Fiat 131
Encyclopedia
- "Brava" can also refer to the later Fiat Bravo/BravaFiat Bravo/BravaThe Fiat Bravo and Fiat Brava are small family cars produced by the Italian automaker Fiat from 1995 to 2001. The name was revived for 2007 with an all-new replacement for the Stilo; the new version will use only the Bravo name and is not available with three doors...
The Fiat 131, additionally called "Mirafiori", is a small/medium family car
Family car
A family car is a car classification used in Europe to describe normally-sized cars. The name comes from the suitability of these cars to carry a whole family locally or on vacations. Most family cars are hatchbacks or saloons, although there are MPVs, estates and cabriolets with the same structure...
produced by the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
car manufacturer
Automotive industry
The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....
Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
from 1974 to 1984. It was exhibited at 1974 Turin Motor Show
Turin Auto Show
The Turin Auto Show is an auto show held annually in Turin, Italy. The first official show took place between 21 and 24 April 1900, at the Castle of Valentino, moving to Turin in later years....
.
The 131 was the replacement for the successful Fiat 124
Fiat 124
The Fiat 124 is a mid-sized family car produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat between 1966 and 1974. It was the replacement of the Fiat 1300 and Fiat 1500...
, and available as a 2-door and 4-door saloon and 5-door estate
Station wagon
A station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...
. The 131 was given the Mirafiori name after the Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
suburb where the cars were produced. Naming the car in this way marked a break with the former Fiat convention, established in the 1960s, of naming their mainstream models only with a three digit number, and it set the pattern for Fiat to adopt Anglo-American
Anglosphere
Anglosphere is a neologism which refers to those nations with English as the most common language. The term can be used more specifically to refer to those nations which share certain characteristics within their cultures based on a linguistic heritage, through being former British colonies...
style car naming practice, with carefully chosen names for subsequent new models. Initially, the 131 was offered with 1.3 L and 1.6 L single overhead camshaft
Overhead camshaft
Overhead cam valvetrain configurations place the engine camshaft within the cylinder heads, above the combustion chambers, and drive the valves or lifters in a more direct manner compared to overhead valves and pushrods...
engines. Revisions were made in 1978 and 1981, and all models were produced until production ceased in 1984.
In total, 1,513,800 units were produced in Italy.
Construction and technology
The Fiat 131 employed construction techniques and technologies typical of its day. The body was a steelSteel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
monocoque
Monocoque
Monocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin, as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin or coachwork...
. Designed
Automotive design
Automotive design is the profession involved in the development of the appearance, and to some extent the ergonomics, of motor vehicles or more specifically road vehicles. This most commonly refers to automobiles but also refers to motorcycles, trucks, buses, coaches, and vans...
and styled on the typical three-box design
Three-box styling
Three-box design is a broad automotive styling term describing a coupé, sedan, notchback or hatchback where — when viewed in profile — principal volumes are articulated into three separate compartments or boxes: engine, passenger and cargo....
, with distinct boxes for the engine compartment, passenger compartment, and boot
Trunk (automobile)
The trunk or boot of an automobile or car is the vehicle's main storage, luggage, or cargo compartment. Trunk is used in North American English and Jamaican English; boot is used elsewhere in the English speaking world. Trunk is also primarily used in many non-English speaking regions, such as...
.
The major mechanical components were also conventional and contemporary, but with some notable advances. The 131 employed a front engine
Front-engine design
A front-mounted engine describes the placement of an automobile engine in front of the vehicle passenger compartment.Historically, this designation was used regardless of whether or not the entire engine was behind the front axle line...
, rear-wheel drive layout, whereby the engine
Internal combustion engine
The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer in a combustion chamber. In an internal combustion engine, the expansion of the high-temperature and high -pressure gases produced by combustion apply direct force to some component of the engine...
is longitudinally
Longitudinal engine
In automotive engineering, a longitudinal engine is an internal combustion engine in which the crankshaft is oriented along the long axis of the vehicle, front to back....
mounted in the front of the car. The gearbox
Transmission (mechanics)
A machine consists of a power source and a power transmission system, which provides controlled application of the power. Merriam-Webster defines transmission as: an assembly of parts including the speed-changing gears and the propeller shaft by which the power is transmitted from an engine to a...
is directly behind the engine, and a tubular propeller shaft
Driveshaft
A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, propeller shaft, or Cardan shaft is a mechanical component for transmitting torque and rotation, usually used to connect other components of a drive train that cannot be connected directly because of distance or the need to allow for relative movement...
, under the transmission "tunnel", transmits the drive to a solid live rear axle.
The engines were all straight-4
Straight-4
The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
types, derived from those used in the outgoing 124 range, with a cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
cylinder block
Cylinder block
A cylinder block is an integrated structure comprising the cylinder of a reciprocating engine and often some or all of their associated surrounding structures...
and aluminium alloy
Aluminium alloy
Aluminium alloys are alloys in which aluminium is the predominant metal. The typical alloying elements are copper, magnesium, manganese, silicon and zinc. There are two principal classifications, namely casting alloys and wrought alloys, both of which are further subdivided into the categories...
cylinder head
Cylinder head
In an internal combustion engine, the cylinder head sits above the cylinders on top of the cylinder block. It closes in the top of the cylinder, forming the combustion chamber. This joint is sealed by a head gasket...
, either pushrod with chain drive camshaft or double overhead camshaft
Overhead camshaft
Overhead cam valvetrain configurations place the engine camshaft within the cylinder heads, above the combustion chambers, and drive the valves or lifters in a more direct manner compared to overhead valves and pushrods...
(DOHC), driven by a single rubber/Kevlar
Kevlar
Kevlar is the registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires...
toothed timing belt
Timing belt
A timing belt, or cam belt , is a part of an internal combustion engine that controls the timing of the engine's valves. Some engines, such as the flat-4 Volkswagen air-cooled engine, and the straight-6 Toyota F engine use timing gears...
. Fuel supply was via a single Weber
Weber carburetor
Weber is an Italian company producing carburetors, currently owned by Magneti Marelli Powertrain S.p.A., in turn part of the Fiat Group.The company was established as...
ADF twin-choke
Venturi effect
The Venturi effect is the reduction in fluid pressure that results when a fluid flows through a constricted section of pipe. The Venturi effect is named after Giovanni Battista Venturi , an Italian physicist.-Background:...
carburettor
Carburetor
A carburetor , carburettor, or carburetter is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. It is sometimes shortened to carb in North America and the United Kingdom....
, fed from a trunk
Trunk (automobile)
The trunk or boot of an automobile or car is the vehicle's main storage, luggage, or cargo compartment. Trunk is used in North American English and Jamaican English; boot is used elsewhere in the English speaking world. Trunk is also primarily used in many non-English speaking regions, such as...
mounted steel fuel tank
Fuel tank
A fuel tank is safe container for flammable fluids. Though any storage tank for fuel may be so called, the term is typically applied to part of an engine system in which the fuel is stored and propelled or released into an engine...
. Traditional contact breaker
Contact breaker
A contact breaker is a type of electrical switch, and the term typically refers to the switching device found in the distributor of the ignition systems of spark-ignition internal combustion engines.-Purpose:...
ignition system
Ignition system
An ignition system is a system for igniting a fuel-air mixture. Ignition systems are well known in the field of internal combustion engines such as those used in petrol engines used to power the majority of motor vehicles, but they are also used in many other applications such as in oil-fired and...
s were used, usually with Marelli distributor
Distributor
A distributor is a device in the ignition system of an internal combustion engine that routes high voltage from the ignition coil to the spark plugs in the correct firing order. The first reliable battery operated ignition was developed by Dayton Engineering Laboratories Co. and introduced in the...
s.
The suspension
Suspension (vehicle)
Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose — contributing to the car's roadholding/handling and braking for good active safety and driving pleasure, and keeping vehicle occupants...
system utilised fully independent front suspension, with MacPherson strut
MacPherson strut
The MacPherson strut is a type of car suspension system which uses the axis of a telescopic damper as the upper steering pivot. It is widely used in modern vehicles and named after Earle S. MacPherson, who developed the design.-History:...
s, track control arms
Control arm
thumb|right|300px|Double Wishbone SuspensionIn automotive suspension, an automobile's control arm or wishbone is a nearly flat and roughly triangular suspension member , that pivots in two places. The broad end of the triangle attaches at the frame and pivots on a bushing...
and anti-roll bar. The rear suspension was quite advanced (when using a solid live rear axle), in that the rear axle was controlled by double unequal length trailing arms and a panhard rod
Panhard rod
A Panhard rod is a component of a car suspension system that provides lateral location of the axle...
, with coil spring
Coil spring
A Coil spring, also known as a helical spring, is a mechanical device, which is typically used to store energy and subsequently release it, to absorb shock, or to maintain a force between contacting surfaces...
s and direct acting damper
Shock absorber
A shock absorber is a mechanical device designed to smooth out or damp shock impulse, and dissipate kinetic energy. It is a type of dashpot.-Nomenclature:...
s. This design proved far superior to many of its contemporaries, especially with vehicle stability and handling.
The braking system
Brake
A brake is a mechanical device which inhibits motion. Its opposite component is a clutch. The rest of this article is dedicated to various types of vehicular brakes....
was also typical; the front brakes were disc brake
Disc brake
The disc brake or disk brake is a device for slowing or stopping the rotation of a wheel while it is in motion.A brake disc is usually made of cast iron, but may in some cases be made of composites such as reinforced carbon–carbon or ceramic matrix composites. This is connected to the wheel and/or...
s, using a solid iron disc and a single-piston sliding caliper. The rears were drum brake
Drum brake
A drum brake is a brake in which the friction is caused by a set of shoes or pads that press against a rotating drum-shaped part called a brake drum....
s, utilising leading and trailing shoe design operated by a dual piston fixed slave cylinder. They were operated hydraulically, with a tandem master cylinder
Master cylinder
The master cylinder is a control device that converts non-hydraulic pressure into hydraulic pressure, in order to move other device which are located at the other end of the hydraulic system, such as one or more slave cylinders...
assisted by a vacuum servo
Servomechanism
thumb|right|200px|Industrial servomotorThe grey/green cylinder is the [[Brush |brush-type]] [[DC motor]]. The black section at the bottom contains the [[Epicyclic gearing|planetary]] [[Reduction drive|reduction gear]], and the black object on top of the motor is the optical [[rotary encoder]] for...
using two separate circuits. A rear-mounted load sensing valve varied the bias of effort applied to the rear brakes, dependent on the load being carried (and also the pitch dynamics caused by braking effort and road levels). A centrally located floor mounted handbrake
HandBrake
HandBrake is a general-purpose, open-source, cross-platform, multithreaded video transcoder software application. HandBrake was originally developed by titer in 2003 as a general-purpose video transcoder to make ripping a film from a DVD to a data storage device easier...
operated on the rear axle using bowden cable
Bowden cable
A Bowden cable is a type of flexible cable used to transmit mechanical force or energy by the movement of an inner cable relative to a hollow outer cable housing...
s.
Series 1
Initially the 131 came with 1,297 cc or 1,585 cc straight-4Straight-4
The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
ohv engine. The first series was available with two body styles; saloon and estate
Station wagon
A station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...
Familiare. Station wagons were built by SEAT
SEAT
SEAT, S.A. is a Spanish automobile manufacturer founded on May 9, 1950 by the Instituto Nacional de Industria , a state-owned industrial holding company....
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, but were labelled Fiats for all non-Spanish markets. There were two trim levels - the basic "131" and the better appointed "131 S" or "131 Special", which could be distinguished from the base model by its 4 circular headlamps, chrome window surrounds and different instrumentation. US market versions had an SOHC 1.8-litre four and were available with a GM three-speed automatic.
In 1976, 500 examples of Fiat 131 Abarth
Abarth
Abarth is an Italian racing car maker founded by Austrian-Italian Carlo Abarth and Italian Armando Scagliarini in Turin in 1949. Its logo depicts a stylized scorpion on a red and yellow background.- History :...
Rallye were built for homologation
Homologation
Homologation is a technical term, derived from the Greek homologeo for "to agree", which is generally used in English to signify the granting of approval by an official authority...
purposes. This car included many technical modifications such as 16-valve DOHC engine producing 140 PS, Kugelfischer
Kugelfischer
Kugelfischer is the name for a mechanical fuel injection pump. It was produced by FAG Kugelfischer and later by Robert Bosch GmbH...
mechanical fuel injection
Fuel injection
Fuel injection is a system for admitting fuel into an internal combustion engine. It has become the primary fuel delivery system used in automotive petrol engines, having almost completely replaced carburetors in the late 1980s....
and independent rear suspension. In race specifications, the engine produced around 215 PS in season 1977. Another special version was the nearly 5 metre long "131 Diplomatic" limousine version made in Salvatore Diomante
Salvatore Diomante
Salvatore Diomante is an automobile engineer and restorer, best known as Bizzarrini's factory manager in the 1960s.Diomante resides in Nichelino, Italy and operates Autocostruzioni S.D., where he keeps parts, special tools and original moulds from Bizzarrini P538s and Bizzarrini 5300s...
's carrozzeria near Turin.
| Model | Displacement | Engine type | Power |
| Mirafiori | 1,297 cc | straight-4 ohv | 65 PS |
| Mirafiori | 1,585 cc | straight-4 ohv | 75 PS |
| Familiare | 1,297 cc | straight-4 ohv | 65 PS |
| Familiare | 1,585 cc | straight-4 ohv | 75 PS |
| Abarth | 1,995 cc | straight-4 dohc | 140 PS |
| US version | 1,756 cc | straight-4 sohc | 87 PS |
 |
 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Series 1 dashboard. | Fiat 131 1st series. | SEAT 131 Estate: while built in Spain, estates wore Fiat-badging elsewhere. |
Series 2
The 131 got a minor facelift in 1978. New DOHC, or "Twin Cam" (TC) engines arrived, and these models were badged as SuperMirafiori. The biggest change exterior-wise for the Series 2 was larger rectangular shaped front lights (quad round headlights in the US), new bumpers, new bigger rear lights and new interior trim including a chunky, single-spoked steering wheel.Also in 1978, the 2-door sporting version Racing (Mirafiori Sport in the UK) with 115 PS twin cam engine, was launched. This car had four round headlights (the inner headlights being smaller than the outer ones, unlike any other Mirafiori model produced), different grille, spoilers and extended wheel arches, and a short-throw 5 speed gearbox. The Racing had top speed of 180 km/h (111.8 mph). Diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
d versions also had four round headlights (equally sized), and a noticeable bump in the hood to accommodate the taller engine. The Familiare (estate) was renamed as Panorama.
The Series 2 was marketed in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as the Fiat Brava from mid-year 1978 with the same 1.8-litre four as had been used in the US-market 131, but before the year was over this was replaced by the 2 litre twin cam four
Fiat Twin Cam engine
Designed by Aurelio Lampredi the Fiat Twin Cam was an advanced inline-4 automobile engine produced from 1959 through 1994 as a Fiat/Lancia engine until it was replaced by the "family B" series of engines...
also seen in the Spider
Fiat 124 Sport Spider
The 124 Sport Spider is a 2+2 convertible marketed by Fiat from 1966 to 1979 – having debuted at the November 1966 Turin Auto Show. Designed and manufactured by Italian carrozzeria Pininfarina, Fiat continued to market the monocoque-bodied car as the 2000 Spider from 1979 to 1982...
. Initially, a better equipped Super Brava was also available, but the base model and "Super" tag were dropped for 1979. For 1980 a more powerful fuel-injected version was added (102 hp) while the Estate version was dropped. For 1981 the EFI engine became standard equipment and the headlamps were changed for single rectangular units, but this was to be the last year for the Brava/131 in the US.
| Model | Displacement | Engine type | Power |
| Mirafiori | 1,297/1,301 cc | straight-4 ohv | 65 PS |
| SuperMirafiori | 1,297/1,301 cc | straight-4 dohc | 78 PS |
| SuperMirafiori | 1,585 cc | straight-4 dohc | 96 PS |
| Panorama | 1,297/1,301 cc | straight-4 ohv | 65 PS |
| Panorama | 1,585 cc | straight-4 ohv | 75 PS |
| Diesel | 1,995 cc | straight-4 | 60 PS |
| Diesel | 2,445 cc | straight-4 | 72 PS |
| Racing | 1,995 cc | straight-4 dohc | 115 PS |
| Brava | 1,756 cc | straight-4 ohv | 87 PS |
| Brava | 1,995 cc | straight-4 ohv | 87 PS CA California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... : 81 PS |
| Brava EFI | 1,995 cc | straight-4 ohv | 103 PS |
 |
 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Dashboard of Series 2. | Fiat 131 Racing | Fiat 131 SuperMirafiori. |
Series 3
The 131 was updated again in March 1981. By this time, the car was no longer offered in the USA. Production of the Racing/Sport versions ceased, although these were sold well into 1982. The same 2.0 TC (twin cam) engine went to the SuperMirafiori. The car was renamed 131 Super Brava in Australia. The car received a slightly updated interior (instruments, single-piece glovebox lid), whilst lower rubbing strips found their way onto all models up to CL specification. The SuperMirafiori received larger lower door cladding. Mechanically, Mirafiori versions now received overhead cam engines rather than pushrod versions; a new 1.4 litre engine and a revised 1.6 litre. Also new were the clutch and gearboxes, a tweaked suspension was also introduced and the gas tank increased in size by three litres, for a total 53 l (14 US gal; 11.7 imp gal) capacity.In June 1981, a new sport version, the Volumetrico Abarth, was introduced, with a supercharged version of the familiar 2-litre twin-cam. This car, also known as the 2000 TC Compressore, was built in a small series and could reach 190 km/h (118 mph).
In 1983, the production of saloon version was discontinued, but the estate, now named 131 Maratea, remained in production with two engine choices (115 PS 2.0 TC and 72 PS 2.5 D) until 1985, when they were replaced with the Ritmo
Fiat Ritmo
The Fiat Ritmo is an automobile from the Italian manufacturer Fiat, launched in 1978. Styled by Bertone of Italy, it was seen by some as the most distinctive looking small family car in Europe on its launch in 1978 Turin Motorshow. It was badged in Great Britain and North America as the Fiat Strada...
-based Regata
Fiat Regata
The Fiat Regata is the saloon version of the Fiat Ritmo small family car, produced by Italian automaker Fiat. It was produced from 1983 to 1990, corresponding to the post-facelift Ritmo. The Regata had a choice of three gasoline and two diesel engines...
Weekend. These last versions featured 4 round headlights and the by-now familiar 5-bar grille.
| Model | Displacement | Engine type | Power |
| Mirafiori | 1,367 cc | straight-4 sohc | 70 PS |
| Mirafiori CL | 1,585 cc | straight-4 sohc | 85 PS |
| SuperMirafiori | 1,367 cc | straight-4 dohc | 75 PS |
| SuperMirafiori* | 1,585 cc | straight-4 dohc | 98 PS |
| SuperMirafiori | 1,995 cc | straight-4 dohc | 115 PS |
| Volumetrico Abarth | 1,995 cc | straight-4 | 140 PS |
| Panorama | 1,301 cc | straight-4 ohv | 65 PS |
| Panorama | 1,585 cc | straight-4 sohc | 85 PS |
| Mirafiori Diesel 2000 | 1,995 cc | straight-4 | 60 PS |
| Mirafiori/SuperMirafiori Diesel 2500 | 2,445 cc | straight-4 | 72 PS |
 |
|
|---|---|
| Fiat 131 Supermirafiori rear view. | Fiat 131 Volumetrico Abarth.. |
The Fiat 131 as a rally car
The Fiat 131 AbarthAbarth
Abarth is an Italian racing car maker founded by Austrian-Italian Carlo Abarth and Italian Armando Scagliarini in Turin in 1949. Its logo depicts a stylized scorpion on a red and yellow background.- History :...
was a very successful rally car, winning the World Rally Championship
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
three times: in 1977, 1978, and in 1980
1980 World Rally Championship season
The 1980 World Rally Championship season was the eighth season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 12 rallies...
with Markku Alen
Markku Alén
Markku Allan Alén is a Finnish former rally and race car driver. He drove for Fiat, Lancia, Subaru and Toyota in the World Rally Championship, and held the record for most stage wins in the series until 2011...
, Timo Salonen
Timo Salonen
Timo Salonen is a Finnish former rally driver and the 1985 world champion for Peugeot. It was commented of him that he stood out from other drivers, because he was overweight, wore thick glasses and smoked heavily, but still remained one of the fastest and most competitive drivers in the sport...
and Walter Röhrl
Walter Röhrl
Walter Röhrl is a German rally and auto racing driver, with victories for Fiat, Opel, Lancia and Audi as well as Porsche, Ford and BMW.-Career:...
at the wheel. The official "works" cars were sponsored by Italian airline Alitalia
Alitalia
Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. , in its later stages known as Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. in Extraordinary Administration, was the former Italian flag carrier...
and bore their distinctive red, white and green livery
Livery
A livery is a uniform, insignia or symbol adorning, in a non-military context, a person, an object or a vehicle that denotes a relationship between the wearer of the livery and an individual or corporate body. Often, elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or corporate body feature in...
. Between 1976 and 1981 the Fiat 131 won 18 WRC events.
 |
 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Fiat 131 Abarth rally car with "Alitalia" livery. | Fiat 131 Abarth rally car with "OlioFiat" livery. | Fiat 131 Abarth rally car with "Wreath Fiat" livery. |
Spanish twin
SEAT 131
The SEAT 131 is a small/medium family car produced by the Spanish car manufacturer SEAT from 1975 to the middle of 1982. The SEAT 131 was presented on May 1975 in the Barcelona Motor Show as a response to the consumers' demand for greater fuel economy combined with spaciousness, under the raising...
started its production in early 1975 in Barcelona.
Two versions were offered: SEAT 131 L, featuring rectangular front lamps, 1,438 cc OHC engine and 4 speed gearbox and SEAT 131 E featuring four round headlamps, 1,592 cc DOHC engine and 5 speed gearbox.
The range grew up in 1976 with the SEAT 131 Familiar, estate version offered with both engines. In 1977 the 131 Automatico (Automatic gearbox) was released and the following year a very short production of the SEAT 131 CLX 1800 was offered. Spain was the only place where the estate 131 was built, but in the export these were labelled Fiat 131 Familiare.
In 1978, the SEAT 131 evolves into the SEAT 131 Mirafiori/Supermirafiori (Panorama for the estate versions), with the same changes as seen on its Italian cousin. The engines remained largely the same, but a 1.8 liter Diesel Perkins 4.108 engine was available in 1979.
In 1981, the Diesel version was developed with a new Sofim engine. This 2,500 cc engine was much more powerful than the Perkins version (72 hp against only 49 hp) and was one of the most successful taxis in early '80s Spain.
Also, another CLX special edition was launched in 1980. Available only in metallic silver or metallic bronze colours, this 131 CLX had a 1,919 cc engine, developing 114 PS at 5,800 rpm.
In 1982, the SEAT 131 changed again, gathering all the body changes seen on the Fiat 131 series 3. The 131 was now available in CL, Supermirafiori and Diplomatic versions. The Diplomatic was the top of the range, with a 1,995 cc engine and features such as power steering, power windows or air conditioning. The Panorama versions were the cars chosen by the "Cuerpo Nacional de Policia" (Spanish Police force) as patrol cars.
In 1984, the whole SEAT 131 range was phased out, without a direct substitute. The brand new Ritmo-based SEAT Málaga
SEAT Málaga
The SEAT Málaga is a four-door saloon produced by the Spanish automaker SEAT from 1985 to 1992, named after the city of Málaga in Andalucía, southern Spain....
took its place in 1985.
Turkish twin
TofaşTofas
Tofaş is a Turkish automaker, based in Bursa, Turkey, where also a plant of the company is located. It builds Fiat models under license and also some locally-designed vehicles...
industries in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
also based their initial production on Fiat 131s built under Fiat license. 131-based models included the Murat 131 built in Bursa, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, the Doğan, Şahin and the Kartal (the estate). These vehicles enjoyed a very long production run and were later replaced by newer Fiat models.
Other producers
The Fiat 131 was also produced at Helwan, in EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, by El Nasr since at least 1982, on the basis of complete knockdown (CKD) kits. This was followed by CKD assembly of the Fiat Tofaş 131 since 1991. The Tofaş 131 has also been assembled in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
by Holland Car
Holland Car
Holland Car PLC is an Ethiopian CKD automobile assembler with official head offices in the Getu Commercial Center and the TK International Building in Addis Ababa. Its general manager is Tadesse Tessema Alemu, and the company has 200 full time employees and a fluctuating number of part-time...
since 2006.
Final assembly of Fiat 131 took also place in the Polish Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych - FSO in the years 1975-1981. First series cars were available only in Special trim and were called Polski Fiat
Polski Fiat
Polski Fiat was a Polish car brand. Under this brand, cars under licence of the Italian manufacturer FIAT were manufactured or assembled in Poland.-Before World War II:...
131p Mirafiori, cars of second series were known under the name Fiat 131p Mirafiori and were offered in L and CL trim levels.
Other CKD production of the Fiat 131 has taken place in the following countries:
- CórdobaCórdoba, ArgentinaCórdoba is a city located near the geographical center of Argentina, in the foothills of the Sierras Chicas on the Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province. Córdoba is the second-largest city in Argentina after the federal capital Buenos Aires, with...
; ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, FIAT Córdoba. - Bogotá, ColombiaColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
; (Compañía Colombiana Automotriz). - San JoséSan José, Costa RicaSan José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. Located in the Central Valley, San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation.Founded in 1738 by order of Cabildo de León, San...
, Costa RicaCosta RicaCosta Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
(S.A.V.A.). - JakartaJakartaJakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
, IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
(Daha Motors). - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
- CasablancaCasablancaCasablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
, MoroccoMoroccoMorocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
(SOMACASomacaSomaca is a Moroccan car factory owned by Renault. The company was founded in 1959 in by Moroccan government with technical assistance from Fiat S.p.A. and its French subsidiary, Simca. Fiat ended its production in the end of 2003 and 26% of the company was sold to Renault...
). - LisbonLisbonLisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, PortugalPortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
(Fiat Portuguesa SARL, Somave Sarl) - SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
(Sharikat Fiat Distributors). - BangkokBangkokBangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, ThailandThailandThailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
(Karnasuta General Assembly Co.). - CaracasCaracasCaracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
, VenezuelaVenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
(FIAT de Venezuela C.A.). - LusakaLusakaLusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is located in the southern part of the central plateau, at an elevation of about 1,300 metres . It has a population of about 1.7 million . It is a commercial centre as well as the centre of government, and the four main highways of Zambia head...
, ZambiaZambiaZambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
(Livingstone Motor Assemblers Ltd)