The Mirafiori was marketed here in north America back then for a while, but with not much succsses. same for French cars - never really took off. I love watching Thames old videos, pretty cool seeing things from a different angle and a different era - cheers from Canada!
Owned one of these cars back in the 90s. Obtained it from original owner, a elderly woman who gave up driving. It sat in her driveway for a year or two before I asked about it. It was in decent shape and still started right up. I got it for $500. I remember how well it handled and how it would hit 80 mph effortlessly. Too bad the timing belt broke and that was all she wrote.
OUD 522P, my Dads metallic blue 131 mirafiori S that I learnt to drive in, took and passed my driving test, and then nearly rolled it in the school car park weeks later. Then my sister did the same thing, except the rolling incident. Rusted away a few years later, but loved that car. Great shape.
This car is so important in Turkey. Most of people's first car and tofaş fiat continued to produce it till 2002 (with body upgrade in 1989 but mechanics were almost same.)
Also in Spain, where it was called SEAT 131, their last family car being basically a rebadged FIAT before they broke up with FIAT and joined VW. Later came the Málaga, which unfortunately was seen as a huge downgrade fom the 131 regarding build quality, which was brought back with the Toledo Mk1, probably the best SEAT ever built
Later models were offered with a DOHC (8 valve) 1.6 unit. The Supermirafiori with a DOHC 2.0 unit. The latter was pretty lively. And they got faster over time due to lifetime factory OEM weight reduction. :-)
I love Fiat saloons (as much as they are generally better at small cars). In the 1980s on my way to school I used to see a bright orange and black 131 Supermirafiori in the front garden of a house. I thought that it was an absolute stunner of a car. I once owned a 1990 Fiat Tempra with unassisted steering and that pretty heavy too, although that was FWD.
In fact, I've read a comment made by an Italian person about the Mk1 Tipo (the car on which the Tempra was based), saying that it started to feel heavy without power steering, even if it was smaller than the Tempra, and it's because it actually weighed more than other compact cars of that time. So, to sum up, in both Tipo and Tempra power steering was almost a must-have, since they were notably heavier than their predecessors (Ritmo and Regatta, respectively)
The Fiat 131 replaced the 124, that continued as the Lada built in Russia with different engines. By 1983 the 131 replacement was the Regata, then the Tempra in 1990, and the Marea in 1997. Not many of all the mid sized saloons have survived in the UK.
I served a fair portion of my apprentiship on these little darlings. 40 years on I still have a nervous twitch when I think back to all that rust. But to be honest, with no customers present even the 1300,s went like stink & the Super Mirafiori was a forgotten Italian beast of a car. Gentlemen ... Never let apprenticices drive your cars.
i was 2 months old when this programmed was aired, my father first car was an argentine made fiat 125 1970, over here was called "fiat 1600" his second car was a 1976 argentine made fiat 128 1.1L
I had a Super Mirafiori Twincam back in the mid 80’s, definitely a quick car for its time. I sold it in 87 and brought a Lotus Sunbeam, wish i had both of them now 👌👌👌
In Turkey they were still building a version of this car under license up until the early 2000s. I had one as a hire car. It was suprisingly good for an old design.
Bet you didn't know that in Miami Florida, and most parts of the United States, buying this car was considered equally as high end and exotic as having a 3 series BMW because of the styling. Only because of the styling. In actuality it was comparable to the Volvo 240 as many magazine reviews at the time mentioned.
But the 240's (a relatively big seller from the early '80s on in Puerto Rico) were quite bigger inside than the 131's and even had a bigger engine (2.1L vs. 2.0L in US-spec).
I do recall a ca. March, 1977 Road & Track comparison test which featured a comparison of eight "sports sedans"...IIRC, they ranked (best-to-worst): BMW320i, Saab 99EMS, Volvo 244, Alfetta Sedan, Audi Fox, Fiat 131, ??? (not recalled), and Mazda RX-4...
Had several of these. Loved them. And yes, 100mph was attainable with a bit of work! The old saying Fiat stood for Fix It Again Tomorrow wasn't strictly true as I found them, and other Fiats I had to be very reliable. The only bad one was an '85 Regatta which we dubbed The Regretta!
Back in the 70s and 80s my father worked at a Citroen /Datsun dealership here in Ireland and was often sent to collect new cars at the port in Dublin. They came off the boat slathered in a layer of rust protection grease. Along with other things one of his jobs involved getting this stuff off and according to him it wasn't easy, they used jizer for this job. He often saw three and four year old cars needing welding repairs, especially the Datsuns. They were well known even then for being reliable only for the rust!! Seems most cars of the 70s rusted very badly.
A check of the DVLA website shows that this car's tax was not renewed in November 1983, suggesting that the car died a slow death by rust after only around 7 years of life. I had the same experience with my 1978 131.
Drove one of these back in 1983 when I worked as a taxi driver! Why the firm used the Mira for public hire I do t know, but I remember it didn’t hang about, and bits fell off regularly. Happy days!
@@TheHorsebox2 i remember distinctly on RTE news a bus driver flipping out because of the potholes. speaking to the polticians on camera he said "look at me feckin axles ha"
That's because Fiat did a deal with Lada and sold them an assembly line they retired in exchange for free steel - for something like 10 years, Fiat had to use very poor quality Soviet steel, hence all the rusting and bad reputation.....
It worked if you put minimum attention to conservation of the car. Just a couple of pounds for a can wax-oil spray to be put inside the closed profiles of the bodyshell every two years, plus a bit on the floor and lower body pannels before the winter season, and it could last.
@@SparrowNoblePoland you are so right, but people rarely did that, even in the times when cars used to rust. we all remember italian cars as rusty or some specific models of german cars, but we keep forgetting how terrible all the cars were in 70s and 80s in that sense....for example, golf mk2 had reputation of best built car in its class, but it was known to rust, too.
Fiat 'Traded' the old 124 Production Lines with the Russians and Poles (Lada & Polski Fiat). In return they got Steel. Russian Steel was also used on Lancias and Alfas. Lancias corroded so badly that the Beta Model was the subject of a 'Buy-Back.' I had an Alfetta GTV - Every time it went through the car wash, I had to walk back to pick-up the bits that had fallen off!
" Move on with the times, that was many many many years ago, they don't rust, you've forgotten British Leyland." I remember fondly those early '70s Austin Americas (1.1-1.3L) that "rusted in peace" by '76... (it'd a miracle if any survived where I live)
No outside mirror was illegal in my country even in those days. And the anti-corrosion failed miserably. Suprised they did not mention the 2000 TC model or the Rallye.
Had two of these both 1,6 automatics loved them but the problem was RUST ! we used to sit in the front room & watch them dissolve! "Sara", the younger one, rotted even quicker than "Gina", which was a crying shame because they were otherwise reliable, comfortable, easy to drive with an above average performance! For the record, in those days, surprisingly, FIAT bought in the autoboxes from GM Strasbourg, which were excellent 'cog cartons'! Finally traded in Sara for an OPEL REKORD "D" & remained with GM until moving to France !
At 1:16 you see how close the distributor is placed to the front of the engine with no absolutely protection from the water and road dirt because there is no sump protection. It was mechanically dated even in 1975, probably put together quickly to help Fiat/Italy make fast cheap exports when the economy was in dire straits
No car maker did ! Seriously, you had to pay EXTRA for a second door mirror , not to mention a radio...and you were generally buying heaps to start with ! I don't know what the inflation figure would be, but I'd be surprised if you weren't paying the equivalent of around £15k for these type of wrecks-£16k if you wanted a door mirror and radio !!
You're right ! This is 1975, I know that in 1980 you got one mirror and had to pay for the other-often the mirrors were on the wings. So maybe had to pay for both back then !! It wouldn't surprise-same as it wouldn't surprise if there was one and it had fallen off during the hundred yard drive to the cameras !
I still have my 81 fiat 131 Brava. The 81 year that I have came with the 2 liter twin cam EFI engine. Mine has the 3 speed automatic transmission. All original California car with absolutely no rust anywhere. Nice comfortable car to drive in.
Fond memories of my uncle's white 131 he had it 13 years and it was full of filler. He then bought a brand-new lada rival and drove it 10years until he stopped driving when it was then scrapped as they were worthless at the time... shame
My father bought a new Jaguar XJ6 (2.8) in 1970 and it cost £2000. (As i recall, it was a really nice car). 5 years later, a 1600cc Fiat cost the same price. Inflation was rampant at that time.
In Italy mirrors (only one) became mandatory in 1975. Most cars were without mirrors before that, so many people had to buy aftermarket mirrors when the law passed. The second mirror became mandatory in the late 90s I think, but you can still drive without it if your car was made before that year.
the ones i knew all had mirrors on both sides and already screwed at windows level but still litle chromed side mirrors that almost all fiats had around that time midle 70´s, but screwed to the door panel
I had a 1979 131 Sport too. Loved it. £300. It was rotten underneath but I welded on new sills and fixed it up. I welded a lot of 80's Fiats. Mine was Gunmetal grey.
It took until he mentioned the lack of a side view mirror for me to realize it was missing. I couldn't figure out what made it look so odd! Didn't they use 124 sedans in 'The French Connection'? My friend had a '74 Fiat 124 sedan. It was fun to drive but a sibling failed to keep oil in it and burned out the motor.
Amazing ,sleeky and snazzy modern car . Not bad for £2000 new. I wonder if I can arrange a test drive before deciding to purchase . Maybe they can offer HP? I always need to be careful buying new cars like these. I hope the car salesman won't see me coming like the last one did.
There was one...called the Morris Ital. Came in mostly beige which described it's personality perfectly. Boy was it ugly. Imagine it beside a red 1970's Alfa GTV and you'll realise how truly ugly it really was...
Hindsight is a wonderful thing thought, both the Marina and Ital look far better than this ungainly, tinny thing. Can't understand what all the hate was about the Marina - it's a decent looking car for the time and far more balanced a shape than this box on wheels.
@@darrenwilson8042 Oh yes! My friend's dad had one and it riddled with rust when he got rid of it. The side trim had fallen off and it looked like bullet holes along the side!
I was two and a half when this clip aired. Ironic, because that’s about how long most 121s lasted before showing signs of chronic rust. In a time when rust was rampant across many carmakers, it must have been pretty bad that Italian cars (Fiat, Lancia, Alfa) stood out above the rest when it came to corrosion. They didn’t really get their act together until the late 1990s.
Odd, that there's no wing mirrors. Where I live the passenger side wing mirror was mandatory equipment already this time, both sides, if tow hook was assembled.
The 2 door Abarth versions were awesome. Id love one. By the way, I know its too much detail but I lost my virginity that year, very nice it was too.....
It might have rotted but it was a league above the Marina. Gorgeous looking car.
The Mirafiori was marketed here in north America back then for a while, but with not much succsses. same for French cars - never really took off. I love watching Thames old videos, pretty cool seeing things from a different angle and a different era - cheers from Canada!
Owned one of these cars back in the 90s. Obtained it from original owner, a elderly woman who gave up driving. It sat in her driveway for a year or two before I asked about it. It was in decent shape and still started right up. I got it for $500. I remember how well it handled and how it would hit 80 mph effortlessly. Too bad the timing belt broke and that was all she wrote.
OUD 522P, my Dads metallic blue 131 mirafiori S that I learnt to drive in, took and passed my driving test, and then nearly rolled it in the school car park weeks later. Then my sister did the same thing, except the rolling incident. Rusted away a few years later, but loved that car. Great shape.
This car is so important in Turkey. Most of people's first car and tofaş fiat continued to produce it till 2002 (with body upgrade in 1989 but mechanics were almost same.)
Also in Spain, where it was called SEAT 131, their last family car being basically a rebadged FIAT before they broke up with FIAT and joined VW.
Later came the Málaga, which unfortunately was seen as a huge downgrade fom the 131 regarding build quality, which was brought back with the Toledo Mk1, probably the best SEAT ever built
Later models were offered with a DOHC (8 valve) 1.6 unit. The Supermirafiori with a DOHC 2.0 unit. The latter was pretty lively. And they got faster over time due to lifetime factory OEM weight reduction. :-)
I guess you're a specialist.........
I love Fiat saloons (as much as they are generally better at small cars). In the 1980s on my way to school I used to see a bright orange and black 131 Supermirafiori in the front garden of a house. I thought that it was an absolute stunner of a car.
I once owned a 1990 Fiat Tempra with unassisted steering and that pretty heavy too, although that was FWD.
In fact, I've read a comment made by an Italian person about the Mk1 Tipo (the car on which the Tempra was based), saying that it started to feel heavy without power steering, even if it was smaller than the Tempra, and it's because it actually weighed more than other compact cars of that time.
So, to sum up, in both Tipo and Tempra power steering was almost a must-have, since they were notably heavier than their predecessors (Ritmo and Regatta, respectively)
The 2.0l sport was the nice one.
I had one in 1974 and it was a most rugged and durable vehicle. It can speed 66mph on highways with no problem at all!
My cousin had a 2000 twin cam on double carbs one time...she was a beast...
The Fiat 131 replaced the 124, that continued as the Lada built in Russia with different engines. By 1983 the 131 replacement was the Regata, then the Tempra in 1990, and the Marea in 1997. Not many of all the mid sized saloons have survived in the UK.
I served a fair portion of my apprentiship on these little darlings. 40 years on I still have a nervous twitch when I think back to all that rust. But to be honest, with no customers present even the 1300,s went like stink & the Super Mirafiori was a forgotten Italian beast of a car. Gentlemen ... Never let apprenticices drive your cars.
Handsome car!
crazy to think some cars just didn't have wing mirrors
I had the 2 door 131 Sport, 2 litre. That was a great car. Unfortunately the body went as quick as the car did!
Loved it though.
Same here.
I had the 131 Supermira 2 litre, 4 door. It had the ally twin-cam engine, flying machine for it's day, I loved it.
Had 2 Sports, a 1600cc SuperMirafiori and an early 1600CL. Loved them all, ace cars
Dream car, especially in the orange.
131 Sports fetch good money now.
i was 2 months old when this programmed was aired, my father first car was an argentine made fiat 125 1970, over here was called "fiat 1600" his second car was a 1976 argentine made fiat 128 1.1L
I had a Super Mirafiori Twincam back in the mid 80’s, definitely a quick car for its time. I sold it in 87 and brought a Lotus Sunbeam, wish i had both of them now 👌👌👌
The slim pillars make for good visibility and allow you to be crushed real fast
Not taxed since 1983. So much for the anti corrosion
Lol brilliant
My dad had one, the front suspension turrets caved in from rust well before its 10th birthday
@@pit_stop77 where i live almost no humidity on the air but that made it last till early 90´s
Awww that's sad, like finding out it's been dead all these years while you were dreaming about what it was getting up to. 😭
And the 'long life' that Tony Bastable mentions at 1:44!
Always a real delight to all the lovely cars made when I was growing up happy day gone by very many thanks to all concerned.
In Turkey they were still building a version of this car under license up until the early 2000s. I had one as a hire car. It was suprisingly good for an old design.
Bet you didn't know that in Miami Florida, and most parts of the United States, buying this car was considered equally as high end and exotic as having a 3 series BMW because of the styling. Only because of the styling. In actuality it was comparable to the Volvo 240 as many magazine reviews at the time mentioned.
But the 240's (a relatively big seller from the early '80s on in Puerto Rico) were quite bigger inside than the 131's and even had a bigger engine (2.1L vs. 2.0L in US-spec).
Wow.... my father had this car and my mother was kidding him every time for that
I do recall a ca. March, 1977 Road & Track comparison test which featured a comparison of eight "sports sedans"...IIRC, they ranked (best-to-worst): BMW320i, Saab 99EMS, Volvo 244, Alfetta Sedan, Audi Fox, Fiat 131, ??? (not recalled), and Mazda RX-4...
Had several of these. Loved them. And yes, 100mph was attainable with a bit of work! The old saying Fiat stood for Fix It Again Tomorrow wasn't strictly true as I found them, and other Fiats I had to be very reliable. The only bad one was an '85 Regatta which we dubbed The Regretta!
Golden years of FIAT
That was the 60s
Most of the golden bit was actually just rust.
Here in the states they were called Fiat Brava my cousin had one back in 1980 🇵🇹🇺🇸🙈
Yes, US 131s/ Brava got twin cam standard, Europe had to wait for facelift to get TC super
this was my first car. I loved it.
Back in the 70s and 80s my father worked at a Citroen /Datsun dealership here in Ireland and was often sent to collect new cars at the port in Dublin. They came off the boat slathered in a layer of rust protection grease. Along with other things one of his jobs involved getting this stuff off and according to him it wasn't easy, they used jizer for this job. He often saw three and four year old cars needing welding repairs, especially the Datsuns. They were well known even then for being reliable only for the rust!! Seems most cars of the 70s rusted very badly.
The supermirafiori was really cool
I ❤ These Fiat Supermiraflori & Miraflori 131 Cars I Wanna Own All of the Saloons & Estates
I was 19 when i bought a super mirafiori 2 ltr twin cam 132. Replaced the back tyres monthly. Great fun
Look at those trousers, what a hoot!
i have no doubt , the 131 was always a nice car compared to its wrong succesor the Fiat Tempra. Infact even today a 131 looks gorgeous !
A check of the DVLA website shows that this car's tax was not renewed in November 1983, suggesting that the car died a slow death by rust after only around 7 years of life. I had the same experience with my 1978 131.
a friend of mine in 1994 had a van from the first model but also the only van i saw with a 1.1L engine, no rust (incredible)
Easiest fuse box access ever.......that's forward planning.
I'm surprised it needed a box as it only had about two fuses anyway.
Yep because of there's one thing I know from experience is that Fiat electricals are even worse than their mechanical reliability
I was just a few days away from starting Grade 1 when this was first aired. I am 50 now.
Drove one of these back in 1983 when I worked as a taxi driver! Why the firm used the Mira for public hire I do t know, but I remember it didn’t hang about, and bits fell off regularly. Happy days!
I had a Supermirafiori. Was rusting from day one. Nice car with 2 litre twin cam engine. My only Italian car ever.
My dad had this car for 25 yrs before losing it to lack of spare parts n rust. I loved the car
Rarer than a 1968 Ferrari Daytona.
My grandad had one of those - think it was brown in colour. i loved the engine purr compared to my dad's boring (but yellow) Volvo!
Had two of these, a friend had seven, yes seven!
They were great cars, especially here in Ireland, where we don't salt the roads.
them potholes though at the time.....
@@mossyhaych8227 True...pretty bad, alright. Lol.
@@TheHorsebox2 i remember distinctly on RTE news a bus driver flipping out because of the potholes. speaking to the polticians on camera he said "look at me feckin axles ha"
@@mossyhaych8227 Remember the old boy who used to go out at night painting yellow rings round the potholes to shame the council into fixing them?
The anti corrosion didn't work at all. Might as well been made out of biscuits.
That's because Fiat did a deal with Lada and sold them an assembly line they retired in exchange for free steel - for something like 10 years, Fiat had to use very poor quality Soviet steel, hence all the rusting and bad reputation.....
Mate of mine's dad had one. It fell apart.
@@ckm-mkc exactly!
It worked if you put minimum attention to conservation of the car. Just a couple of pounds for a can wax-oil spray to be put inside the closed profiles of the bodyshell every two years, plus a bit on the floor and lower body pannels before the winter season, and it could last.
@@SparrowNoblePoland you are so right, but people rarely did that, even in the times when cars used to rust. we all remember italian cars as rusty or some specific models of german cars, but we keep forgetting how terrible all the cars were in 70s and 80s in that sense....for example, golf mk2 had reputation of best built car in its class, but it was known to rust, too.
I think I love this channel!!!❤️
2:26. "On the anti-corrosion front they've uh..." done bugger all?
Fiat 'Traded' the old 124 Production Lines with the Russians and Poles (Lada & Polski Fiat). In return they got Steel. Russian Steel was also used on Lancias and Alfas. Lancias corroded so badly that the Beta Model was the subject of a 'Buy-Back.' I had an Alfetta GTV - Every time it went through the car wash, I had to walk back to pick-up the bits that had fallen off!
Move on with the times that was many many many years ago ,they don't rust ,you forgotten British layland.
Mine lost one of the plastic fender (wing)liners then it rusted completely away.
" Move on with the times, that was many many many years ago, they don't rust, you've forgotten British Leyland."
I remember fondly those early '70s Austin Americas (1.1-1.3L) that "rusted in peace" by '76... (it'd a miracle if any survived where I live)
No outside mirror was illegal in my country even in those days. And the anti-corrosion failed miserably. Suprised they did not mention the 2000 TC model or the Rallye.
Unusual design, belt driving the cam shaft yet it's an OHV
Had two of these both 1,6 automatics loved them but the problem was RUST ! we used to sit in the front room & watch them dissolve! "Sara", the younger one, rotted even quicker than "Gina", which was a crying shame because they were otherwise reliable, comfortable, easy to drive with an above average performance! For the record, in those days, surprisingly, FIAT bought in the autoboxes from GM Strasbourg, which were excellent 'cog cartons'! Finally traded in Sara for an OPEL REKORD "D" & remained with GM until moving to France !
My dad was a sales
rep. He previously had an Austin morris when he got the miafiore i thought it was a sports car!
At 1:16 you see how close the distributor is placed to the front of the engine with no absolutely protection from the water and road dirt because there is no sump protection. It was mechanically dated even in 1975, probably put together quickly to help Fiat/Italy make fast cheap exports when the economy was in dire straits
I grew up in Chile in the late 80's. This Thames intro came up before Benny Hill.
Had a 1981 supermirifiori 1.6 twincam brilliant car shame about the rust.
35mpg for a sub 1000kg 65hp 1300cc car. My 3.0 1800kg 400hp twin-turbo V6 does a solid avg of 39mpg. That is incredible progress!
Love the slacks!
WTF !!! not even a door mirror !!!!!!
No car maker did ! Seriously, you had to pay EXTRA for a second door mirror , not to mention a radio...and you were generally buying heaps to start with ! I don't know what the inflation figure would be, but I'd be surprised if you weren't paying the equivalent of around £15k for these type of wrecks-£16k if you wanted a door mirror and radio !!
infrasleep
yes but this one doesn't even have one on the driver's side
You're right ! This is 1975, I know that in 1980 you got one mirror and had to pay for the other-often the mirrors were on the wings. So maybe had to pay for both back then !! It wouldn't surprise-same as it wouldn't surprise if there was one and it had fallen off during the hundred yard drive to the cameras !
The starting price mentioned in 1975 (£1750) is equivalent to £17,300 in today's money...
3 speed automatic? Those bell bottoms 😁
My mates dad had a bright orange SuperMirafiori. It went really quickly, as did the bodywork. Shame, as it was a lovely car.
If you turn up the sound and listen really carefully, you can hear the car rust.
😂
Stupid
So true.. Worst part was it rusted from the inside out!
So all of the rustproofing he mentioned was worthless?
I’m sure the rustproofing was fine for the first 10,000 miles, or the time it took to drive it off the dealer’s lot...whichever is shorter.
Those slim pillars look like they'd stand up well in an accident!
Is this what inspired Hip to be Square by Hewey Lewis and the News?
No one does square bodies like the Italians!!
I still have my 81 fiat 131 Brava. The 81 year that I have came with the 2 liter twin cam EFI engine. Mine has the 3 speed automatic transmission. All original California car with absolutely no rust anywhere. Nice comfortable car to drive in.
Thames Tv with any of these old clips do you have any featuring reliant cars?
Don't you mean reliable cars?
I seem to recall they did a 2 litre twincam version, or was that in my dreams?
best thing i saw all week......cool video,love them....
The 70's was just a better time.
Loving these videos 🤩 right back to being 10 agan
Are those ladas still chained to bishops rock lighthouse ,to show you how good the rustproofing was?
Era bellissima la 131 nel 1975.
Strano però che una special ( almeno mi sembra una special ) che non a nessun specchio.
Fond memories of my uncle's white 131 he had it 13 years and it was full of filler. He then bought a brand-new lada rival and drove it 10years until he stopped driving when it was then scrapped as they were worthless at the time... shame
My father bought a new Jaguar XJ6 (2.8) in 1970 and it cost £2000. (As i recall, it was a really nice car). 5 years later, a 1600cc Fiat cost the same price. Inflation was rampant at that time.
Build quality aside, you have to admit the Italians are the masters of design - even after 45 years this car doesn't look outdated.
You are joking right? It looks a product of it's time, the 70s.
@@phil955i and in the 70s it was light years ahead of its competitors AFA design is concerned.
@@JohnDoe-uw9nq in what way? It looks like any other 3 box RWD design from the 1970s.
@@phil955i Qu'est-ce que la conception rwd et afa ?
@@mevlutenisersar3735 RWD = rear wheel drive. AFA = as far as
No wing mirror at all? Not even one? I truly am old enough to remember not seeing any car in the Netherlands ever having no wing mirror since 1967.
In Italy mirrors (only one) became mandatory in 1975. Most cars were without mirrors before that, so many people had to buy aftermarket mirrors when the law passed. The second mirror became mandatory in the late 90s I think, but you can still drive without it if your car was made before that year.
I wonder how many people were cut up by one of these thanks to the lack of a wing mirror.
the ones i knew all had mirrors on both sides and already screwed at windows level but still litle chromed side mirrors that almost all fiats had around that time midle 70´s, but screwed to the door panel
Probably why it only lasted till 1983 lol!
more of these first drives PLEASE
Was an o/s mirror in the uk not mandatory by then?
I had a 131 Sport. Great car but had the dreaded tin worm
matnrach Yes a dream car especially in the bright orange. Not many left.
Tin 🐛worm! 😂Haha!
I had a 1979 131 Sport too. Loved it. £300. It was rotten underneath but I welded on new sills and fixed it up. I welded a lot of 80's Fiats. Mine was Gunmetal grey.
It took until he mentioned the lack of a side view mirror for me to realize it was missing. I couldn't figure out what made it look so odd! Didn't they use 124 sedans in 'The French Connection'? My friend had a '74 Fiat 124 sedan. It was fun to drive but a sibling failed to keep oil in it and burned out the motor.
Hah! I can understand why the oil ran out - doubtlessly leaked it all over the place. My 1974 124 leaked away as much oil as it used petrol.
Amazing ,sleeky and snazzy modern car . Not bad for £2000 new. I wonder if I can arrange a test drive before deciding to purchase . Maybe they can offer HP? I always need to be careful buying new cars like these. I hope the car salesman won't see me coming like the last one did.
I shudder at the thought of an "Italian Marina."
I can’t imagine Fiat UK liked hearing that said about their new car...not a totally incorrect comparison though.
There was one...called the Morris Ital. Came in mostly beige which described it's personality perfectly. Boy was it ugly. Imagine it beside a red 1970's Alfa GTV and you'll realise how truly ugly it really was...
@@bluegtturbo Just googled it... ooooo mama, that's a sorry looking thing.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing thought, both the Marina and Ital look far better than this ungainly, tinny thing. Can't understand what all the hate was about the Marina - it's a decent looking car for the time and far more balanced a shape than this box on wheels.
@@bluegtturbo you think the Ital was ugly in comparison to this contraption?
Apart from being a rot box the 1.6 was nice n nippy to drive
door side impact protection - is that a first for 1975? I though UK cars didn't start getting them until the 90's?
Tofas Sahin in Turkey still reminds of the 131.
I wonder if it was better than the 1300 Austin Marina?
So much better than a Dagenham dustbin
Most things were!
JLH 396N was last taxed in 1982...
so it was just 7 years from this to mostly ferrous oxide?
@@darrenwilson8042 Oh yes! My friend's dad had one and it riddled with rust when he got rid of it. The side trim had fallen off and it looked like bullet holes along the side!
Does not include a drivers wing mirror?
What a delicious boxy car, so simplistic
These videos are so comical, they provide great entertainment. Can’t help but laugh at the times.
Love these videos keep them coming ;)
do you have reviews on the old Peugeot 504 or 505 ? this stuff is gold and a lot of thanks.
Did this not come equipped with side view mirrors?!
Why does he leave it in neutral not park ?
Because he is a Brit. They do everything their own way.
3 years after this cars had to ge fitted with 2 rear view side mirrors, today you onky require door mounted cameras
We had this car in 1986! I miss the old cars! People called Volvo boxy! 65bhp? Good god! My V70 20T has 180bhp and that’s modest by today’s standards.
My first car in yellow. Put x19 alloys on it. loved it till she rusted away.
I was two and a half when this clip aired. Ironic, because that’s about how long most 121s lasted before showing signs of chronic rust. In a time when rust was rampant across many carmakers, it must have been pretty bad that Italian cars (Fiat, Lancia, Alfa) stood out above the rest when it came to corrosion. They didn’t really get their act together until the late 1990s.
Graham Hill did a TV ad for the Mirafiori
slim pillars , sounds like a 60`s motown star
Stylish car for the era, but no wing mirrors? Even in the 70's I'd thought that was a minimum. Shame they rotted before your very eyes.
Odd, that there's no wing mirrors. Where I live the passenger side wing mirror was mandatory equipment already this time, both sides, if tow hook was assembled.
The 2 door Abarth versions were awesome. Id love one. By the way, I know its too much detail but I lost my virginity that year, very nice it was too.....
I hope you didn't do it in the back of a 131! You'd have broke the suspension!