Fiat 130

In this book, motoring writer Martin Buckley provides a detailed overview of a car that has become a favourite among motoring aficionados. Launched in 1969, the Fiat 130 was an all-new prestige saloon powered by a V6 engine and featuring all the latest thinking in chassis design and luxury refinement. Densely engineered and built with little thought to cost or compromise, the 1969-77 130 was created to show the versatility of Fiats creative talents with a car that could take on Mercedes Benz, Jaguar and even Rolls Royce. Formal and sober, the first somewhat underpowered 2.8 litre130 saloons got off to an uncertain commercial start from which the model never truly recovered. However, from 1971 a 3.2 litre engine made the 130 the car it should have been and the Pininfarina coupe was instantly recognised as a design classic. Only now is the beauty, rarity and all-round excellence of the Fiat 130 coupe beginning to be reflected in the prices for surviving examples from a 4600-unit, six-year production run.