1978 Fiat 130 coupe

Fiat 130 Coupé by Pininfarina. The saloon was launched at the 39th Geneva motor show in March 1969, replacing the previous largest and most exclusive Fiat saloon, the Fiat 2300. It was a thoroughly modern car with four wheel independent suspension ( torsion bars in front and coil springs at rear), power steering as standard, and four wheel disc brakes and was the first Fiat to adopt an alternator instead of a direct current generator.

The coupé based on the same platform was introduced in March 1971 having been designed by Paolo Martin of Pininfarina, who also manufactured the car as the initial volumes were relatively low. One of the more unusual design features was a button allowing the driver to open the passenger side door. Production of the saloon ended in 1976 with 15,093 produced, but the coupé continued until the following year and 4,294 were built in total.

Using the 128 type 'A' engine as a basis, a new crossflow V6 engine with a 60-degree vee-angle and rubber toothed belt driven twin overhead camshafts was developed for the model by Aurelio Lampredi. It became known as the 130 type 'A' engine with a capacity of 2866cc and a power output of 140 bhp at 5600 rpm. In 1971, the 130 type 'B' engine was introduced featuring a slightly increased bore (102mm instead of 96mm) displacing 3235cc and producing 165bhp at 5600 rpm.

Power was delivered to the rear axle via standard Borg Warner three-speed automatic transmission and a five-speed ZF S5 -18/3 ZF manual was an option.

Front suspension was Macpherson-like with torsion bars instead of springs to allow room for the wide V6 and the optional A/c. The height of the front suspension is adjustable using eccentric cams in the ends of the torsion bars where they are attached to the body, and the rear suspension is independent using conventional springs with good wheel geometry and a limited slip differential. The 130 Coupé had ZF power steering and the seats were shaped and designed by Paolo Martin with the collaboration of Giovanni Gottin of Turin. The dashboard was redesigned with sporty round dials using white needles.

The example we are pleased to offer here was first registered in July 1978 and was one of the last models produced. It was Ziebarted from new and has the late addition of the rare plastic arch liners. It also has the similarly rare factory fitted seat covers made in Velour which was the same fabric used to cover the seats in Italian luxury trains. The second owner acquired the vehicle on 19/9/1980, and he kept the car in semi-storage only using it sparingly until he sold it to owner number three, some 22 years later. At this time, the original purchase receipt stated that the mileage was a genuine 14,023 miles. The car at this point was fully serviced mechanically at a cost of over £6000. The next owner was Chris Evans the BBC presenter who kept the car for around 12 months before the current vendor purchased the car through Graeme Hunt of Kensington. Since then, the car has been fully serviced and has benefitted from having a new clutch fitted, a stainless steel exhaust system added and is in overall excellent condition both mechanically and cosmetically.

The current vendor has only covered 700 miles in the past 18 months with the odometer now showing a mere 17,000 miles in total. The vehicle comes complete with a large history file with invoices for servicing, old MoTs and purchase invoices, and will continue to bear the registration number NLZ 130.