Fiat 130 Coupe

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Fiat
Fiat 130 Coupé (1971-1977)
Fiat 130 Coupé (1971-1977)
130 coupe
Production period: 1971-1977
Class : upper middle class
Body versions : Coupe
Engines: Otto engine :
3.2 liters (121 kW)
Length: 4842 mm
Width: 1760 mm
Height: 1380 mm
Wheelbase : 2720 ​​mm
Empty weight : 1555 (5-speed) - 1600 (3-speed automatic) kg
Previous model Fiat 2300 S Coupe
Rear view
inner space

The Fiat 130 Coupé was an upper middle class two-door vehicle that the Italian car manufacturer Fiat produced in small numbers between spring 1971 and the end of 1977.

The coupé was based on the floor pan of the Fiat 130 sedan presented in March 1969 , but had a completely independent body designed by Pininfarina . The smooth-surfaced coupé is considered restrained and timeless. It is seen as a milestone in automotive design. Its lines influenced the shapes of many later vehicles.

development

When developing the Fiat 130, there were initially no considerations of adding a coupé version to the sedan designed by Mario Felice Boano . However, when the sales figures for the sedan did not develop as expected, Fiat decided at short notice to introduce a coupé that would complement the model range and also promote sedan sales through its own attractiveness.

body

The Fiat 130 Coupé mainly impressed with its independent body. The structure was designed in the course of 1970 at Pininfarina; executive designers were Paolo Martin and Leonardo Fioravanti . Outwardly, the coupé had no reference to the 130 limousine, which was often “stylistically wrong” or perceived as baroque and pompous. Martin and Fioravanti designed a two-door notchback body with a classic trapezoidal line. The structure was characterized by straight lines and large areas; The chrome decorations that were common at the time have been consistently dispensed with, as has curves. Sergio Pininfarina later described the Fiat 130 Coupé as a “masterpiece of simplicity”. With the design he wanted to build on the Lancia Florida II designed by his father and wanted to create a modern interpretation of this design.

The coupe received a redesigned interior. Wood inlays and velous upholstery dominated the interior. The instrument panel was also new. He carried numerous round instruments. The new dashboard was also used in the sedan from spring 1971.

technology

From a technical point of view, the 130 Coupé largely adopted the design elements of the sedan. The floor pan including wheelbase, suspension and drive technology were identical. However, some innovations were developed for the coupé, which in turn were soon adopted for the sedan.

This applies primarily to the engine. While the sedan had been available with a 2.9-liter V6 engine with 140 hp alone since 1969, the coupé was given a version of this engine that was enlarged to 3.2 liters and now developed 165 hp. With the market launch of the coupe, the larger engine was also used as standard in the sedan.

Like the sedan, the coupe was also available with a five-speed manual transmission from ZF or with a three-speed automatic transmission from Borg Warner (Model 12) with high power losses . However, while the manual gearbox was part of the standard equipment in the sedan and the automatic was only available on request, Fiat equipped the coupés with automatic as standard; the manual transmission, however, had to be ordered individually. The version with manual transmission feels more light-footed and at least halfway sporty (too high a weight opposes this), the automatic version accelerated very slowly for this class (approx. 12.5 seconds). The maximum speed with manual transmission is approx. 193 km / h, with automatic approx. 188 km / h.

Ingestion and dissemination

According to Sergio Pininfarina, “a unique design feature”: the wide headlights

The Fiat 130 Coupé was presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1971 . Sales began a little later. It impressed the observers primarily because of its independent body. In 1972 Pininfarina received the design award from the Italian trade magazine Style Auto for his design .

Right from the start, the coupé was significantly more expensive than the technically identical sedan. It was offered on the German market in 1971 for 28,000 DM - 8,000 DM more than the sedan - and was thus on par with a BMW 3.0 CSi or a Mercedes-Benz 350 SLC . A Fiat Dino Coupé was only about 1,500 DM more expensive.

The distribution of the coupé remained low: between March 1971 and December 1977 only 4,493 copies were made. Although the vehicles are recognized as high-quality classics, they achieve significantly lower prices on the (German) classic car market than their competitors at the time. For a coupé in state 1, prices between 16,000 euros and 21,000 euros were demanded in 2010. A BMW 3.0 CSi in the same condition costs around 50,000 euros, a Mercedes-Benz 350 SLC around 40,000 euros. The used car prices of the Fiat 130 sedan are again around 50 percent below those of a coupé.

Special versions

In the 1970s, Pininfarina derived two special models from his coupé design, each of which remained unique:

  • The Fiat 130 Maremma was a three-door sports station wagon in the style of a shooting brake. The vehicle had extensive glazing behind the B-pillar. The trunk lid was tilted sharply and opened wide.
  • The Fiat 130 Opera was a four-door notchback sedan that consistently continued the design of the 130 Coupé. The car was generally perceived as significantly more elegant than the factory sedan; however, series production was not started.

Influence of design

The smooth-surfaced design of the Fiat 130 Coupé, largely without decorative details, influenced numerous other vehicles of the 1970s. There is a direct relationship to the approach of the Rolls-Royce Camargue , also designed by Paolo Martin ; the core elements of the design can also be traced from the Ford Granada of the second series and the Ferrari Pinin to the Cadillac Allanté .

literature

  • Dieter Günther: Lifted off . Model history of the Fiat 130 Sedan and the Fiat 130 Coupé. In: Oldtimer Markt, issue 4/1995, p. 8 ff.
  • Bernd Wieland : Eminence gray . 70 years of Pininfarina. Comparison of Fiat 130 Coupé and Ferrari 400. In: Motor Klassik, Issue 9/2000, p. 24 ff.
  • Sebastian Renz: Simply conscious . Driving report Fiat 130 Coupé. In: Motor Klassik, issue 3/2006, p. 32 ff.
  • Malte Jürgens, Paolo Tumminelli: “Not just one line. A concept! ” Interview with Sergio Pininfarina on the 75th anniversary of Pininfarina. In: Motor Klassik, issue 5/2005, p. 142 ff.
  • Kevin Brazendale: The Encyclopedia of classic cars . Advanced Marketing Services, London 1999, ISBN 1-57145-182-X (English)
  • Dante Giacosa: Forty years as a designer at Fiat . Automobilia sarl 1979

Web links

Commons : Fiat 130 Coupé  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Motor Klassik, issue 3/2006, p. 35.
  2. ↑ Oldtimer Markt, issue 4/1995, p. 11.
  3. ↑ a b Brazendale, p. 211.
  4. ↑ cf. Motor Klassik, issue 3/2006, p. 34
  5. ↑ Motor Klassik, Issue 9/2000, p. 28.
  6. ↑ a b Oldtimer Markt, issue 4/1995, p. 16.
  7. ↑ Quoted from Motor Klassik, issue 9/2000, p. 29.
  8. ↑ Prices quoted from auto catalog 1971/72.
  9. ↑ Motor Klassik, issue 3/2006, p. 37.
  10. ↑ Oldtimer Markt, issue 9/2010, p. 68
  11. ↑ Günther Zink: Oldtimer Catalog No. 24 (2010), p. 138.
  12. ↑ Pictures of the Fiat 130 Maremma on www.coachbuild.com
  13. ↑ Motor Klassik 11/1997, p. 62 (with illustrations)