131mirafiori forum

A tale of two sports.

Picture the scene. Ireland at the start of the 1980?s. This ushered in one of the bleakest decades in the Irish States history to date.  A somewhat irresponsible budget in 1977 by the majority Fianna F?il government in power at the time included the abolition of car tax but borrowed heavily to fund the then current spending. This, combined with some global economic problems during the period, basically ruined the Irish economy for most of the 1980s causing high unemployment and mass emigration.
 
After joining the ERM in 1979, Ireland was also saddled for much of the 1980s with an overvalued currency which wasn't rectified until the 1986 devaluation. Much of the capital borrowed in the 1980s went towards propping up this overvalued currency.

This was also an era of political instability in Ireland  with power alternating between the two biggest political parties - Fianna F?il and Fine Gael -and some governments not even lasting a year, and in one case, three elections in eighteen months.

The 80? also saw the first bus lane opened in Dublin?s Parliament Street, we drove the wrong way down the Dublin north quays


(http://i.imgur.com/dMGEm.jpg)


and Johnny Logan wins the Eurovision song contest.

What else was happening during the 80?s? Well in the US, it started with a bang as Mount St Helens blew it?s top, who shot JR was an (inter) national obsession and the Iran-Iraq war was about to ignite.


(http://i.imgur.com/GGiQ8BZ.jpg)


In 1981 the Space Shuttle Columbia lifted off along with the introduction of the IBM Personal computer.

The Sony Walkman however was still 3 years away..


(http://i.imgur.com/Dnf6U.jpg)


..live-aid concert rang out in 1985 and the Berlin wall succumbed in 1989.


(http://i.imgur.com/We7mZAC.png)


I was in my first job in Dublin at the start of 1980 working for an American company manufacturing electronic POS terminals. High tech stuff we?re talking here with 4-bit processors, multi-segment displays and dot-matrix printers. Oohhh errrr missus. In April 1980, I managed to purloin a demonstration Fiat 127 Sport from the Motor Centre Fiat Dealer in Clondalkin. Black with go-faster orange stripes.  


(http://i.imgur.com/szGzf.jpg)


What more could a body want. Well maybe a 131 Sport? After reading an article in a 1980 edition of Autocar magazine where a long term 131 Sport was put through its paces, I had a new target and aspired to owning a 131 Sport. Little brother would have to do for the time being.


(http://i.imgur.com/EPvnK.jpg)


I can?t quite remember what I paid for the 127 as my recollection of the transaction is fairly vague. My guess is probably somewhere around ?4750. And the annual insurance cost ?274.

Although the series II 127 was introduced in 1977, it was probably a wee bit long in the tooth by 1980. The driving position was really ape like and although it had a lovely little  14? steering wheel ? shaped like a Mexican bandits moustache ?


(http://i.imgur.com/IkJxh.jpg)


..it felt as if it was almost vertical in its orientation. At times, it felt like I was opening an escape hatch on a sinking U-boat ?


(http://i.imgur.com/uf6OExD.png)


and was half expecting to find a Dragar escape apparatus as part of the standard tool kit.


(http://i.imgur.com/me40Fmr.jpg)


And there?s more. The accelerator pedal was far too close to the wheel well, the quality of the gear change was rubbery (no not lovely, rubbery), the octagonal instruments were prone to reflections and they really did look cheap. And it weighed, by today?s standards, an anorexic 772Kgs.

Competitors at the time would have been the Alfasud 1300Ti (much more expensive), the Mini 1275GT, Peugeot 104ZS and the Renault 5TS.

However, out of that entire bunch, the 127 Sport had a charm all of its own. Plus a cracking little 1049cc Brazilian built engine. With the aid of larger twin choke webers over the standard 1050CL, it pushed out a healthy 70bhp at 6500rpm. It felt very eager if a little cammy, preferring more revs than usual to keep it on the boil. And the high back ?tombstone? seats were better than expected although I suspect it may have been claustrophobic in the back.

In September 1980, the petrol Tanker drivers (that is a T and not a W) went on strike and caused havoc for the best part of 6 months. Queues for petrol everywhere. Spent quite a number of mornings queuing in my dad?s Fiat 132 and balked at the ?15 it took to fill.  

At the same I was starting computer studies and went to look at a Sharp MZ-80 computer that Christmas.  All 8 bit processor, 32Kb of ram (that?s KB not Mb), a built-in non-standard keyboard and a primitive display. And all for ?600 plus VAT.


(http://i.imgur.com/aANOZ.jpg)


Crikey. Needless to say I knew where my priorities lay and kept the money in the back kick for another pending purchase.
The following March (1981), the tanker drivers gave up their protesting and with the somewhat difficult economic times of the period, I ended up on a three day week collecting ?24 p/w for the privilege.
  

In April, an ex-Fiat Ireland (if I remember rightly) silver Fiat 131 Sport showed up with 7600 miles on it. 156 YZI. Silver with black trim. Me had to have. I ended up taking my dad?s 1978 Fiat 132 and he took the 127 Sport until he decided what he wanted to do himself. Did a deal in George Dagg?s, a Fiat dealer in Rathmines where I handed over ?2800 worth of wedge with the 132 and I came away with the object of my desire. Way hey.

 Eh, say what? And me on a 3 day week. What the hell, I was relatively young and stupid at the time. Car insurance then hiked itself up to ?329 with the PMPA.

(http://i.imgur.com/V2tNfh.jpg)

Luck changed, or so I thought, when I landed a new job on June 14th and was dispatched over to the States for what was supposed to be 6 weeks. Ended up being 17 weeks over there and got back on October 12th1981. Sad thing was, I was away from my 131 after only two months. I certainly missed my 131 but my dad didn?t. He was having a ball. He had the car all over Ireland and the UK. Sure why would he want to get his own car when he went prowling round in my 131. At least someone was getting the pleasure out of it.

Then, on the morning of Oct 23 1981, just 11 days after getting back, burglars broke in to the house and took the keys for both the 131 and 127 sports. And it?s not hard to guess which car they legged it off in?

At 15:30 later that day, the police rang to say the car was down in the technical bureau on St Johns road and I had better go down. A friend of my dad?s who was in the crash repair business came along too. Just as well as he estimated the damage at ?5000. It was therefore past saving as it was now beyond economical repair.  It looked like the only thing that wasn?t bent was the keys. I was saddened but also glad that it was written off because I certainly would not have been a happy chappie if the repair was borderline and I ended up with a car that was stitched back together again.


(http://i.imgur.com/qR66ih.jpg)


Seeing my baby in such a distressed state, it was very hard to believe that some of Dublin?s finest scum couldn?t even manage to get themselves killed in such an accident. Like an animal?s head mounted on a wall as a trophy, I ripped the Fiat laurel wreath grill badge off and kept it as my own trophy sitting proudly on the desk.


(http://i.imgur.com/VJBbLh.jpg)


Sad, I know.

Two days later, the crims came back for a repeat performance by taking the 127 Sport.  

A neighbour suggested we take a drive to scout around the area and see if we could spot the 127. I thought he was mad thinking we?d have a snowball?s chance in hell of finding it. During the reconnaissance I just about caught a glimpse of a black car with orange stripes through a pedestrian walkway in Brookfield about 2Km from where I lived.


(http://i.imgur.com/k2ohk.jpg)


Got out, walked in and there it was. I should have bought a lottery ticket. Cops told us that it took part in a robbery the previous evening. I should have grounded her. Taking part in household robberies. Tut Tut. Needless to say, locks were changed immediately.

After the shock of both cars being taken and waiting for the PMPA insurance company to cough up, I started to think about what I?d do about a replacement car and what I?d like next.

In November, I looked at a Golf GTi which was selling for ?5950 with 17000 miles on the clock, an unregistered XR3 for ?7700 and an un-registered Golf GTi for ?6850.


(http://i.imgur.com/5NcbM.jpg)              (http://i.imgur.com/bveSl.jpg)


PMPA came back and offered ?4000 as a replacement value and a salvage value of ?1500. Say what!!! Where did the b?tards get that figure from as it was the best part of ?5750 when I purchased the car only 6 months earlier.  Then, out of the blue, a guy from Cavan rang and asked if I?d sell him the wreck for ?1500. Rather than give in, I haggled and indicated that I wanted ?1750. The following day he rang back and agreed so there?s me thinking I?d claw back at least some of the losses due to the low insurance valuation.

However, I was bitch slapped by the PMPA as they took the ?1500 off their valuation and sent me a cheque for ?2555. It arrived on Dec 4th exactly 6 weeks after the claim.  A rather expensive 3 months of actual 131 seat time from my perspective.

On Dec 16th, I looked at another XR3 for ?5800. Then on Dec 19th, I saw 227AZO - another ex Fiat Ireland 131 Sport in Rialto Motors. Silver with blue bumpers and he was looking for ?6100. Jumping in, it felt like coming home again. Second chance at a first love wasn?t going to go without a fight.

It certainly wasn?t as sporty as the GTi or the XR3, but it felt more substantial, more luxurious and just, well more. Great balance between comfort and handling, fantastic short shift gearbox, great brakes, great lighting and something that indicated that it could take miles of continental driving in its stride.

Now it still did have its foibles. It wasn?t particularly economical, engine wise it was noisy when pushed and had incredibly short and slow wipers which left large parts of the screen un-swept. However, it was marvellous, I was still in love and I just had to have second helpings. The short engagement with 156 YZI before she was stolen hadn?t been long enough to rinse the 131 from my system. The desire still needed to be filled even if it meant breaking the bank. Again.  

Walked in on Dec 23 with ?5700 in cash, waved it under the dealer?s nose and drove home in it later that day as I wanted it before the Christmas break.


(http://i.imgur.com/1tpMY.jpg)


(http://i.imgur.com/UuWiSh.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/9QTve.jpg)


(http://i.imgur.com/l04lnh.jpg)


Eventually 227AZO was sold in 1983. Wonder if she?s still about somewhere in deepest Ireland?

And now on to the second decade of the 21st Century. Overspending, reckless Governmant policies, global economic meltdown, mass unemployment and emigration. A feeling of d?j? vu in Ireland maybe?  Now where have I come across this before?
And I?m probably driving something as equally inappropriate now in these bleakest of times as I did when drooling over a Mirafiori Sport in bleakest 1981.

Some people just never learn.

I tried to re-create the original photo of 156YZI above which was taken 31 years ago in the same spot with my current mode of transport.

(http://i.imgur.com/5KJlrh.jpg)

Looking back at the specs of both the 131 and the M, it?s interesting to see how things have developed over what is maybe 4 to 5 generations of cars over that period. The Mirafiori sport had a 4 cylinder twin cam engine displacing 1995cc and producing 115 PS. It weighed about 1100kgs. To put that in to modern perspective, a current VW Polo 1.2 trendline weighs 1092Kgs.
The M3 has twice the cylinders (V8), twice the capacity (3999cc), weighs about 1690Kgs and produces over three and a half times the power at 420ps.

When I thought about that, I sometimes wondered what Fiat (or one of the divisions) may have been producing nowadays had they taken Abarth to its heart as a tuner and produced a line of sporting saloons similar to BMW with the M-Sport, Mercedes with AMG or Audi with S lines. Or beyond.

There was huge potential with all the marques under their stewardship at the time ? Fiat, Alfa, Lancia and Ferrari and using Abarth as the tuning arm of Fiat. They obviously hadn?t the foresight or cop on to realise what could have been achieved.  What might I have been driving today had they not lost the plot? A Fiat-Abarth rear wheel drive sporting saloon with rally winning breeding, svelt Italian styling in a way that only the Italians can do, Ferrari beating V8 muscle and with a character greater than that of Sherlock Holmes.

If only we could wind back the clock.

The photo?s of 156 and 227 were originally on slides. I stumbled across the box containing them a few months back and used a slide scanner to convert them in to jpg?s. And that?s the first time I?ve seen them in what must be 25 years. I was chuffed to find them and that got me thinking about the history and histrionics of 30 years ago. And before you ask, I?m still only 25.


.

I like the silver and blue Racing ;D I think I was talking to you at terenure car show 2011 ???

Oh, tell me more. Were we with Willie Carrick at the time or somewhete else?

You were with Willie Carrick at the time :)

There were a few people at the time so apologies I can't put a face to your handle.
Maybe at next July's show  :)

Great Story

Alfa needs to come up with a 3 series and 5 series rivals.

And then people need to buy them. I think there are plans ro an Alfa '3 Series' next year.

looking forward to it.

Hi All.
Great story Rich well if we could wind back the clock i would be driving the Fiat maybe 10 years earlier than i did :(.
Will post more later today as a man of my age needs some Sleep ;D.
      Willie.

I actually enjoyed that reading, like yourself been through the car trend times and i'm in my 40's now and still can't resist the fast bad boy cars, I have the lastest ford Focus RS in frozen white, although i'm not a ford man, a long way off it, but alfa fiat or lancia don't have any bad cars at the mo, although I would love to see them come out with an upto date integrale!!! as I LOVED my EVO 11 !!!! DAMN I miss that car >:( see now i'm started to sound like you too lol ;D

Another great story and fantastic to see how deep the 131 Sport is in people's hearts!

One question. Do you remember if the blue bumpered car also had blue seatbelts?

I enjoyed every word, please keep on telling us nice stories :)

Welcome from the midlands in the UK. I had already read your post on the other forum. Great story but an upsetting end.

Rich I have a copy of an Irish magazine article on the sister of your first Sport namely 157 YZI. I'll post it up soon as it complements this article. It was grey with light grey bumpers.... :)

Thats a good question Albert. I think it had but not 100% sure. Regarding the seat covers, I have an original Irish market 131 Sport brochure dated 12/78 and just looking at it now it says the seat covers were colour coded as well. I can only ever remember having one set and my guess it they came with the second car (silver/blue).

The covers I have are dark grey/anthracite in colour and one of their failings is that the cover is pulled down as one sat in to the seat placing a lot of pressure on the mounting rings where the headrest went through. I had one of them re-stitched but never replaced the ring as in one of the pics.


(http://i.imgur.com/NocDj.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/Eaqp1.jpg)

From what I can remember, most of the Sports at the time in Dublin were Orange, followed by Silver and a few Gun metal grey with green bumps. I never noticed any other seat cover colour other then my own.

I notice that another topic has spun out regarding the quality or otherwise of the Alfa 159. I could write up something when I was looking at the Alfa GTV when it was launched in 1997 but as this is a 131 site may not be appropriate. And more to the point, it might upset some Alfa-istas. I was alo in Balocco in 2008, but again it's an Alfa story.

Brilliant, look forward to that.  ;)

Does anyone know if there are any Sports knocking around in the in the Dublin area? I'd love to see and sit in one again.
I don't recollect being in one after 227AZO went off on its merry way.

The silver and blue bumper Racing had blue seat belts and the towel were blue like the ones in the photo's :) I do like the silver with the blue trim.

I know a guy that Dad had one new he disliked the blue trim had had the dealer paint them black :( and the belts were changed to black ones. The same guy after doing this to his new racing had a clip sunroof fitted too >:(

Rich,

Thanks for the answer! If you like take a cheap flight to Amsterdam and we organise a few great Racing days ;)
Great you also told that there were gunmetal cars with green bumpers around. You saw pictures of my car?
Do you also remember gunmetal cars with orange bumpers?

Greetings from Holland,

Albert

jeez Albert, you don't know what you're letting yourself in for with that offer.
I'd love to at some stage but we'll have to see.

I did see some pictures but really only finding my way around the site. If you want to send me a link that'd be handy as well.

I found a thread where Kev131 posted a find of a silver/blue 131 somewhere in a field in Ireland here:

http://www.131mirafiori.com/smf/index.php?topic=699.0 (http://www.131mirafiori.com/smf/index.php?topic=699.0)

I nearly cried and wondered if it was 227AZO for a minute. They look like 132 wheels. I don't ever remember a sport with those wheels. On the supers yet, but not the sports.

I don't ever remember seeing an orange bumpered car. And gun grey was ralatively rare as well.

I'll go looking for your car now.

Regards,

Rich  :)

Here it is  ;)

(http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff477/TheoKyriacou/3ma11/P1080269.jpg)

Have a look at the 3ma11 gallery (http://www.131mirafiori.com/gallery3ma11.htm) on the main website and you'll find a few photos of Albert's lovely green bumpered car.

Great stuff. You're a gent. Thanks.
Oh, and that's a mega machine you have there yourself. Tell me, the wheels on your car - I don't think they'te standard sport are they?
Only wheels I ever noticed at the time where the alloys as on my 227AZO.

Ah, which wheels do you mean? The steel wheels as seen on Albert's car above, called Quatrofoglios (or something like that meaning four-leaf clover) were the standard 131 Sport wheels and also standard on the Supermirafiori as you mentioned. Standard size was 13 inch for all models with a 14 inch option on the 131 Sport. As far as I know all 131 Sports in the UK were supplied with 14 inch wheels and usually they were a dark grey colour. I believe in Ireland there was an option of 13 inch "iron cross" alloys and most Sports were supplied with those wheels. On my car I now have Cromodora CD51 magnesium wheels (usually fitted to early Beta Berlinas) much to the horror and disapproval of some of the members here  ;D ;D

Rich,

Enjoy looking around at the forum.
When you go to the showroom section you can find a lot of excellent cars. When you search there for bellamacchina you can find my cars.....
And of course otherwise we will be helpfull.
Another possibility: http://www.123website.nl/classicmoviecars/49495739

ENJOY! And I know what I am doing offering to you ;)

Albert

You have some wonderful cars. My favourite being your Silver (with that standard wonderful blue interior) S2 1600cc Supermirafiori.

Where is your Orange Racing in the collection, I didn't see it listed.

Wow. A mine of information  ::). The Irish brochure pictures showed the dark grey 14" wheels (christ aren't they small by todays standards) and the back page specs indicate 5.5"J x 13" H1 pressed steel but a sub-note for the Irish market had light alloys as standard. I wonder why we were so special to get 'Alloy' wheels. ???  You were spot on  8)

Super stuff  :P. And no pun intended.  ::)

Racings had fitted standard 13 inch OR 14 inch, difference between countries, Germany 14 inch, Holland 13 inch, optional 14 inch. They were dark grey standard. Under the green bumpered Racing I fitted NOS Supermirafiori wheels, under my silver Sport are repainted wheels, under the orange car dark ones.

Rob, you mean this one? http://www.123website.nl/classicmoviecars/49495752
I know you love the Super, maybe I come and will take it to Miesbach, or I take the silver Racing :)

Albert, that is one hell of a collection. Your Fiat 1500 is stunning, it's the best one i have ever seen. I can now understand why my grandad had 2 of them  ;)

And " il professore" is real fun to drive. We name her this way because it looks like the chrome is as an eyebrow over the headlights ;)

They don't make cars like thry used to. With those eyebrows it could have been a character in the (dare I say KIDS) film 'Cars'.

While looking at your sport with the green bumbers, I don't recollect them being that bright, almost luminescence.
Or maybe my poor old brain cells are loosing their lustre.

I'm assuming  they are just standard plastic type bumbers and can be painted without fear of the paint going blotchy or peeling off at a later stage?

Rich,

Original they could be more matt, thats true. I have an original orange set and the brochure. Combined that made us decide to do the green with a minimal gloss. Probably original was less shiny. And another answer to your question, when you use a good primer you can paint the bumpers no problem.

Hi Kevin,  did you dig out that article yet? My eyes glued to the thread in hot anticipation  ;D

Just came across this. This is like the 127 nicked at the same time as my first 131 Sport.
Almost tempted but ?5K I think in fairly strong money. Or is it?
And the almost upright steering wheel and potentially saggy seat.

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C397282 (http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C397282)

  ::)


Just found a few old photo's, one of 156YZI when my dad had it over in London (while I was away) in August 1981
just two months before that fateful day in October.

AFAIK, this is the Star and Garter in Putney so he may have been drinking and driving !!!!


(http://i.imgur.com/mwwg70j.jpg)

Print has faded a little and I took a picture of it with the phone to upload it.

Looks mint!, nice  8)

My dad's 1978 Fiat 132, the car I learned to drive in and I traded it in against 156YZI.
I loved that car for some reason.

It was at Leopardstown Racecourse I think and looks like a Ritmo and an Escort (Mark 2?) in the background.
Don't know when it was taken but sometime between 1978 and March 1981.



(http://i.imgur.com/xhiPviv.jpg)

Found another picture.
Snow in 1982 so this has to be 227 AZO. Picture has faded a little over time. :-(

(http://i.imgur.com/0tSyS.jpg)

We did have huge snow in jan 1982 ;)

The official colour at the time as far as I can remember was Champagne.

Nice 132 too Rich, you really have to come along to revive the old days ;D

Clearing out a room for painting and found a few photo's another one of 156YZI when on its holidays in London.



(http://i.imgur.com/3w75SZZ.jpg)

 :)

Love the photos, keep 'em coming  ;D

Dragging up an old post.  ::)

Just came across an old photo from the RTE archive of George A Dagg motor dealer in Rathmines where I bought my first 131 Sport in 1981 - 156 YZI

(https://i.imgur.com/DkDhYXH.jpg)

Long gone now.

I believe they were BL dealers until the mid-70's when they changed to Fiat. At some stage later they became Peugeot dealers