The Fiat 130 Saloon was first produced in 1969, replacing the the Fiat 2300. The Pininfarina designed coupe would follow in 1971. Four-wheel independent suspension, disc brakes all round and an alternator all sounds fairly standard but it was big news at the time and hailed them as being very technically advanced.
I was never really a fan of the saloon it was just another big Fiat, but the coupe was a good looking well engineered car. Although there was no doubt of it being a technical and design success it would never become a sales success. This was mainly because of it's awful build quality and Mercedes and BMW, which were this cars main competitor, could do it a whole lot better.
Engines for these cars were designed by Aurelio Lampredi, Ferrari engine designer, they were basically a copy of the Fiat Dino V6 engine except for cambelt instead of a chain and SOHC on each bank.
Production under Fiat's control ended for both the saloon and coupe in 1976, but Pininfarina continued production of their coupe until sometime in 1977 when they eventually ran out of major build components.
At first glance this car is nothing special and most people would walk past it and not have a clue what it was. And they where probably overlooked as a classic, they weren't even a great drive, and yes they did fall apart but they were a fantastic car.
I was never really a fan of the saloon it was just another big Fiat, but the coupe was a good looking well engineered car. Although there was no doubt of it being a technical and design success it would never become a sales success. This was mainly because of it's awful build quality and Mercedes and BMW, which were this cars main competitor, could do it a whole lot better.
Engines for these cars were designed by Aurelio Lampredi, Ferrari engine designer, they were basically a copy of the Fiat Dino V6 engine except for cambelt instead of a chain and SOHC on each bank.
Production under Fiat's control ended for both the saloon and coupe in 1976, but Pininfarina continued production of their coupe until sometime in 1977 when they eventually ran out of major build components.
At first glance this car is nothing special and most people would walk past it and not have a clue what it was. And they where probably overlooked as a classic, they weren't even a great drive, and yes they did fall apart but they were a fantastic car.
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