Rusty But Trusty

Here’s a car I’ve always had an interest in since riding in one in Egypt in 1984 – the Fiat 131 sedan. The 1976 has a 1.8l Lampredi twin cam 4-cylinder. I’d be curious to see if replacing the timing belt is easier than in my Lancia, which has the same engine with a different head and some other bits. Needless to say, you have to watch out for rust on these, but the great thing is these are workhorses that, if well cared-for, will go on for miles. How many twin-cam rear-drive sedans could you get back in ’76? I can think of the Alfetta and Lancia Beta off the top of my head, but this car should be simpler to maintain with a standard live-axle layout.



At $950, this one in Snohomish, WA looks pretty decent. The seller doesn’t mention whether the car is an automatic or a stick – the 5-speed which comes with these cars is definitely more appealing and probably more reliable since the stick was the more popular choice in the larger European market. Get rid of those 90s-Corolla-looking hubcaps and either run it on steelies or throw some alloys from a 124 spider on it and you’ll have a slick little sports sedan. That bright yellow would also look perfect with some groovy ’70s black FIAT graphics running along just above the rockers.