 years ago. Really good job they did there.
"Well here I am ensconced in several acres of 1970s bright orange dralon, and loving every second of it". Never before were these words combined, and rarely could be found a more delicious sentence. Iain, I salute you. Excellent video, too (as always). Bravo!
The first time I came across the 130 was in a Motor magazine road test around 1973. I remember just staring at the photos not believing this stunning car could possibly be a FIAT. It still looks incredible today.
I have known of the Fiat 130 be it coupe and/or sedan since I was around 14. I am 63 now. I have owned a metallic blue 3.2,sedan in the past, while my brother has 2 coupes and 2 sedans. Such an under-rated but superb car. Values are slowly rising for the best examples these days, as they should. What’s interesting with the example in Iain’s shop is that it has 3 carbs and is a manual. Most 130s were autos. i have never seen a 3 carb setup on a 130, from the factory they only came with one carburettor. What a magnificent engine/induction and exhaust sound this particular car makes. Thankyou Iain 😁, and yes Guy Croft was so good at his job.
Loved hearing the name of Leonard Setright after so long. My favourite motoring journalist bar none. His writing was of literary quality, his humour dry and his passion for cars unquestionable.
@@markpink Haha yes he did like those but luckily enough, I do too! I had the pleasure of meeting Tony Crook once at the London showroom. I was early for an appointment in the area and was killing time looking in the window when he came outside and invited me in. I said I didn't want to waste his time as I was not a likely customer to which he replied he was retired but "they're kind enough to let me hang around the shop". He then proceed to delight me with some amazing stories and even took me down to their basement parking to show me some of their hidden gems. An unforgettable experience for me overall. What a charming and delightful man.
I owned one of these cars in Dublin for several years and loved it. It was silver with blue interior. It caused me little or no trouble other than the carb icing up as I had converted it to run on car gas due to a petrol shortage. A weak point was the timing belt which required very frequent changing to avoid catastrophic engine damage. Fuel lines close to the carb also needed attention due to heat, which left unattended failed and caught fire. There was also a 130 saloon which shared the same chassis and drive train but was made by Fiat themselves. Rust was the dreaded enemy and unfortunately robbed me of a superb car.
When I was living in Bologna, Italy, studying medicine and teaching English to a local "professore", his car was a Fiat 130 coupe, also in blue. It was an automatic and we went out a few times. Awesome machine. Thanks for the memories.
Fantastic to see the 130 coupe on the road - I remember walking at lunch time from work in Leicester in the 1970's down Blackbird Rd. where a Fiat dealership was located to see a Blue / Black 130 coupe holding pride of place in the showroom - Mesmerized to see this beauty in the flesh - I couldn't believe it was a Fiat and to this day - I'm now retired - I spent a good 10 minutes walking round it and later told my dad - a dyed in the wool Rover / Jag man what a great looking motor I had seen .He scoffed at the idea that any Fiat could garner such adulation but I've carried that picture in my head all these years since - Brilliant
Thank you so much! I turned 50 this year - my Father had a silver over blue 130 and a Lancia Gamma Coupe and Saloon. Brings back so many memories sitting in the back with ABBA on the cassette player!
Back in 1985 I started subcontracting to a car body and sprayshop. The owner had one of these cars along with around 5 or 6 others that he used for parts. His main car was the same colour as this and he wanted me to maintain the body work. The car was immaculate because if he found anything wrong he wanted it fixed. What a fantastic car it was.
Thank you for sharing this. I grew up in Zurich Switzerland and my mothers cousin had a 130 sedan. It was silver with grey velour seats and automatic transmission. I remember as a 10 year old, it had a tiny black shift knob, lots of wood and red lights in the doors. It was such a treat to get a ride with it. My parents only had a white 1972 Datsun Sunny 1200 with black vinyl seats.
As a child travelling in Europe with my parents in 1977, I saw several of these and fell in love with their clean, nimble beauty. Nearly 50 years later I have found the same feeling again from this video.
I certainly remember the Fiat 130 coupe. I did my apprenticeship in a large Fiat dealership in the seventies and working on them, one the bosses had one as his personal car. The dealership was run by a family and all their cars were parked in the workshop in strict order - Aston Martin DB8 - Jaguar 4.2c - Ferrari Dino 246GTS - Fiat 130 coupè. Happy memories.
The 130 Coupe is a stunning design and this example is in the perfect spec. The 130 Coupe, Gamma Coupe, Ferrari 365/400/412 and even the Peugeot 604 have this lovely 1970s PF style to them.
It is a wonderful thing to hear the two great names-Mr. Tyrell and Mr. Croft in the same sentence. Two great giants in the classic Italian motorcar world! Guy Croft fabricated a bespoke engine for my Fiat 124 Spider. It was a true pleasure to work with him. He is truly missed! As was done with my car, I am sure, Iain, this owner was provided with a wealth of documentation regarding the work,done to this 130. Guy was meticulous and forthcoming with his communication to his customers. Thank you!
This car has a lot in common with the Lancia Gamma coupe, and the Ferrari 400, in terms of external and interior styling. The father of this car, the 130 sedan is probably even rarer than the coupe, particularly in the UK, and I cannot think I have ever seen more than 1 other manual, as most had the GM slushmatic 3 speed auto if memory serves. Martin Buckley ( a Lancia loving motoring journalist) had a blue 130 sedan, which he realised gave him 8mpg with the aircon switched on, described his as either the thirstiest slow car he ever drove, or the slowest thirsty car, and he couldn't decide which. I think that was a quote from LJK Setright describing some kind of Jensen Interceptor, either the FF or the SP.
We guys will never grow up!! I am 71 and this video brought the hooligan out in me. I had a 1964 Triumph 2000 mk1 when I was a telecom tech apprentice with the twin resonator exhaust. It also sounded quite good on the road, especially between buildings and it had that nice rumbling sound when reversing into a garage.
Thank you for highlighting this wonderful grand tourer. Another lovely coupe I'm an admirer of is the Lancia Gamma Coupe. Both are drop-dead gorgeous and rare as hen's teeth.
When I was still at school in about 1984 or there abouts, there was one of these wonderful things that would occasionally cruise through the local high street, a village called Stalham in Norfolk as it happens. But even at such a slow speed the thing sounded fabulous.
Enjoyed the vdo a lot. When I was 18 (47 years ago) I was a mechanic at Fiat and there were a few of these 130 coupes regularly in the garage. They weren't well put together and as you said, you could watch them rust. I remember them being temperamental too but everything was forgiven, or tolerated, because they were so beautiful and elegant. Of course they were, they're Italian. The carb was an odd choice, especially considering the two duel choke webbers they decided to bolted onto the 1600 124 sc. The main thing I recall though was how no-one could ever fathom out why the were so prohibitively expensive. It was if they just didn't want to sell them.
I really appreciate the walk down memory lane with you. I was lucky enough to test drive a 130 Coupe back in 1979 , and it remains one of my favourite cars of the period. I still have my original sales brochures of the 130 saloon and coupe.
It's nice to see Ian share his fond memories of one of his first cars. Honestly, FIAT's have been imported in the US all during the 19070's but i didn't remember this car. Some other commenters stated that the coupe was never imported. That may be true. I have to admit that i love the boxy styling and long horizontal headlamps. I can see why the Rolls Royce Caramgue was styled after this car. It's just beautiful.
Bellissima. FIAT then had an extraordinary one range of cars, which ranged from 500 to 130 passing through 127, 128, 124, 125, X1/9, Dino, often declined in sedan, coupe, spider. All with fantastic engines
Reminds me of the full size Maserati cars of the same era...De Tomaso also had a similar looking car too...When i was in school as a young boy in the late 60s one of the lady teachers had a small fiat fastback sports car with pinanfarina badges on the sides...it was a beutiful little car...The 60s was the golden era for sports cars...cheers...
My father's friend had a Fiat 130 in blue, I remember seeing it sat outside our house in 1976, amazing. He sold it and bought a Citroen SM, I thought he was so cool and his cars amazing
Dear Mr. Tyrell. The sound in the old warehouse is simply the best sound I have heard in many years. Thank you for still being a sound lover! Around 1985 I could have bought the same model in the same color and with yellow headlights. Unfortunately, I did not take the chance. I could still kick myself in the butt.... This post is a pleasure and cheered me up at the right time. Thank you for this
Not much use thinking of what could have been, I was once offered a Ferrari Dino for 8 million lire by a friend of my mom, in decent condition but needed to be looked over as it hadn't run in a few years, would have needed fluids, probably some seals, new tires, at minimum but no one knew as it had just sat in a garage. I was too chicken then and didn't go for it, I was 18yo and the 8 mill would have been all my money for quite some time.
I live in Australia and in 1982 I bought a 2nd hand 131s manual wagon { You call them estates } and it was the most fun car to drive. I wish I never sold it. But the 130 was my dream car, at the time. I think we only had the autos here. Loved your video. It bought back some nice memories. Cheers.
I saw a silver one in Riyadh in 1999 covered in dust and sand. It had done only 9,000 kms abandoned in a hotel car park. It was still there in 2010 when I went back to work there again. It’s probably still there. A truly lovely car
I was a professional car photographer when this car was introduced and I shot one in grey metallic back then, working with the wonderful and sadly missed Sue Baker who wrote the copy. It was SO elegant from every angle and drove beautifully. This is a great video, Iain, as I've always thought that the car never got the attention it deserved . . . probably because they all rusted away so quickly like most Italian cars back then.
21:24 After Iain's extensive build up of what to expect of the throaty exhaust note, I wasn't disappointed. Had to hear it again with headphones. Glorious!
There was a FIAT dealership in the Lanarkshire village where I grew up in the 70's. I remember seeing one of these there. I also met Graham Hill there when he unveiled the Mirafiori!
I don't know if you read your comments but you should! You truly should read this. At 18:33 you mentioned one of my heroes LJK Setright. I'm not even British. I'm just a guy in Miami that digested everything he wrote in CAR magazine and I want you to know that at least one person on this platform is aware of his love of long wheelbase rear drive cars and in particular the Fiat 130 and the German BITTER coupe. That rear drive long wheelbase addiction was the very essence of his soul. What a blast from the past for you to mention this legendary journalist. And listening to you, that most erudite and glamorous remark you made at 19:10 "I had a slight altercation with a very fixed lamp post" reminds me of the best of the understated British humour in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of CAR magazine where they commented on Audi's convertible then new pop up head restraint system saying "for when your monied passengers suffer the indignity of being inverted" ... CLASSIC! Thank you for having this channel and for existing.
Iain, I share your passion for the 130. The Fiat Dino Coupes are also high on my list of desirability. I love these quirky cars that came out and are probably under the radar to a lot of people. As ever, your passion and knowledge is obvious.
I have fallen in love with one of this cars predecessors, the Fiat 2300S Abarth, beautiful lines and with I think a Lampredi designed Straight Six and almost affordable, I’m saving up! Might make an interesting follow up feature? 😀
I have always loved this car since day one (there were some of them in my hometown Geneva at that time). Thank you very much to give it a chance to be known by a larger audience. You're the best!
My late uncle had one of these, the sound was glorious and it was such a beautiful car to look at. It is the one classic car that I would have much higher quality bespoke enamel metal badges made for to get rid of the cheap ones that it comes with. Keep the originals in a box for completeness but have some beautiful cast and enamel ones replace it. The car deserves it!
Amazing how cheap the v12 jag was in 72. I remember the 130 coupe in the dealership when I was a kid. We use to collect brochures. I had 130 plus many others. Still have the original xj6, land rover series 3 and range rover ones I picked up then.
My uncle has two of these old fiats in his barn , he used to run a fiat / Lancia dealership that closed in the late 70`s , one of the 130`s has only 242 miles on it and still has the plastic on the seats !
Love most Pininfarina cars. I owned a 1.9 205 GTI bought new in 1989. I’ve always loved the simple but beautiful lines of the 130. Interior is fantastic, no car manufacturers these days would put orange seats in their cars. Most are all boring black.
I have spent a career in the Automotive business. I could spend days enjoying this man speak. I have enjoyed driving a sleeper, it is nice to get out of traffic and enjoy driving on an open road.
Always adored these cars, fabulous machines. Nice to hear the late Leonard Setright mentioned, it’s been a long time since I heard his name! I remember in your video of the Camargue that you mentioned the similarities between the designs and specifically the interiors, it would be nice to see an Iain Tyrrell ‘short’ video on that connection. Another example of a high quality video, which you do so well Iain.
Wonderful. Thank you as always. That Pininfarina design has all the timeless elegance of a Chanel suit. In this part of the world, whenever one of these cars came on the market, the Arthur Dailey dealer would claim it had a "Ferrari engine". I knew someone who owned one and believed it. Somehow I never thought it would be right to disabuse him. But (anorak point) Lampredi's 1968 Fiat twin-cam 124 Sport was not quite the first production engine with a toothed-belt driven camshaft. I believe that honour belongs to the Glas GT of late 1964, closely followed by the 1966 model year Pontiac tempest, which offered a 3.8L OHC straight 6.
Absolutely enjoyable, as always! That's a fine vehicle indeed. Just a note to the video editor: Please, let us enjoy at least one take of car acceleration with the onboard camera. It's very nice to hear how the engine at full chat sounds like from the inside, especially something with an intake sound like this 130.
L J K Setright .Wonderful erudite motoring journalist . Wrote for Car magazine ,for many years , together with ‘Steady’ Barker and Phil Llewelyn . All long gone but memorable motoring journalists .
Great video 👍 As ljk setright once noted that Yamaha make musical instruments and the fact their 2 stroke engine's performed so well was of no coincidence.
@@simonelliott5956 I think from memory he played the clarinet to a very high standard too. A very talented man, and still very much missed along with his colleague Phil Llewellin.
@@mrdainase Yes I seem to remember that too, spent most of my career in audio, but although I saw him holding court at the odd show, I was too low down the pecking order to have met him personally, although I know a few journalists that worked with him over the years.
Great video and brings back many good memories....I place these in the same category as a Ferrari 400-412i...that understated plushness that I find very appealing. ;o)
Also fourty years ago : I was a boy at the age of twelve and already car crazy. Every summer we went on holidays to the posh seaside resort of Knokke-Le Zoute in Belgium. (Me being from Antwerp, Belgium). There was a sort of walk through gallery which was a short cut to go to the beach. In that gallery Fiat cars were exposed some six or seven in a row. I remember even the brand new smell of them when I admired the 850 coupé and spider, the 'normal' four door 130 and this masterpiece (in metallic middle grey) the 130 coupé. That was certainly my favourite. Thank you for that trip down memory lane!
Always loved the 130 coupe since I first saw one new in a Fiat dealer showroom on Sydney’s north shore when they were first released. About ten years later, I test drove a white one for sale at prestige car dealer in Sydney’s inner west - it had that orange interior. Such a lovely car to drive and so elegant. Not hugely expensive at the time, but still beyond my means then, sadly. At least I can say I’ve driven one and it did sound glorious!
Always loved the shape of the 130 Coupe....the C pillar area is soooo Ferrari 400i. Pininfarina excellence. I am glad that you did the last video clip, so that we could hear the engine Iain. The exterior on the road shots sounded like the bottom end was shot (knocking). Just a quirk of the go-pro recording I guess as it sounded healthy in the warehouse.
I bought my first Fiat a 1200 estate, in 1972 . What impressed me as a mechanic was the engineering, for a pushrod engine that produced app 70bhp, side draught twin choke solex carb, proper suspension and disc brakes. The performance and sound were impressive. Over the years I have owned a lot of Fiat's, 124 coupe 1800, mirafiori sports 2ltr two door Mirafiori super estate 2ltr Mirafiori 1600 pushrod estate and two 2ltr Chromas, Nuovo cinquecento's the 124s all sounded wonderful especially in tunnels or passing through walled roads. at this moment in time I have a 124specialt a twenty years old punto and a Tipo 1400.
Last time I saw one of these exotic masterpieces it was being broken by Demolition Autos (now DA Autoparts) in Dumfries. This was some time around 1985. It saddened me then and has stuck with me for nearly 40 years.
In my humble opinion a 6 cylinder is the most wonderful sounding engine. You can hear there’s something special going on yet it never screams for attention. The gentleman of engines indeed. Thank you for yet another very informative and lovely documentary.
It is wonderful listening to your personal attachments to specific cars of your youth, mine was an 82 alfetta GTV6 in gunmetal grey. It was my first ever car I owned and frequently think about buying one back.
Splendid video of an almost unknown Fiat. I was a salesman at a small Fiat dealership in Somerset in the late 1970’s. The boss did club rallies (with a 124 Abarth Spider) and needed a tow ‘barge’ to transport it to events. They happened to have a written off 130 Coupe. So one of our brilliant mechanics took the engine from the 130, mated it to a 5 speed manual box and fitted this into a Ford Transit mini-bus. I was one of the first to drive it up the road. Amazing vehicle and an excellent showcase for the dealership. I have been a Fiat fan ever since - v happy days.
Blimey what a majestic magnificent sound once warmed up, just wow, delicious! What a treat! Thank you so much again for the profound off the scale elaboration on not only the car but on the particular industry at the time and the deep stories behind them. The 130 genuinely does look quite understated indeed but there she is..., once taken care of and with engine upgrades, a brilliant magnificent subtle treasure to be hold. Fantastic!
It's always a leap of faith getting back into a car that you haven't driven for forty years. I bought a "sorted" Jaguar XJ6 coupe about four years ago. I hadn't driven a series 2 since 1982, but I remember that the road-holding was far superior to contemporary saloons at the time. I've probably put 1500 miles on this coupe and, nostalgia apart, I don''t enjoy it one bit. Vague, sloppy, over-assisted steering, under-geared and generally hard work. It sits in the garage now. Unfairly, I expected too much of it.
A workmate of mine in West Australia had one in the early '80s. I can remember 4 of us, I was the lightest at 88 kgs, traveling at over 100mph on a highway from Kalgooelie to Perth. Effortless and very comfortable. I fell in love with it and have lusted after one ever since...
In my car park, a Swiss gentleman has stored a gunmetal grey Fiat 130 coupe, a black Citroen DS 21 Pallas and another grey Peugeot 504 coupe which he all uses as daily drivers. I applaud that man for his tremendous style in cars every time I see him.
Swiss are the best
Schwizer sind di Beschte 😎
@@Inazuma68 die netten Leute aus dr Schwiz sind mir grundsätzlich extrem sympathisch ;) besonders die mit gutem Geschmack
That gentleman has exquisite taste, indeed! Out of the three gems, the 504 coupe would be the one I'd lust after most, personally.
and it's actually the one of the three which is in the best condition. they are all well maintained and loved, but the 504 looks like it just came out of the factory and it has never been restored
Great choices 👍 Excellent taste.
Iain matching his trousers to the upholstery is going above and beyond
At least this time he didn't have an 'accidents' prior to filming
😅😅😅
Thank goodness he wasn’t reviewing a BMW with white oyster leather.
Underrated comment 😂😂😂
very witty !
These quirky Italian coupes alway make my heart jump.. Blaming my dad for this defect, because of his taste, driving cars like this and a Lancia Gamma Coupe when I was a young..
Well, it was already evident you are a man of impeccable taste, Mr. Tyrrell, and your fondness for the Fiat 130 only confirms that! As you've pointed out, it had the wrong badge and the timing of its release was unfortunate, but it sure is the finest car Fiat has ever made. A thing of beauty that would have deserved much more success.
Dear Matteo. Good to see you here! What happened to your video about the fiat 130? For me it is no longer available. It's a shame because I simply love watching it, even more so now that I managed to acquire one of the only 5 units of the 130 Coupé that arrived in Brazil, all in 1974. Just two of which survived and mine is the most original and complete (with manual transmission, by the way)
happy to see you here Mr Roadster Life!
For me as someone from the continent (Switzerland), it has a very tasteful feel when an Englishman reviews an Italian car: Someone who knows something about being fair describes the uniqueness when Italian engineering meets quality. I think Mr Tyrrell is a good example of how deep inside every English petrolhead is a lover of Italian cars.
That is very kind, thank you!
I loved this comment ! As an Englishman, I do see the qualities of an MG, or a Triumph, or a Jaguar, and I've owned a few of them over the years. BUT......they just don't have the same driving experience . The car I've got now and will never part with is a FIAT 124 Spider ! So much better than its English equivalents.
I would bet my bottom dollar those seats like the ones in a Mercedes featured on the channel are 400 million times more comfortable and welcoming that a leather seat. Love the car and that interior is just something else.
Rolls Royce seats
As usual, thanks to the owner for letting us all ride along in this fantastic car. You just shared it with 25,000 or so grateful people.
115,000 now :)
I had two of these. Had one then I went ahead and bought a second! The second was that blue. So many fun trips. I drove it 600 miles to my parent's home in outback Australia and back. Three up. Luggage. High speed. Fantastic ride. Easy. I want another one please.
My grandfather ran a fiat dealership and he had a chocolate brown one in circa ‘74 followed by a blue one. The blue one came along after our red setter ate the interior of the brown one! Stunning car.
Your dog had great taste!
wow, I never thought I would see a fiat130 featured in this channel. As an Italian I am quite fond of these cars... I am also surprised about how the design is actually more pleasant now, than it was 50 years ago. Really good job they did there.
It reminds me of the Ferarri 400i in it's styling.
"Well here I am ensconced in several acres of 1970s bright orange dralon, and loving every second of it".
Never before were these words combined, and rarely could be found a more delicious sentence.
Iain, I salute you. Excellent video, too (as always). Bravo!
So true !
The first time I came across the 130 was in a Motor magazine road test around 1973. I remember just staring at the photos not believing this stunning car could possibly be a FIAT. It still looks incredible today.
I have known of the Fiat 130 be it coupe and/or sedan since I was around 14. I am
63 now. I have owned a metallic blue 3.2,sedan in the past, while my brother has 2 coupes and 2 sedans. Such an under-rated but superb car. Values are slowly rising for the best examples these days, as they should.
What’s interesting with the example in Iain’s shop is that it has 3 carbs and is a manual. Most 130s were autos. i have never seen a 3 carb setup on a 130, from the factory they only came with one carburettor.
What a magnificent engine/induction and exhaust sound this particular car makes. Thankyou Iain 😁, and yes Guy Croft was so good at his job.
Loved hearing the name of Leonard Setright after so long. My favourite motoring journalist bar none. His writing was of literary quality, his humour dry and his passion for cars unquestionable.
I used to buy Car magazine just for LJKS...
Although he was a bit over the top in his praise for Bristols!
@@markpink Haha yes he did like those but luckily enough, I do too! I had the pleasure of meeting Tony Crook once at the London showroom. I was early for an appointment in the area and was killing time looking in the window when he came outside and invited me in. I said I didn't want to waste his time as I was not a likely customer to which he replied he was retired but "they're kind enough to let me hang around the shop". He then proceed to delight me with some amazing stories and even took me down to their basement parking to show me some of their hidden gems. An unforgettable experience for me overall. What a charming and delightful man.
Looks like a Ford Cortina Mk.2 at the rear? My Dad had a 131 SuperMirafiori and that was a great car! 👍🏻
I owned one of these cars in Dublin for several years and loved it. It was silver with blue interior. It caused me little or no trouble other than the carb icing up as I had converted it to run on car gas due to a petrol shortage. A weak point was the timing belt which required very frequent changing to avoid catastrophic engine damage. Fuel lines close to the carb also needed attention due to heat, which left unattended failed and caught fire. There was also a 130 saloon which shared the same chassis and drive train but was made by Fiat themselves. Rust was the dreaded enemy and unfortunately robbed me of a superb car.
When I was living in Bologna, Italy, studying medicine and teaching English to a local "professore", his car was a Fiat 130 coupe, also in blue. It was an automatic and we went out a few times. Awesome machine. Thanks for the memories.
Fantastic to see the 130 coupe on the road - I remember walking at lunch time from work in Leicester in the 1970's down Blackbird Rd. where a Fiat dealership was located to see a Blue / Black 130 coupe holding pride of place in the showroom - Mesmerized to see this beauty in the flesh - I couldn't believe it was a Fiat and to this day - I'm now retired - I spent a good 10 minutes walking round it and later told my dad - a dyed in the wool Rover / Jag man what a great looking motor I had seen .He scoffed at the idea that any Fiat could garner such adulation but I've carried that picture in my head all these years since - Brilliant
Thank you so much! I turned 50 this year - my Father had a silver over blue 130 and a Lancia Gamma Coupe and Saloon. Brings back so many memories sitting in the back with ABBA on the cassette player!
I have been waiting and waiting for this to be featured, one of my all time underrated favourites
@John Smith a poorly constructed sentence on my part. One of my all-time favourite cars, that is underrated.
Back in 1985 I started subcontracting to a car body and sprayshop. The owner had one of these cars along with around 5 or 6 others that he used for parts. His main car was the same colour as this and he wanted me to maintain the body work. The car was immaculate because if he found anything wrong he wanted it fixed. What a fantastic car it was.
Thank you for sharing this. I grew up in Zurich Switzerland and my mothers cousin had a 130 sedan. It was silver with grey velour seats and automatic transmission. I remember as a 10 year old, it had a tiny black shift knob, lots of wood and red lights in the doors. It was such a treat to get a ride with it. My parents only had a white 1972 Datsun Sunny 1200 with black vinyl seats.
Saw one parked up in Blackpool a few years back. What a great looking machine. It was light blue metallic. Never knew they existed up to that point.
As a child travelling in Europe with my parents in 1977, I saw several of these and fell in love with their clean, nimble beauty. Nearly 50 years later I have found the same feeling again from this video.
I certainly remember the Fiat 130 coupe. I did my apprenticeship in a large Fiat dealership in the seventies and working on them, one the bosses had one as his personal car. The dealership was run by a family and all their cars were parked in the workshop in strict order - Aston Martin DB8 - Jaguar 4.2c - Ferrari Dino 246GTS - Fiat 130 coupè. Happy memories.
There's a couple of things I love of this job : One is the 130 V6 coupè, of course. And the other is that British countryside panorama.
Don;t know about unknown - been my favourite coupe since late 80's when I saw one parked up. I too was 19!
The 130 Coupe is a stunning design and this example is in the perfect spec. The 130 Coupe, Gamma Coupe, Ferrari 365/400/412 and even the Peugeot 604 have this lovely 1970s PF style to them.
God I love these types of episodes on Mr. Tyrrell's channel
I HAD A FIAT 132 SEDAN 4 DOOR WITH THOSE RIMS AND THAT COLOUR 1979 LOVED THE CAR ELECTRIC WINDOWS , 2.0 DOHC
It is a wonderful thing to hear the two great names-Mr. Tyrell and Mr. Croft in the same sentence. Two great giants in the classic Italian motorcar world! Guy Croft fabricated a bespoke engine for my Fiat 124 Spider. It was a true pleasure to work with him. He is truly missed! As was done with my car, I am sure, Iain, this owner was provided with a wealth of documentation regarding the work,done to this 130. Guy was meticulous and forthcoming with his communication to his customers. Thank you!
This car has a lot in common with the Lancia Gamma coupe, and the Ferrari 400, in terms of external and interior styling. The father of this car, the 130 sedan is probably even rarer than the coupe, particularly in the UK, and I cannot think I have ever seen more than 1 other manual, as most had the GM slushmatic 3 speed auto if memory serves. Martin Buckley ( a Lancia loving motoring journalist) had a blue 130 sedan, which he realised gave him 8mpg with the aircon switched on, described his as either the thirstiest slow car he ever drove, or the slowest thirsty car, and he couldn't decide which. I think that was a quote from LJK Setright describing some kind of Jensen Interceptor, either the FF or the SP.
We guys will never grow up!! I am 71 and this video brought the hooligan out in me. I had a 1964 Triumph 2000 mk1 when I was a telecom tech apprentice with the twin resonator exhaust. It also sounded quite good on the road, especially between buildings and it had that nice rumbling sound when reversing into a garage.
Thank you for highlighting this wonderful grand tourer. Another lovely coupe I'm an admirer of is the Lancia Gamma Coupe. Both are drop-dead gorgeous and rare as hen's teeth.
When I was still at school in about 1984 or there abouts, there was one of these wonderful things that would occasionally cruise through the local high street, a village called Stalham in Norfolk as it happens. But even at such a slow speed the thing sounded fabulous.
Enjoyed the vdo a lot. When I was 18 (47 years ago) I was a mechanic at Fiat and there were a few of these 130 coupes regularly in the garage. They weren't well put together and as you said, you could watch them rust. I remember them being temperamental too but everything was forgiven, or tolerated, because they were so beautiful and elegant. Of course they were, they're Italian.
The carb was an odd choice, especially considering the two duel choke webbers they decided to bolted onto the 1600 124 sc. The main thing I recall though was how no-one could ever fathom out why the were so prohibitively expensive. It was if they just didn't want to sell them.
I really appreciate the walk down memory lane with you. I was lucky enough to test drive a 130 Coupe back in 1979 , and it remains one of my favourite cars of the period. I still have my original sales brochures of the 130 saloon and coupe.
The first cambelt car was the Glas ( Later owner of the company was BMW ) in 1962 , they build nice cars and they have a small V8 Coupé
It's nice to see Ian share his fond memories of one of his first cars. Honestly, FIAT's have been imported in the US all during the 19070's but i didn't remember this car. Some other commenters stated that the coupe was never imported. That may be true. I have to admit that i love the boxy styling and long horizontal headlamps. I can see why the Rolls Royce Caramgue was styled after this car. It's just beautiful.
Regrettably, neither 130, sedan or coupe, were ever imported into the US. The Pinnifarina styling is very apparent.
Bellissima.
FIAT then had an extraordinary one
range of cars, which ranged from 500 to 130 passing through 127, 128, 124, 125, X1/9, Dino, often declined in sedan, coupe, spider. All with fantastic engines
"but what I have found is an empty warehouse" 😂🤣 Brilliant video as always, thanks Ian for taking the time 👌
Reminds me of the full size Maserati cars of the same era...De Tomaso also had a similar looking car too...When i was in school as a young boy in the late 60s one of the lady teachers had a small fiat fastback sports car with pinanfarina badges on the sides...it was a beutiful little car...The 60s was the golden era for sports cars...cheers...
I need to hear that sound in person. This video surely sounds delicious, but I'm afraid it won't do it any justice.
I love the restrained beauty of these. I saw a silver one with a red interior recently and it was stunning.
My father's friend had a Fiat 130 in blue, I remember seeing it sat outside our house in 1976, amazing. He sold it and bought a Citroen SM, I thought he was so cool and his cars amazing
The design of the car has aged beautifully. Clean and simple. Timeless.
Dear Mr. Tyrell. The sound in the old warehouse is simply the best sound I have heard in many years. Thank you for still being a sound lover! Around 1985 I could have bought the same model in the same color and with yellow headlights. Unfortunately, I did not take the chance. I could still kick myself in the butt.... This post is a pleasure and cheered me up at the right time. Thank you for this
Not much use thinking of what could have been, I was once offered a Ferrari Dino for 8 million lire by a friend of my mom, in decent condition but needed to be looked over as it hadn't run in a few years, would have needed fluids, probably some seals, new tires, at minimum but no one knew as it had just sat in a garage. I was too chicken then and didn't go for it, I was 18yo and the 8 mill would have been all my money for quite some time.
Always loved the 130 - seldom seen but always in awe
I love Sundays, first Harry posts and then Iain. Brilliant car Iain, thanks for the tour.
I live in Australia and in 1982 I bought a 2nd hand 131s manual wagon { You call them estates } and it was the most fun car to drive. I wish I never sold it. But the 130 was my dream car, at the time. I think we only had the autos here. Loved your video. It bought back some nice memories. Cheers.
I saw a silver one in Riyadh in 1999 covered in dust and sand. It had done only 9,000 kms abandoned in a hotel car park. It was still there in 2010 when I went back to work there again. It’s probably still there. A truly lovely car
I tell you, it's not easy to get a smile on my face from a video, but that sound, that exhaust, wow, or like we say in germany : geil.
I was a professional car photographer when this car was introduced and I shot one in grey metallic back then, working with the wonderful and sadly missed Sue Baker who wrote the copy. It was SO elegant from every angle and drove beautifully. This is a great video, Iain, as I've always thought that the car never got the attention it deserved . . . probably because they all rusted away so quickly like most Italian cars back then.
21:24 After Iain's extensive build up of what to expect of the throaty exhaust note, I wasn't disappointed. Had to hear it again with headphones. Glorious!
How right you are to feature this car - in the 1970s I regarded it as wonderfully understated and elegant car. Thank you. This is a great example.
Congratulations for this fascinating story and the way it is told. I am clearly Italian and listening to this makes me a bit nostalgic.
There was a FIAT dealership in the Lanarkshire village where I grew up in the 70's. I remember seeing one of these there. I also met Graham Hill there when he unveiled the Mirafiori!
I always thought my X1/9 with a stock exhaust and 85hp sounded amazing too. Fiat really knew how to make an exhaust note sound amazing
My favourite Fiat bar none.
My favourite Fiat ber tone.
I don't know if you read your comments but you should! You truly should read this. At 18:33 you mentioned one of my heroes LJK Setright. I'm not even British. I'm just a guy in Miami that digested everything he wrote in CAR magazine and I want you to know that at least one person on this platform is aware of his love of long wheelbase rear drive cars and in particular the Fiat 130 and the German BITTER coupe. That rear drive long wheelbase addiction was the very essence of his soul. What a blast from the past for you to mention this legendary journalist.
And listening to you, that most erudite and glamorous remark you made at 19:10 "I had a slight altercation with a very fixed lamp post" reminds me of the best of the understated British humour in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of CAR magazine where they commented on Audi's convertible then new pop up head restraint system saying "for when your monied passengers suffer the indignity of being inverted" ... CLASSIC! Thank you for having this channel and for existing.
Iain, I share your passion for the 130. The Fiat Dino Coupes are also high on my list of desirability. I love these quirky cars that came out and are probably under the radar to a lot of people.
As ever, your passion and knowledge is obvious.
Car SOS and wheeler dealers both worked on Dino coupe ,SOS a basket case and wd with a long stored low mileage car.
@@jamesbaker429 Salvage Hunters:Classic Cars restored a blue 130 Coupe.
I have fallen in love with one of this cars predecessors, the Fiat 2300S Abarth, beautiful lines and with I think a Lampredi designed Straight Six and almost affordable, I’m saving up! Might make an interesting follow up feature? 😀
I have always loved this car since day one (there were some of them in my hometown Geneva at that time). Thank you very much to give it a chance to be known by a larger audience. You're the best!
Fabulous. Family friend had one when I was a kid and I thought it was the coolest thing. Such understated style. Excellent video, thanks very much
My late uncle had one of these, the sound was glorious and it was such a beautiful car to look at. It is the one classic car that I would have much higher quality bespoke enamel metal badges made for to get rid of the cheap ones that it comes with. Keep the originals in a box for completeness but have some beautiful cast and enamel ones replace it. The car deserves it!
Amazing how cheap the v12 jag was in 72. I remember the 130 coupe in the dealership when I was a kid. We use to collect brochures. I had 130 plus many others. Still have the original xj6, land rover series 3 and range rover ones I picked up then.
Certainly heard of this beauty - the 130 saloon was equally jaw-dropping.
The ultimative Mafia sedan!
My uncle has two of these old fiats in his barn , he used to run a fiat / Lancia dealership that closed in the late 70`s , one of the 130`s has only 242 miles on it and still has the plastic on the seats !
What a gem! The warehouse sound test was a really nice addition to the video to.
Used to work on these buggers many yrs ago, used to love to tune that engine, incredibly heavy cars though.
Charming looks and an interior layout that can only be described as brilliantly beautiful.
Love most Pininfarina cars. I owned a 1.9 205 GTI bought new in 1989. I’ve always loved the simple but beautiful lines of the 130. Interior is fantastic, no car manufacturers these days would put orange seats in their cars. Most are all boring black.
Very rare machine. Nice to see tyres with a decent depth of sidewall again too.
I have spent a career in the Automotive business. I could spend days enjoying this man speak. I have enjoyed driving a sleeper, it is nice to get out of traffic and enjoy driving on an open road.
Always adored these cars, fabulous machines. Nice to hear the late Leonard Setright mentioned, it’s been a long time since I heard his name! I remember in your video of the Camargue that you mentioned the similarities between the designs and specifically the interiors, it would be nice to see an Iain Tyrrell ‘short’ video on that connection. Another example of a high quality video, which you do so well Iain.
Always enjoyed LJK's column in Car magazine.
@@stonkr Loved small Honda Coupés, allegedly the first to coin the "Supercar" attribute and admirer of ZZ Top (or is that just my imagination?)
@@stonkr I followed him in Bike magazine. Brilliant journalist.
LJK’s book ‘Drive On!’ is a classic
Wonderful. Thank you as always. That Pininfarina design has all the timeless elegance of a Chanel suit. In this part of the world, whenever one of these cars came on the market, the Arthur Dailey dealer would claim it had a "Ferrari engine". I knew someone who owned one and believed it. Somehow I never thought it would be right to disabuse him. But (anorak point) Lampredi's 1968 Fiat twin-cam 124 Sport was not quite the first production engine with a toothed-belt driven camshaft. I believe that honour belongs to the Glas GT of late 1964, closely followed by the 1966 model year Pontiac tempest, which offered a 3.8L OHC straight 6.
"...ensconced in acres of 1970's Draylon."
Really enjoy watching and listening to Ian's emotive and insightful videos every time! Thanks
Absolutely enjoyable, as always! That's a fine vehicle indeed.
Just a note to the video editor: Please, let us enjoy at least one take of car acceleration with the onboard camera. It's very nice to hear how the engine at full chat sounds like from the inside, especially something with an intake sound like this 130.
L J K Setright .Wonderful erudite motoring journalist . Wrote for Car magazine ,for many years , together with ‘Steady’ Barker and Phil Llewelyn . All long gone but memorable motoring journalists .
I’ll potter when Harry’s Garage is on but when it’s time for ITCW I’m stopped and in the zone 😍
My uncle had one in Italy … soooo classy.. was a real head turner when I was lucky enough to enjoy a ride in it ❤
It's always been a favourite of mine. Superb, stunning, stylish looks
One of my favorite ever car designs.
Great video 👍 As ljk setright once noted that Yamaha make musical instruments and the fact their 2 stroke engine's performed so well was of no coincidence.
People forget that LJKS was also a respected Hi-Fi and music reviewer & writer as well as a motoring journalist. A very interesting and talented man.
@@simonelliott5956 I think from memory he played the clarinet to a very high standard too. A very talented man, and still very much missed along with his colleague Phil Llewellin.
@@mrdainase Yes I seem to remember that too, spent most of my career in audio, but although I saw him holding court at the odd show, I was too low down the pecking order to have met him personally, although I know a few journalists that worked with him over the years.
Great video and brings back many good memories....I place these in the same category as a Ferrari 400-412i...that understated plushness that I find very appealing. ;o)
I remember a writer for Classic and Sportscar had quite an obsession with these 130's as well as Lancia Flaminias.
Also fourty years ago : I was a boy at the age of twelve and already car crazy. Every summer we went on holidays to the posh seaside resort of Knokke-Le Zoute in Belgium. (Me being from Antwerp, Belgium). There was a sort of walk through gallery which was a short cut to go to the beach. In that gallery Fiat cars were exposed some six or seven in a row. I remember even the brand new smell of them when I admired the 850 coupé and spider, the 'normal' four door 130 and this masterpiece (in metallic middle grey) the 130 coupé. That was certainly my favourite. Thank you for that trip down memory lane!
Always loved the 130 coupe since I first saw one new in a Fiat dealer showroom on Sydney’s north shore when they were first released. About ten years later, I test drove a white one for sale at prestige car dealer in Sydney’s inner west - it had that orange interior. Such a lovely car to drive and so elegant. Not hugely expensive at the time, but still beyond my means then, sadly. At least I can say I’ve driven one and it did sound glorious!
Always loved the shape of the 130 Coupe....the C pillar area is soooo Ferrari 400i. Pininfarina excellence.
I am glad that you did the last video clip, so that we could hear the engine Iain.
The exterior on the road shots sounded like the bottom end was shot (knocking). Just a quirk of the go-pro recording I guess as it sounded healthy in the warehouse.
I have waited for this car to appear on your channel. My dream classic alongside with the ser1 xj6 that i had in my youth . A good one ,thank you.
I bought my first Fiat a 1200 estate, in 1972 . What impressed me as a mechanic was the engineering, for a pushrod engine that produced app 70bhp, side draught twin choke solex carb, proper suspension and disc brakes. The performance and sound were impressive. Over the years I have owned a lot of Fiat's, 124 coupe 1800, mirafiori sports 2ltr two door Mirafiori super estate 2ltr Mirafiori 1600 pushrod estate and two 2ltr Chromas, Nuovo cinquecento's the 124s all sounded wonderful especially in tunnels or passing through walled roads. at this moment in time I have a 124specialt a twenty years old punto and a Tipo 1400.
Last time I saw one of these exotic masterpieces it was being broken by Demolition Autos (now DA Autoparts) in Dumfries. This was some time around 1985. It saddened me then and has stuck with me for nearly 40 years.
Not only have I heard of the 130 Fiat coupe , but I’m lucky enough to have driven a few, along with the 130 Fiat Saloon.
Ah yes LJK Setright from that golden era of George Bishop, Russell Bulgin et al - a magical age of motoring journalism…
In my humble opinion a 6 cylinder is the most wonderful sounding engine. You can hear there’s something special going on yet it never screams for attention. The gentleman of engines indeed. Thank you for yet another very informative and lovely documentary.
It is wonderful listening to your personal attachments to specific cars of your youth, mine was an 82 alfetta GTV6 in gunmetal grey. It was my first ever car I owned and frequently think about buying one back.
Splendid video of an almost unknown Fiat. I was a salesman at a small Fiat dealership in Somerset in the late 1970’s. The boss did club rallies (with a 124 Abarth Spider) and needed a tow ‘barge’ to transport it to events. They happened to have a written off 130 Coupe. So one of our brilliant mechanics took the engine from the 130, mated it to a 5 speed manual box and fitted this into a Ford Transit mini-bus. I was one of the first to drive it up the road. Amazing vehicle and an excellent showcase for the dealership. I have been a Fiat fan ever since - v happy days.
Blimey what a majestic magnificent sound once warmed up, just wow, delicious! What a treat! Thank you so much again for the profound off the scale elaboration on not only the car but on the particular industry at the time and the deep stories behind them. The 130 genuinely does look quite understated indeed but there she is..., once taken care of and with engine upgrades, a brilliant magnificent subtle treasure to be hold. Fantastic!
It's always a leap of faith getting back into a car that you haven't driven for forty years. I bought a "sorted" Jaguar XJ6 coupe about four years ago. I hadn't driven a series 2 since 1982, but I remember that the road-holding was far superior to contemporary saloons at the time. I've probably put 1500 miles on this coupe and, nostalgia apart, I don''t enjoy it one bit. Vague, sloppy, over-assisted steering, under-geared and generally hard work. It sits in the garage now. Unfairly, I expected too much of it.
What a nice surprise, to see Iain in a time machine reliving memories of 40 years ago and educating us along the way.
A workmate of mine in West Australia had one in the early '80s. I can remember 4 of us, I was the lightest at 88 kgs, traveling at over 100mph on a highway from Kalgooelie to Perth. Effortless and very comfortable. I fell in love with it and have lusted after one ever since...