1972 Fiat 130

Pininfarina styled two large coupes during the 1970s, including the Fiat 130 and the Rolls-Royce Camargue, with the Fiat arguably the more successful design. The four-door saloon version was introduced at the 39th Geneva Motor Show in March of 1969, replacing the previous Fiat 2300. The coupe, based on the same platform, arrived in March of 1971 (at the Geneva motor show) wearing a design penned by Paolo Martin of Pininfarina, who also manufactured the car. The 130 COupe was a two-door four-seater that came equipped only with the saloon's twin-overhead-camshaft 60-degree, crossflow V6 that was developed for the model by Aurelio Lampredi.

The 130 Saloon initially used a '130 Type A' engine with a displacement of 2,866cc and delivered 140 bhp at 5,600 RPM. For 1970, Fiat modified the engine, increasing the compression from 8.3:1 to 9.0:1, increasing the size of the carburetor choke from 42 to 45mm, reducing backpressure by extending the exhaust manifold, resulting in an increase of horsepower to 160 bhp. The '130 Type B' engine arrived in 1971 with a slightly increased bore size, from 96mm to 102mm, with displacement growing to 3,235cc and output to 165 bhp at 5,600 RPM. Transmission options included a Borg-Warner three-speed automatic or an optional five-speed ZF S5-18/3 ZF manual. The only engine powering the coupe was the 3.2-liter, 165 hp version.

The wheelbase measured 107.1-inches and had a length of 187-inches. The independent suspension used a modified MacPherson strut in the front with longitudinal torsion bars acting at base of the control arms, with room for the optional air conditioning system and the wide V6 engine. In the back was a modified Chapman strut setup with trailing arms supporting the coil springs, axle shafts, and toe control links. The steering was by a power-assisted ZF unit and the steering column could be adjusted for rake and reach.

A total of 4,491 examples of the Fiat 130 Coupe were built from 1971 through 1977 with 347 built in 1971, 1,746 in 1972, and 1,344 the following year. 1972 was the best year as sales declined to 617 units in 1974, falling to 197 a year later before creeping up slightly to 221 units. In its final year, only 19 examples were built.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2021