131 Race support vehicle...?

[kev131]

Haven't seen one of these for years..

http://www.subito.it/fiat-131-marengo-napoli-4419850.htm

Check out the discreet door mirrors...!? The look like the ones on Mater from the Cars movie!!

Mileage is stated at 40000kms which might explain the ?5k asking price. Still huge money but what an ideal tow car for your race prepared fire breathing 131 race/rally car...!?

[mirafioriman]

I like the odd wheels for that price I would expect four the same!

[sid131]

i dont remember ever seeing one Kevin, is this a 2 door van? would the doors be the same as a sport?

[131DHOC]

Haven't seen too! Were those marengos imported in England? Two doors, station wagon and left hand drive, what a strange thing to see.

[kev131]

These were based on the Panorama with the two rear side doors and glass blanked out - A real economy job at converting the estate to a van. The outline of the doors were still there with gaps, I suspect that they didn't open. So no Nick, not Sport doors!?

Pickup versions were also made, also of the Argenta, which looked very unusual - A utilitarian vehicle with a plush luxury cabin!?

Never sold in UK, in fact I think that they were Italian market only, but I have no evidence either way.

[131DHOC]

Sorry, this car has sport doors, if you look at the second picture you will see the typical triangular glass and the fact that the door is much longer than the rear fixed? panel. I used to see those cars when they were new in Italy, but this was so much time ago. So I can confirm that they fit the sport doors. You can also observe how much the innner panel is long in the third photo. It's true that there are gaps back as in real rear doors, but this is only because they fit the same panorama rear panel too.

[kev131]

Happy to be wrong on that point and you have made me look up my 131 photo archive to check.

Here are some factory photographs that show the side view a lot better than the advert. And they do look longer - perhaps Nick (Sid131) has identified a new source for Sport/Racing doors!!!? Now, how would those mirrors look on a Sport..?

[sid131]

i wonder were there any of these in Turkey? Yagmur any idea?

[eugene]

Those mirrors are for comercial vehicles which are correct for an estate van,but to fit them to a sport would be disgusting .Just my opinion.Eugene

[sid131]

Hi Eugene i have to agree with you there, anyhow where could you get sexier mirrors other than the sport ones, toyed with fitting a pair to my celica but just wasnt right didnt think that i would end up with a sport as well.

[131DHOC]

Those mirrors are for comercial vehicles which are correct for an estate van,but to fit them to a sport would be disgusting .Just my opinion.Eugene

They would reduce top speed about 10Km/h less 

[131DHOC]

If you look at the gaps you see that they are vertical and stright, so they are not as those fitted in the panoramas. Maybe they were cutted panorama wings and this solution was the cheapest possible for fiat. Very similar gaps appeared in fiat fiorinos of the early eighties based on 127.