131mirafiori forum

These pics are from 2002 when I first began to track down Irish Fiat 131s - It's an Irish car but even then was too big a challenge to restore.

Interesting for it's very rare colour combination.

(http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l250/kev131/img233.jpg)

(http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l250/kev131/img232.jpg)

(http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l250/kev131/img230.jpg)

(http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l250/kev131/img228.jpg)

(http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l250/kev131/img227.jpg)

(http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l250/kev131/img226.jpg)

(http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l250/kev131/img229.jpg)

A new roof, bonnet and bootlid and it would be as good as new! Interesting collection in the background, a 4 door with sport arches and a panorama estate car.

What a pity to see it in this condition, though it can show up as sounder as expected. Is the car still in this condition around or is in in Fiat heaven? At least it shows a lot of interesting parts to donate! Thanks for the pictures, incredible!

Hi Kevin that wasnt a rare colour combination i remember many 131 sports like that back in the day, although a lot of them got the trim painted black, one of the sports  i have has some orange kit on it under the black paint, & those cars with blue trim had blue seat belts & blue towels.

Hi kev, is this car still sitting in a field on somewhere or has it been crushed? Would love a few bits off it!

chris

such a waste, leaving them on grass

2002 thats 7 years ago its probably gone where good old ponies go!

Sorry to contradict you Nick but it's my experience that this colour combination is certainly one the rarer ones, not the only one clearly but not so common as Grey/Black, Silver/Black or Orange/Black.

I believe that you have the official Fiat colour chart for the Sport (as do I) and if you look at the colours available for the bumpers/arches/trim you can see that there is a common colour on the bumpers/coachline, safety belts and front seat covers. As an example therefore if the car is a Grey/silver colour combo, it should have silver belts. ?;)

Hi Chris - This car still exists - The owner is a member of the forum and may reveal himself.? ;) From the last time I saw it though, much has been removed since 2002.

Kev a friend of mine had one in this colour with the blue arches and bumpers  last time i saw the car was 15 years ago

Hi Kevin sorry but you are wrong here on this one, i know what colours came with what cars & i have the documents & microfiche to prove, where did you get your info from?

Kevin if your in doubt i also have all the part numbers for the different coloured seat belts, towels  & outer trim etc, what colour chart do you have? & i know who has that car in the pics.
not that part numbers are any use Fiat seems to have forgotten about these cars & i have tried to get some new parts but always draw a blank.

Does the Panorama and four door in the photos still exist?

the estate 131 and the green 4 door got coke caned about 3 years ago
but the silver sport is resting at the back of my garage with a grey and silver sport
both irish cars and both rotten silver car still lookes the same but will be live on in the next 131 projects ?:)
the green car was a waterford car swi ... 1985 bought new in kents fiat garage 1400cl
with black super seats sport grill and arches .got fire damaged inside thats how it ended up in the field
the estate car reg was 82 kk and was left hand drive and came from the leanon belive it or not
then got crashed in the front ?

Hi Nick - What am I wrong about? The rarity of the silver/blue combos in relation to the more common grey/silver/orange with black trim cars....or the data lifted from an Official Fiat 131 Sport/Racing colour chart (Gamma colori/Gamme de coleurs/Farbpalette) dated 07/79?? :)

I'm more than happy to see information that might challenge this belief but what "documents" are you referring to that will do that - Can you explain?

Kevin there were lots of the silver/blue combo up very common they were not rare & they had blue belts & towels the rarer one imo was the silver grey & red  seats.

Hello mark any interior parts in silver one or are you restoring it

Ah now I see - It's just a difference of personal opinion on rarity..?? ??? and your opinion is based on the fact that there were lots of the silver/blue combos up....up where..? In Louth..? Is this conclusive evidence..? And I never said that it was the rarest combo - Just rare (which is a relative term) - Certainly I agree that a silver body with a red interior is rare. Not sure I would agree that a grey body with a red interior is as rare.

Looks like we are in agreement on the consistency of the colours across bumpers/coachline/belts and towels according to the Fiat colour charts then so I'm puzzled by the mention of micro fiche/documents...? ??? Are you saying that you have a document that states all of the colour combinations rather than the discipline of colour consistency that I am referring to?

One would have thought that the Fiat colour chart would state all of the available options but there is no listing of the Orange/Green bumpered models which appear in the Irish Sport brochure dated 11/1978. Perhaps this is because of another theory that I have heard...that these bumper colours were only available ex Europe.

Why don't you bring your reference documentation to Terenure/Killarney and we can compare details there...! ;) Anything that evolves my knowledge on this subject is very interesting to me.

Not Louth Kevin but the north also, the harder colour to see was the orange & now there are plenty that colour
well we are agreeing on the coach line colour trim options but on the microfiche it gives different part numbers for all the different colour trim & belt options so am i right in thinking that you could in theory have any colour you wanted when buying the car new?
as for the silver/grey 628 with the orange bumpers there was one regular visitor in Dundalk back in the days, they were Italians that had family who owned chip shops in town & another with the 620/ blue trim both cars, were Dublin regd, there was also a black 131 with black trim, all these cars were new or nearly new at the time & i have broken a grey /grey & grey/black & grey/orange only it has onange outer trim only seats were red???
thats why i think many of the Italians that bought their 131 sports/racings new could pick their trim colours,
as for taking the fiche with me we need a reader to view it, large tv type thing, any more info appreciated, pick their brains in Italy Kevin but hopefully they are not like the dealers young & dont know what a 131 is, i hope you get older person with lots of info on the 131 sport/racing, that is the only Fiat i am interested in (the 131 sport disease Kevin).

My view is that these were set at the factory and that no buyer choice was available such as having black bumpers with blue belts and grey towels. The only cosmetic choices were colour packages pre-determined by Fiat.

I have no documentation to say that this is true or untrue, simply what is likely to have been the case, in my opinion.

The availability of different part numbers simply means that one could buy replacements if needed in the required colour for your car...? Or have I mis-understood you? Maybe you are saying that there is a part number (per colour) for a whole package comprised of seatbelts, towels and bumpers/arches/coachline...?

Back in those days the range of options were far more limited when compared with today's bewildering array of choices. I read recently that the number of variations in the mini range had 17 digits in it.? :o

Back to the Sport/Racing I'd love to have been a fly on the wall when the designer(s) was being given his brief, or what his proposals to management were. The colour availability/combinations has always stood out to me as being very different from what Fiat were offering in the rest of the range (incl the 127 Sport launched at the same time) and also in comparison with the market in general. Maybe what we are debating is the outcome of a vino soaked Torineese party where at 2.0am the original decisions all got dropped on the floor and got mixed up and the culprit was too embarassed to go back and check if he had put it all back together correctly - Hence cars with blue/green and orange bumpers!!? :D ;D

Your theory of a colour swatch of choices is not something I'd considered before - Hmmm - If it was true I wonder what my first choice would be...?

The 131 Sport disease..? What's that..? ;D

sid the car in the picture is dublin reg car also has blue front and rear seat belts
its the only irish blue and silver sport i ever seen but brensports mate also had 1
my opinion is that you could order blue bumpers on your car as it would be a big
coincidence that they would be loads of silver a blue sports running round dublin and the north
that people just decided 2 paint well thats my opinion
hammer i will be using the interior in another sport sorry

Hello Mark whats the interior like in the other sport?

hello hammer the interior from the other sport is in my black sport

i could do with another set of black interior myself

OK mark happy hunting

A silver body with red interior was not on offer so, yes indeed it is rare.

Of course it is easy to combine yourself if you had the parts. The silver blue combo was not as common as described here, I am pretty sure about that, but of course, when you saw such a great car with strange coloured bumpers it would cover your eyes for ever ;D

I probably agree with you on that one Albert but can I ask how do you know? Have you seen it documented anywhere ....in the same way that it is unlikely that orange body with green bumpers probably was not available either.

Actually for a bit of fun why don't you fit your green bumpers to your orange car when it is finished...? Then see how many heads turn as you drive by!!! ;D

Hello mark did you start work on the blue and silver sport?

hellow hammer no the blue and silver sport is 2 far gone 2 restore
it is a parts car only have started on an orange sport all welding is done
bout a wks work in getting it ready for paint

JUST THINKING OUT LOUD IF YOU WERE COLOUR BLIND WOULDN,T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE OR IS THAT DOCUMENTATED AS WELL ;D ;D ;D ;D

Hi Enda orange paint code is 255 (Racing orange or arancio Racing)

Thanks nick

Where can I get those bumpers and wheel arches?  ???

Hi mikesides on page 4 of the for sale and wanted sportydarren has spoilers and wheel arches for sale

Really sad to see a silver and blue in that state.
I had one back in the late 70's 80's and loved it to bits, they were a special factory order and as far as I know there were only a handful ever came to the UK as we checked with the UK importers at that time. When I sold mine it was about two years later I was contacted by DVLA as it had been clocked. It was then sold at auction and went to Ireland so was this my old car, really sad if it was.

I used the car to travel from Portsmouth to Exmouth every day, no dual carriage ways just A roads, what a blast, caught by the same cop car twice then they just used to wave to me every morning, the good old days before speed cameras.

HI ALL AND WHAT AN INTERESTING DEBATE THIS CAR HAS BROUGHT UP!

NOT WISHING TO TAKE SIDES ON WHAT IS RARE OR NOT BUT IN THE EARLY 80's I LIVED IN DUBLIN FOR FEW YEARS AND KNEW OF 4 OR 5 DIFFERENT REGISTERED SILVER SPORTS WITH BLUE TRIMS.
 
ALSO HAMMER MAY BE INTERESTED TO KNOW THIS !
IN ROSCOMMON THERE WAS A SILVER SPORT WITH BLUE TRIM WHICH BELONGED TO A CURRENT ROSCOMMON AUCTIONEER AND WAS PURCHASED THROUGH THE FIAT DEALERS WHICH USED TO BE SITUATED ON THE LONGFORD ROAD OUT OF ROSCOMMON.
AND A PROMINENT ROSCOMMON AGRICULTURAL CONTRACTOR HAD A GUNMETAL GREY SPORT,WITH LIGHT GREY TRIM AND RED INTERIOR, ALSO PURCHASED THROUGH THE SAME DEALERSHIP.

HAMMER, CAN LET YOU HAVE THEIR NAMES IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, JUST P.M. ME!

WONDERFUL STUFF GUYS, KEEP IT UP  ;D

P.S. SOME GOOD NEWS ON MY CAR QUESTS LOOKS PROMISING !
       ALL WILL BE REVEALED SOON  8)

So the trailer may soon be occupied then???


Can't wait to see that silver and blue off the grass and in good hands

silver & blue was pretty popular up this end back in the day

ratso, thats the idea, will be happy when i see my quest on the back of it !  ;D

gerry

YES NICK, THERE WERE QUITE A FEW AROUND BUT IT DOES SEEM THAT THAT WAS THE COLOR THAT MET THE WORST FATE AND JOINED THE REST OF THEIR RELATIVES IN THE GREAT YONDER!  ??? RIP!

Ah.... but were they common Nick...?  :D ;D ;)

yes Kevin very common as i said before the silver with the black were very rare up here 2 that were in town were blue painted black, i will always remember the grey 628 with the orange trim that used to visit the roma most sundays.