1974 Fiat 131

The Fiat 131, introduced at the 1974 Turin Motor Show, was produced from 1974 to 1984. It was a replacement for the Fiat 124 and was available as a two-door and four-door saloon and 5-door estate. Initially, the 131 was powered by 1.3 L and 1.6 L single overhead camshaft engines. In 1978 and 1981, revisions were made. In total, 1,513,800 units were produced in Italy.

The Fiat 131 featured a steel monocoque, designed and styled on the typical three-box design. The boxes were designed for the engine compartment, passenger compartment, and boot. It had a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. The engine was longitudinally mounted in the front and the gearbox was placed directly behind the engine. The power was sent to the solid live rear axle vehicle a tubular propeller shaft, under the transmission 'tunnel.'

The brakes in the front were discs, using a solid iron disc and a single-piston sliding caliper. In the back were drums, with leading and trailing shoe design operated by a dual-piston fixed slave cylinder. They were hydraulically operated with a tandem master cylinder assisted by a vacuum servo using two separate circuits.

The Series 2 was sold in the United States as the Fiat Brava from mid-year 1978.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2013