1of 2 in the world?

[FIATCAN]

I've seen this car awhile back, and at the time I thought it was a regulalr american 2-door 131 upgraded with the sport package. Was interested in purchasing it, but then I soon found out that he was asking well over $15,000.00 cdn. Now he has it listed on his web-site and is claiming that it is 1 of 2 in the world . Can some-one shed some light?

I don't know the asking price now.


http://www.andyspiders.com/sale.html

[simon131]

Hi FiatCan,

IMHO it most certainly isn't 1 of 2 in the World, nor is it an Abarth. Looks like a standard 131 Racing/Sport Walter Rohrl Limited Edition to me - a rough one recently sold on German eBay for ?2,425 (Eur 3,113) - with after market Cromodora alloys.

Looks externally like a Sport as the A and C pillars are black (which many a home conversion misses) and it looks like it's the correct orange, but the interior is either missing or incorrect, as I can see neither front nor rear headrests - and it should have both.

It's got the wrong door mirrors and the front grille has been sprayed black (should be grey if 'stock'), but I still reckon it's a genuine 131 Racing/Sport - it even has the orange seat belts.

I'd welcome a bit more information and a few more pics of the car - that way we could be 100% certain. Also the chassis number (from the top of the suspension turret - if a late 1980 model will probably start ZFA131A*****) and model code (on the information plate at the top of the front panel - which, if it's a Sport, should be 131AK).

This price of Cdn$15,000 equates to about ?7,500 sterling, which I'd say was a bit on the high side, however it would still be very rare in Canada. If the price was closer to Cdn$10,000 it would be a good investment, but it's certainly not an Abarth - Stradale or otherwise!

Still, it looks like a nice, straight, original car, and if provided with the correct interior, would be a car I'd covet If you've got the cash and can do a deal, I go for it, as 131 Sports don't come up that often in Canada do they, and certainly not in this condition.

[kev131]

Hi Guys - I know this car having seen it on Ebay USA before. From my notes it's a 1979 car with 35k miles. No record of asking price though.

I've got some more pics and one possible theory to support the "1 of 2 in the world" claim is that it is possibly a European spec car imported by the official importers and then made into a dealer special for promotional reasons.

It does look good though and from the pics seems to have led a cherished life - Nice extras, especially the wheels, exhaust, steering wheel and roof spoiler. Shame about the boot spoiler!? It also looks quite a straight car (how the spoiler/bumper/arches feature aligns is often a sign of whether the car was crashed or restored, poorly).

[Thotos]

But it has chromed "pulls" on the door handles while a Sport should have black anodised ones. That would imply to me that it was a converted car albeit a good conversion where the A and C pillars were blackened. Plus the front of the car is riding too high also implying this is a standard car with Sport trim added. And it has a bonnet from a diesel 131....

[simon131]

It's good to see some more pics, but in actual fact they only add to the queries

T, I don't think the front of this car is any higher than my own Racing. Hasn't your car been slightly lowered? I've seen chrome lever pulls on a Sport before, but I agree that generally they are black.

The 'Brava Abarth' stickers on the rear spoiler are really over the top and I don't like the diesel bonnet either, but I'm still convinced it's a WR Sport/Racing.

This car has air con too and appears to also have red dials, which is a bit unusual.

The only way of properly deciding the argument is to get the numbers I referred to in my posting above.?

[kev131]

My instinct says genuine Sport ...but I dont understand why you think it's a WR version Si.  Roof & boot spoilers are wrong, wheels are wrong, missing side stripes and additional driving lights, in fact all of the WR extras/variations are missing.

[Thotos]

My instinct says genuine Sport ...

My instinct says not genuine Sport. Mirrors are wrong, door handles are wrong, bonnet is wrong, interior is wrong, spoilers are wrong (standard Sport/Racing did not have spoilers), rear badges are wrong...

The car is a Brava destined for the US market where the Sport was not available so maybe the US importers made a couple of specials by adding the Sport trim and the bonnet from a Diesel to give the car a more American Power-Bulge?

As Simon says (feel like breaking into a song as I wrote that...  ) the numbers on the turret and info plate will tell us a lot more...

[FIATCAN]

From what I can recall the original seats are not available, and at the time two race version seats were installed. He had also mentioned? that it was a signed version? (WR???). The engine is not the original and was actually going to be replaced with a modified 2.0ltr as the one in the car was burning oil.?
Yes Simon this is a very rare treat to see this style of 131 here and as all you know I am itching to get my hands on one, but at what price? This car has an unknown history and is possiblly a U.S based 131 with alot of "plastic surgery" as stated. I would of jumped at the opportunity to purchase  this car if it was an original 131 sport in original state, but  it surley looked like a modified car at the time.

Maybe another visit should be schedueled to retreive more info??

[simon131]

The reason I think it's a WR is the script writing on the drivers side C-pillar. ?

My instinct says it's a Sport/Racing too - but perhaps not a WR(?).

I agree Theo that there are a number of items that are wrong with this car, such as bonnet and interior, but things like wheels are easy to change, and those shown on the car were very readily available in North America (from 124 Spiders and Coupes) in their day.

If, as you suggest, it's a 'dealer demonstrator' type of vehicle, there may well have been only two, but I'm not so sure. Why the diesel bonnet when the 131, even as a series 1, was only available as a twin cam in the US and Canada. The gear change and centre console shout Sport to me (short throw, remote change of this period was ONLY available on the 2000TC Sport), but Theo, the front screen doesn't have a top tint, and all Sports and Racings did have.

As I said, the pics just add to the confusion. ?

Of course, if the engine has a compressor (supercharger) on it the cat would be well and truly among the pidgeons, as this car would then be a VX! Worthy of the Abarth badging, but if it's got a tall diesel engine..........

FiatCan - get us the numbers and put us out of our misery Without them we are simply guessing!

[simon131]

Ok, FC's reply crossed with mine, and we now know the engine is not a diesel

I still feel that the car left the factory as an orange 131 Racing WR Ltd Ed. Since then it has been seriously robbed of the good stuff, but someone has tried to cover up these losses by fitting the incorrect (although superficially the same) parts (i.e. roof spoiler).

FC - I don't know how you can stay away I want to go and take a look myself - but I don't think the wife would be too keen on me taking atrip to Ontario on just a whim. Venice, Italy is OK, but not Ontario!

When you go, note the chassis number from the top of the turret, paint code (noted on both the general info plate on the top of the front panel and inside the boot (trunk) lid), and model type.

[FIATCAN]

After a breif phone call i was able to get some more info.

This is one of two cars that were made for the U.S. They were sold as 131 Abarth's. They did come with Abarth transmissions, but because of U.S emission standards they were equiped with a standard 2.0ltr emissioned engine. The trim package is exactly that of the pictures less the wheels. The european deisel bonnet was standard for these two cars. Our freind purchased both cars from a local dealer who purchased the cars from Florida in the early 90's. The cars were owned by a U.S rally driver (Constentino??) something like that. One of the cars was scraped and this is the soul survivor. The interior was faded and brittle and was the cloth(corduroy) with the red stripes. The seats are now missing. The original color was white. As for the WR emblims they were added as the owner himself had been a rally car racer. The car is in storage and if the money is right it will be sold with a new engine and interior seats. These two cars have been mentioned in the abarth "bible" I don't know what book this is.
Hopefully in the near future I'll be able to vist this car agian and get the tag numbers that Simon requested.

Kev, you were right, this car was on ebay before

I don't know what i'm thinking now, but at a price tag of just under $20,000.00 cdn. I would like to try to source out some more info.

Thoughts?

[FIATCAN]

O'k I just googled "Abarth Bible" and the author is A. Consentino

Does anyone have this book?

Getting the history on these cars might be some fun

[kev131]

Never heard of the car or the author FC but it sounds like it would be an interesting read ..if in English!

Another picture of this special car...and possibly the elusive and now scrapped sister car, although with slightly different spec (roof spoiler, wheels, bonnet, etc) and it does have the c pillar script. Note that in "our" car the large Fiat Laurel wreath seems to have been lost in later years - In my opinion these pictures pre-date the later Ebay ones which I posted this morning.

A beautiful pair of cars in my opinion and does a lot to support the view that orange is a very suitable colour for these cars as long as it is not faded.?








I've never seen orange seat belts on a Sport before - very unusual and in my opinion inconsistent with the Fiat policy of seat belt colours matching bumper/arch/spoiler colours.

[FIATCAN]

Some of his literature.

FAZA, I think is the name he is linked to?
Not much in regards to 131's, but i'm sure he has some books exclusively to the 131's including the two i'm looking for.

When I purchased my first 131, I remember the car having a few of these "FAZA" books. They were like a after-market parts book that you can order from.

http://www.fazaabarth.info/FAZA1.html

[simon131]

Interesting to see in the bottom pic of the cars side by side that they have the roof spoilers fitted differently but these pics show that both cars were probably WR Editions when new even if they had differing bonnets too