Yahoo Autos Rare Pininfarina-Designed Fiat 130 Coupe Heads to Auction
You might remember the best example of Fiat and Pininfarina collaborating was the Pininfarina Spider. That's how the Fiat 124 Spider was known in the last few years of U.S. sales. But this was by no means the only example of teamwork by the two companies during that period.
In a few days Artcurial Auctions will offer something very different, but also a Fiat and Pininfarina collaboration, when a 1972 Fiat 130 Coupe rolls across the auction block.
Fiat might have been known for its range of small and midsize models by the end of the 1960s, including the popular 124 family which ended up being produced under license in several countries. The last derivatives stayed in production almost into the present day. But as popular as its small cars might have been, Fiat's larger models were far rarer and mostly stayed confined to Europe, and Italy in particular. So if you wanted large executive sedan, Fiat certainly built those, just not for every market.
The early '70s range-topper was the 130 sedan with V6 power underhood -- very modern for its time but not produced in as great a number as most of Fiat's other cars. But besides the 130 sedan Fiat also offered a radically restyled coupe version, penned by Pininfarina. The angular 130 Coupe appeared two years after the sedan at the 1971 Geneva motor show. The car's 3.2-liter V6 with light alloy cylinder heads was good for 165 hp, with a choice of a five-speed manual or a three-speed automatic. The large Fiat coupe was a capable performer with a luxury interior, and was set quite far apart in price from the rest of the Fiat range.
