Hello from Italy, Fiat 131 history

[giancarlohgt]

Hello All,

I am one of the many ITalian Scots, now resident back in Italy (Lucca), I just wanted to let know that i have posted on facebook & Flickr, the old photographs of the fiat 131 we used to have up till 1999, when it was sold some up in the north of scotland.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1....38&id=662839805

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28805700@N07/sets/72157625241077798/

hope you enjoy

Giancarlo

 

[giancarlohgt]

 

[M21MFS]

Hiya and welcome!

 

[imported_tifosotony]

Saluti Italia

Hi Giancarlo, my family is from just up the valley near Barga. Nice Mirafiori, they could fair shift back then.

 

[mrcinquecento]

Hiya

nice pics

 

[M21MFS]

Some nice pics on the flickr page there mate...but seriously, photoshop out the Montego Wagon >_<

 

[muppet42]

Welcome to FS, 131 reminds me a tad (not in a bad way) of my Dad's old Lada Riva's. Must be the headlights

 

[mrcinquecento]

thats what i was thinking aswell, wasn't the lada riva based on a fiat? sure i remember JC saying that in the comunist cars test a few years back

 

[muppet42]

thats what i was thinking aswell, wasn't the lada riva based on a fiat? sure i remember JC saying that in the comunist cars test a few years back

Yeah, the earlier 124. It had round headlights...

...first Riva he had was a sort of burnt orange with black vinyl roof. Kind of retro cool, but in the late 80's. The second one was a baby blue, not as nice as the older one but my Dad still liked it. 3 Lada's in a row he had, a Samara in between the Riva's. He bought the Samara new and the salesman tried to steer him towards a Maestro lol

 

[Andi9386]

Hi & Welcome to Fiat-Scotland

 

[giancarlohgt]

thank you for the warm welcome! my dad bought a montego after the 131....he always liked that better...probably cause he had a bad back and it was more upright....i always preferred the 131..felt more 'alive' driving it...unless it was cold..then it required about 10 minutes to heat up..
You're right about the Lada....they were genetically linked in that sense... and i remember the 131 's offered from Ritchies in Shield's Road offering the same stripes and alloys..

Funnily enough Fiat made in Argentina the 125 Mirafiori...which looks spookily like a mix between the Lada Riva and 131....

http://www.cocheargentino.com.ar/f/fiat_125_sevel.htm

 

[giancarlohgt]

Thank you tifosoTony!!! sadly even here in Barga 131's are rare too now.. I remember the Fiat dealer in Barga having a nice red Fiat 131 Abarth in the 80's...

 

[giancarlohgt]

Fiat sold the tooling to Lada in the late 1960's who made an entire city named after the Italian communist leader. As far as i know they changed the engines in them, but the first ones were identical (2104 model) to the Fiat based models from 1966.

 

[imported_tifosotony]

Thank you tifosoTony!!! sadly even here in Barga 131's are rare too now.. I remember the Fiat dealer in Barga having a nice red Fiat 131 Abarth in the 80's...

I know, I was over in September at a certain factory in Maranello for a tour . At least there's still stacks of good stuff still on the road, it's amazing how good X1/9s are over there (no salt on the roads!).

Bevete un vino per me! :grin:

 

[gengis]

Ahh...That takes me back! The 80's.. when I went from 2 wheels to 4 wheels, Fiat was my chariot of choice, seemed to have the same spirit as riding bikes.

132 x 3 Nicknamed "couch on wheels"

131 x 4 Mirafiori and Supermirafiori. Restored one of them.

131s x 3 The Sport was the pinacle of 131 ownership. Restored one of these which Is still running well with it's new owner down in London.

In fact I run the 124 spider with one of the gearboxes out of a Sport..good mod: and still have two spare engines and gearboxes. I must get some of my old photies on to a digital format!

I beleive the Bravo HGT is a worthy successor to the 131s..Peach of an engine and can be a hooligan when pushed, especially the 147

Good to here from you and welcome.

Ciao,Ciao.

John.