Fiat 130 Coupe

Fiat 130 must be the most American looking European/Italian car ever made.
The Fiat 130 is a large executive car manufactured by the Italian automaker Fiat, which was available as a saloon or coupé.The Coupé, based on the same platform, was introduced in March 1971. It was designed and built by Pininfarina, and significantly different in style, including a separate interior design (adopted in the saloon when it was upgraded to the 130B version which also featured the Coupé's enlarged 3235 cc V6). Even more luxurious, it featured a button-operated mechanism allowing the driver to open the passenger-side door. In addition to this model, there were two one-off variations built, a 2-door estate and a 4-door saloon known as the opera.Production of the saloon finished in 1976, with 15,093 produced. The Coupé continued until the following year, and production ended with 4,294 built in total.

Engine

Using the "128 type A" motor as a basis, a new crossflow V6 engine, with a 60° vee angle and rubber-toothed-belt driven twin overhead camshafts was developed for the model by Ferrari engine designer Aurelio Lampredi.^[3] It became known as the "130 type A" engine with a capacity of 2866 cc and a power output of 140 bhp (104 kW; 142 PS) at 5600 rpm.
The engine was uprated to 160 bhp (119 kW) for 1970,^[2] which involved raising the compression ratio from 8.3:1 to 9.0:1, increasing the size of the carburettor choke from 42 to 45 mm and reducing back pressure by extending the portion of the exhaust manifold that used individual pipes on each side of the V format engine.^[4] This provided useful performance improvements in a market-segment where relatively new models from Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar north of the Alps were setting an increasingly competitive pace.^[4]

In 1971, the "130 type B" engine was introduced, featuring a slightly increased bore (102 mm instead of 96 mm), displacing 3235 cc and producing 165 bhp (123 kW).^[2] at 5600 rpm.

Fiat 130 Coupé - identified as type "BC" on the chassis

Fiat 130 Coupe (UK model)

These cars appeared in 1971 at Geneva motor show. They exhibited a completely new 2-door body and a completely new interior entirely designed by Paolo Martin at Pininfarina. The car won a design prize, attributed to Pininfarina, and this helped Pininfarina begin a new life after all those years relying on the "Fiat 1800/Peugeot 404/Austin A60" concepts. Pininfarina extended the Fiat 130 Coupé line with two proposals that were rejected by Fiat : the Maremma in 1974 (2-door shooting break) and the Opera in 1975 (4-door saloon). Paolo Martin never got involved in these Fiat 130 Coupé variations, as he left the company soon after the design prize in 1971.The seats were shaped and designed by Paolo Martin with the collaboration of Giovanni Gottin, a specialist established in Turin. The dashboard was redesigned with sporty round dials, using white needles.The central console was redesigned by Paolo Martin, featuring wooden veneer, a row of switches and soft illumination throughout using state of the art fibre optics. The steering column is adjustable for rake and reach. The driver's seat has a degree of height adjustment.