1973 Fiat 130

History

At the 39th Geneva Motor Show in March of 1969, Fiat introduced their 130 model. Two body styles were available, a Saloon and a Coupe (the coupe was introduced in 1971). Production of the Saloon would continue until 1976 with 15,093 examples built, while Coupe production continued until the following year, and 4,294 examples were built in total.

The Fiat 130 Model replaced the Fiat 2300 and featured four-wheel independent suspension, power steering, four-wheel disc brakes, and powered by a six-cylinder engine. The V6 engine is based on the 128 Type A powerplant developed by Ferrari engine designer Aurelio Lampredi. Engine options included a new overhead-camshaft V-6 in either 2866 cubic centimeter or 3235 cubic-centimeter forms.

The Fiat 130 also featured the company's first use of an alternator rather than a generator to produce electricity.

The 130 Coupe, also wearing a design courtesy of Pininfarina, made its debut at the 1971 Geneva Salon. It was given many luxury features including state-of-the-art fibre optics to light its instrument panel and switches.

By Daniel Vaughan | May 2016