Fiat 130 Coupe Automatic

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Memorably described by Martin Buckley as “a majestic blend of severity and grace, boldness and subtlety, sharp angles joined by soft curves, a true catwalk beauty, a masterclass that was widely copied in the Seventies but never equalled," the Fiat 130 Coupe belongs firmly in the ‘haute couture’ rank of car design.

Austere and aristocratic on the outside, it was pure hedonism on the inside with club class seats in funky ribbed velvet and a ribbed headlining that could have come straight from an executive jet. Launched in 1971 and styled by Pininfarina’s Paolo Martin (who also penned the remarkably similar Rolls-Royce Camargue, the most expensive car in the world in 1975), each 130 Coupe was painstakingly coachbuilt at the Pininfarina works in Cambiano rather than being mass produced at the Fiat works in neighbouring Turin.

Powered by a 165bhp 3.2-litre twin overhead cam V6 driving through a 3-speed automatic gearbox, it could accelerate to 60mph in 9.5 seconds with a top speed of 118mph. With ZF power steering, disc brakes and independent suspension all round, it had excellent road manners and was a worthy rival to the Jaguar XJ6 in terms of ride and handling, if considerably more rare and expensively dressed.

The cabin bristled with nice touches like a centre console button which let the driver open the passenger door without stretching; recessed chrome handles behind the tops of the front seats to bring them smartly forward without any fumbling for levers underneath; retractable rear sun blinds; air conditioning with swivelling eye-ball vents; electric front windows; levers to open the back windows with a flick of the finger and an aircraft-style anchorage hoop for the seatbelts. The two-spoke steering wheel, wooden dash/door trims, throttle-like gear lever and row of six unlabelled flick switches just added power boat chic to the 'mile high' vibe. A heady jet set cocktail that still beguiles today, let alone in 1971... 

Production finally ended in 1976 after just 4,491 Coupes had been made, the vast majority in left-hand drive and fewer than 500 sold to the UK market, with celebrity owners including Sophia Loren, Dusty Springfield and Lord Carrington.

This particular Coupe is a rare factory right-hand drive car that has covered less than 43,500 miles in the hands of four owners and comes with a good amount of history from new. Its first owner was Ernold Priaulx of Guernsey who bought it for himself to commemorate his 25th year as Fiat main agent for the Channel Islands (photos on file showing him taking delivery of the car from a Fiat representative in April 1974).

Priaulx was to keep the car for the next 15 years, clocking up only 38,500 miles (2,600 per year), mainly on continental business trips as you can't go far in Guernsey! In 1989 ownership transferred to a Kent-based collector who used the car even less, keeping it as part of his collection for 21 years before selling it to its third owner in 2010 from whom the vendor acquired it in 2012.

Finished in its original silver with the original orange velvet ‘Playboy pad’ interior, it may be somewhat faded here and there but the ‘severity and grace’ of its lines are undimmed and it still exudes road presence. Various bills show upkeep over the past 40 years including the fitment of a stainless steel exhaust and more recently a new fuel pump and starter motor. It was last serviced in August 2015 at a cost of some £420 and has covered less than 100 miles since.

Said to run and drive well with an MOT until June 2016 with no advisories recorded, it certainly started promptly and drove nicely as we moved it around for these photos with a notably taut and rattle-free ride. Now in need of some minor cosmetic TLC here and there, it is very solid underneath and is perfectly usable as it is but could be turned into a very good example with relatively little effort.

Perhaps because it was first owned by a Fiat dealer it comes with an unusually good amount of documentation including an original Fiat range brochure from 1973; a press release relating to the UK launch of the 130 Coupe; an original Fiat parts catalogue; a service manual on a CD; and, most interesting, an original Fiat dealer information pack giving salesmen plenty of patter with which to elevate the 130 above its perceived UK rivals, the BMW 3.0, Mercedes 280SE, Jaguar XJ6, Rover P5B and the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. It also retains all its original handbooks and two sets of keys.

Beautifully built, handsome and decently quick, these decadent coachbuilt Coupes are now extremely rare (with only 5 currently road registered in the UK according to DVLA figures) and they strike us as remarkable value in the current market. Only reluctantly for sale to help fund the acquisition of a painting, this low mileage, four-owner example, with its interesting history and excellent documentation package, looks mighty tempting at the modest guide price suggested. Another one to buy now before everyone cottons on, perhaps?

PS: To see Fiat's wonderful 1971 cinema ad promoting the 130 range, click this link - and look at that Coupe go!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGhjG-q1bes 

For a fascinating archive of contemporary magazine features and road tests click here:

http://fiat130.nl/