131mirafiori forum

This is the famous Fiat 131 Sport belonging to Frank Church who is sadly no longer with us. Famous...? Because at the age of 76 Frank won his first race in Brands Hatch in this car after 50 years in motorsport! A small point that contributed to his? success was that an unexpected shower of rain caught out most his slick shod competitors and on road tyres Frank overtook most of the field on his way to 131 glory!!? ;) Wish I had been there to witness that!

Anyway I went to vist Frank twice in West London - Once in the mid 90s when these pictures were taken and later in 2003 when the car was for sale.

On the first visit Frank took the car out to a local park to allow me to take pictures. As it was winter, the car was on standard rims but he explained that the car also had summer wheels (alloy)! I liked the fact that the steels were still shod with Pirelli P6s. The car was obviously modified for motorsport but as an example of how meticulously Frank maintained his car, he explained that the last job that had been done was to remove the rear seats and to paint the bare metal beneath!!

When i visited Frank for the second time the car was for sale for approx ?2500 - A bargain in today's market. I was lucky enough to have a spin in it through the London streets - my experience was of a hard riding lumpy engined car which put me off. Maybe if I had had an opportunity to try it out on a track I might have felt differently.

The car sold shortly after but it's current whereabouts are unknown to me.

(http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l250/kev131/Mirafioris/img356.jpg)

(http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l250/kev131/Mirafioris/img357.jpg)

(http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l250/kev131/Mirafioris/img358.jpg)

(http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l250/kev131/Mirafioris/img359.jpg)

(http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l250/kev131/Mirafioris/img360.jpg)

(http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l250/kev131/Mirafioris/img361.jpg)

Nice to see this car here as I saw it in several magazines and iven the Fiat-Lancia twin cam book. Will the car be still around in good condition?? I really hope so.

I knew Frank and this car pretty well back in the day. He was a lovely bloke but stone deaf, which sometimes made it hard to communicate with him.

YBM had certainly seen the bodyshop on many occasions, and in certain places it had up to 12 coats of paint. It was starting to rot in all of the usual places too, which was a shame, but not unexpected for a car of it's period ::)

Just before Frank passed away he offered me the car as he simply wasn't using it (preferring instead to use a Autobianchi A112 as his 'daily driver') but he was asking far too much for it in my opinion, and I didn't have either the funds or the place to keep it out of the weather, so I had to sadly decline :-\

As I understood it, Frank's son took the car on for a while after his passing, but then it was sold on. I've not seen the car since Brookland in the mid-90s.

Rumour has it that the young lad who purchased the car actually wrote it off, but I have no first hand proof of that. It would be interesting to know where it is now.

I knew Frank too, top bloke, the hearing became an issue in his later years as even the simplist conversation became a bout of repetitive shouting.....and just like my dad he shouted back at you not realising.
Frank offered the car to me in about 1994 when I was selling my Uno turbo, but the same reason I was selling the Uno affected my ability to buy the Sport.........
skyhigh insurance!!!

The cars asking price was ?2,500 and even then it was worth it.

I know the car was maintained at Rodney Garage in Brockley and was indeed painted many times as the scabs appeared, though at that time the structure was sound.
Frank lived in Forest Hill S.E. London and the photos are taken in Dulwich Park, when I worked in S.E. London the Sport was a regular sight roaring along the South circular.........priceless  :)

Frank also had an Abarth 1000TC reg 231 LPJ and this too he drove with verve.

As I was told by Phil Ward the Sport was sold to a chap in Scotland (Phil was a bit miffed to have missed out on it), as for it being written off I'd never heard that so it would be a shame if that was how the car ended up.

Dear old Frank had some great cars and at a great age was still involved in racing, in the late 90's I saw him in the paddock at Snetterton advising, instructing and encouraging a new driver with an ALFA 155 Q4.

Long may he remembered as a Gent on and off track.
       

Well it looks as if the car wasn't written off after all as Simon and I discovered it quite recently in quite rude health and tucked away from the elements.

It has had the racer aspects removed including the horrible roll cage and now looks like a very nice car indeed. I can't say what condition the steel is in but the paintwork looked nice as did the restored wheels.

(http://i766.photobucket.com/albums/xx305/kev132/Supermirafiori290412020.jpg)

(http://i766.photobucket.com/albums/xx305/kev132/Supermirafiori290412019.jpg)

(http://i766.photobucket.com/albums/xx305/kev132/Supermirafiori290412021.jpg)

(http://i766.photobucket.com/albums/xx305/kev132/Supermirafiori290412022.jpg)

(http://i766.photobucket.com/albums/xx305/kev132/Supermirafiori290412023.jpg)

(http://i766.photobucket.com/albums/xx305/kev132/Supermirafiori290412025.jpg)

(http://i766.photobucket.com/albums/xx305/kev132/Supermirafiori290412026.jpg)

(http://i766.photobucket.com/albums/xx305/kev132/Supermirafiori290412027.jpg)

Nice to see another one has survived. It looks in good condition in the photos.

Always like Franks car 8)

Although not Orange, and I prefer the Grey with the red interior. I like this a  lot  :) ;D :D

Now back to trawling the web trying to buy a UK car with the wife  ??? ??? :-\ :'( >:( :(