Cento Trenta: 1975 Fiat 130 Pininfarina Coupe – Sold?

May 7, 2021 Update – We just confirmed the listing for this “Classifind” expired, so with no replacement found we’re assuming this ride “Sold?” While this one got away, please reach out either by email or call Rudy directly if you’d like to be informed when we come across something similar.

When we first came across the ad for this car, we thought it was a Ferrari 400i 2+2 from the late seventies as both automobiles share a very similar side profile. However, this Coupé is one of many cars Fiat never offered officially in the U.S. Cento Trenta (pronounced “chen-toe trent-a”) is the number 130 pronounced in Italian, and that is what the Italians call Fiat’s big Pininfarina-designed, six-cylinder-powered Coupé the company offered from 1969 through 1977.  The gray-over-pumpkin velour 1975 example originally posted on Craigslist in April 2021 in New Milford, Connecticut appears to be a sorted survivor example offered at $14,500 currently. While our normal syndicated pricing sources do not provide valuations on these gray-market Fiats, we were not surprised to find Bring A Trailer has offered a number of these Coupés at various prices.

Fiat produced the V6-powered 130 in both dowdy four-door sedans and attractive two-door Coupés as a competitor to both BMW’s and Mercedes’ Executive car offerings.  Paolo Martin of the Italian design house Pininfarina designed the Coupé with a unique interior design that featured, among other innovations, a button-operated mechanism allowing the driver to open the passenger-side door. Front suspension was a modified MacPherson strut setup, with longitudinal torsion bars acting at the base of the control arms instead of coil springs on the struts, to allow room for the wide V6 and the optional air conditioning. The height of the front suspension is adjustable, using eccentric cams in the ends of the torsion bars, where they are attached to the body.  The rear suspension is a modified Chapman strut, using nearly trailing arms carrying the coil springs, axle shafts as lateral control links, and toe control links, with good wheel geometry control. Axle shafts are connected by universal joints at both the hubs and the limited-slip differential. The rear suspension geometry can be finely tuned. While automotive critics at the time chided the noisy V6 and its thirsty gasoline appetite, most praised the 130’s excellent handling and road-holding, smooth ride, very high standard of interior and comfort plus an enormous boot.

This YouTuber provides a very detailed review and history of the Fiat 130 Coupé:

Arguably the most striking feature about this 130 is the pumpkin-colored velour interior that presents in like-new condition.  If you like the eccentricities of owning and maintaining an Italian car, then this 130 Coupé might make a nice addition to your garage.

Here’s the seller’s description:

“Very Rare to find 1975 Fiat 130 Pininfarina coupe. Front engine 3.0 liter V6 mated to a 5-speed transmission. Grey with a pumpkin-colored velour interior. Fresh timing belt. Car show nicely. 76,000 miles. Minor bubbles in body and car could use further tuning”

Show or go: what would you do with this Malaise Era Fiat?  Comment below and let us know!