Fiat 128
Encyclopedia
The Fiat 128 is a small family car manufactured by the Italian manufacturer Fiat
from 1969 to 1985. The engine was designed by the famous Ferrari racing engine designer Aurelio Lampredi.
revolution at Fiat. Like the Mini
, the 128 has a transverse-mounted engine
, however, the significant breakthrough with the 128 was the use of unequal length drive shafts which allowed the engine and gearbox to be located side by side, a layout which has since become ubiquitous for small cars.
The 128 was voted European Car of the Year
for 1970, and continued to be acclaimed by the press throughout its lifetime: the magazine Road & Track
placed the 128 above the Datsun B210, Toyota Corolla
, Mazda 808, and Subaru DL
but behind the Volkswagen Golf
(which was launched in 1974 some five years after the 128) and Honda Civic
in a comparison test, praising it as a "driver's car" with "excellent" brakes and "outstanding handling".
The 128 was the first car to feature the all-new Fiat SOHC
engine, an engine design which was considerably advanced for its time, featuring an aluminium alloy cylinder head
with a direct overhead camshaft
driven by a rubber toothed belt. This type of engine design became commonly adopted by most manufacturers of small cars at the beginning of the 1980s, but in the late 60s was unusual.
Initially, the 128 was available as a two door sedan, four door sedan or station wagon
. The car was only available with a 1116 cc engine on launch, though the 2-door-only 128 Rally edition launched in 1971 used a 1290 cc unit. Also in 1971, the Sport Coupe, an all-new coupe body on a shortened 128 platform, was unveiled at the Turin Motor Show. On launch it was available with both existing 128 engines. The 128 range underwent a revamp in 1972, featuring a range of minor changes inside and out; pre- and post-revamp cars can be distinguished by their differing radiator grilles. 1974 saw the launch of the 128 Special, which used the Rally engine in a four-door sedan body. In 1975 the 128 3P (3-door) Berlinetta replaced the Sport Coupe. The range was overhauled in 1976 with an array of exterior and interior changes including new bumpers, rectangular headlights, new taillights and dashboard as well as modifications to the engines.
Production of all 128s except that of the base 1100 cc powered model ceased in 1979 after the introduction of the Fiat Ritmo/Strada in 1978, whilst in 1980 a small three-door station wagon Panorama was dropped from the range. Production finally ceased in 1985.
The 128 running gear and engine was used for the Fiat X1/9
sports car, where the entire front-wheel drive train, suspension and engine was moved to the rear of the car to provide a mid-engined layout.
" magazine tested a Fiat 128 in April 1970, shortly after its UK launch. The car had a top speed of 85.4 mph (137.4 km/h) and accelerated from 0-60 mph (96.6 km/h) in 15.5 seconds. An "overall" fuel consumption of 27.5 mpgimp was recorded. This put it fractionally behind the contemporary Morris 1300
on maximum speed but usefully ahead on acceleration. The two were closely matched on fuel economy, where both were outrun by the Ford Escort 1300 Super also included in the comparison, here in its four door version. The Fiat's £876 manufacturer's recommended price was not too far above the Morris 1300's £830 and the Escort's £838. The testers commended the Fiat's interior space and excellent performance. Wind and road noise were low, but engine noise was not.
and unveiled at the Turin Auto Show 1969. The Moretti (coachbuilder) in Turin was the first to produce an open car based on Fiat 128, using the traditional engine of 1,100 cc. It was built factories via Monginevro in semi-scale and a very limited number of copies. Along with the roadster also a coupe version was also presented (with the same mechanics and aesthetics but with fixed roof) that was produced in several copies, most of which ended up abroad.
Automobili" company in Serbia
. The 128-based Zastavas were available throughout Europe in the '70s. In Britain, three variants were offered: a three-door hatchback (Zastava Yugo 311/313), four-door saloon (Zastava Yugo 411/413) and a five-door hatchback (Zastava Yugo 511/513).
Production stopped in November 2009. It used to be one of the Serbian automaker's most affordable models and, at a price of approximately 3,750 euros, it was also among the most affordable cars in the world. Spare parts are particularly cheap.
Zastava also produced the 128 in its original, four-door sedan form. Regarding exports, as of 2001 no longer sells the car as a whole. Rather, CKD kits are sent to Egypt's Nasr car company, who assemble and sell the cars under the Nasr marque as the Nasr 128. The 128 remains the Nasr's most popular model.
In Argentina, the 128 was produced between 1971 and 1990. Only the 4-door sedan and a 5-door wagon (Fiat 128 Rural) were built. Several trims and versions were available, including the IAVA sport series. In 1983 the car received a facelift with new headlamps, tail lamps and front grille, which was marketed as Super Europa.
In Colombia, the 128 was produced by "Companía Colombiana Automotriz" in Bogota.
In Spain, SEAT
manufactured its own version of 128 3P model (31,893 copies).
In Sri Lanka, the Fiat 128 was manufactured by the Upali Motor Company until 1978.
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
from 1969 to 1985. The engine was designed by the famous Ferrari racing engine designer Aurelio Lampredi.
History
Although the styling was similar to the 124 and 125, the 128 was an advanced and influential design that pioneered the front-wheel driveFront-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive is a form of engine/transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitudinal engine arrangement generally found in rear-wheel drive and...
revolution at Fiat. Like the Mini
Mini
The Mini is a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers...
, the 128 has a transverse-mounted engine
Engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines burn a fuel to create heat which is then used to create motion...
, however, the significant breakthrough with the 128 was the use of unequal length drive shafts which allowed the engine and gearbox to be located side by side, a layout which has since become ubiquitous for small cars.
The 128 was voted European Car of the Year
European Car of the Year
The European Car of the Year award was established in 1964 by a collective of automobile magazines from different countries in Europe. The current organisers of the award are Auto , Autocar , Autopista , Autovisie , L'Automobile Magazine , Stern and Vi Bilägare .The voting jury consists of motoring...
for 1970, and continued to be acclaimed by the press throughout its lifetime: the magazine Road & Track
Road & Track
Road & Track is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. It is owned by Hearst Magazines, and is published monthly. The editorial offices are located in Newport Beach, California.-History:...
placed the 128 above the Datsun B210, Toyota Corolla
Toyota Corolla
The Toyota Corolla is a line of subcompact and compact cars manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout the world since the nameplate was first introduced in 1966. In 1997, the Corolla became the best selling nameplate in the world, with over 35 million...
, Mazda 808, and Subaru DL
Subaru Leone
The Subaru Leone was a compact car produced by the Japanese car manufacturer Fuji Heavy Industries from 1971 to 1994. The word "leone" is Italian for lion....
but behind the Volkswagen Golf
Volkswagen Golf
The Volkswagen Golf is a small family car manufactured by Volkswagen since 1974 and marketed worldwide across six generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates – as the Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada , and as the Volkswagen Caribe in Mexico .The...
(which was launched in 1974 some five years after the 128) and Honda Civic
Honda Civic
The Honda Civic is a line of subcompact and subsequently compact cars made and manufactured by Honda. The Civic, along with the Accord and Prelude, comprised Honda's vehicles sold in North America until the 1990s, when the model lineup was expanded...
in a comparison test, praising it as a "driver's car" with "excellent" brakes and "outstanding handling".
The 128 was the first car to feature the all-new Fiat SOHC
Fiat SOHC
Designed by Aurelio Lampredi, the Fiat SOHC engine first appeared in the front-wheel drive Fiat 128 of 1969. The in-line four-cylinder engine comprised an iron block with an aluminium cylinder-head containing a single over-head camshaft operating directly on both the inlet and exhaust valves in a...
engine, an engine design which was considerably advanced for its time, featuring an aluminium alloy cylinder head
Cylinder head
In an internal combustion engine, the cylinder head sits above the cylinders on top of the cylinder block. It closes in the top of the cylinder, forming the combustion chamber. This joint is sealed by a head gasket...
with a direct overhead camshaft
Overhead camshaft
Overhead cam valvetrain configurations place the engine camshaft within the cylinder heads, above the combustion chambers, and drive the valves or lifters in a more direct manner compared to overhead valves and pushrods...
driven by a rubber toothed belt. This type of engine design became commonly adopted by most manufacturers of small cars at the beginning of the 1980s, but in the late 60s was unusual.
Station wagon
A station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...
. The car was only available with a 1116 cc engine on launch, though the 2-door-only 128 Rally edition launched in 1971 used a 1290 cc unit. Also in 1971, the Sport Coupe, an all-new coupe body on a shortened 128 platform, was unveiled at the Turin Motor Show. On launch it was available with both existing 128 engines. The 128 range underwent a revamp in 1972, featuring a range of minor changes inside and out; pre- and post-revamp cars can be distinguished by their differing radiator grilles. 1974 saw the launch of the 128 Special, which used the Rally engine in a four-door sedan body. In 1975 the 128 3P (3-door) Berlinetta replaced the Sport Coupe. The range was overhauled in 1976 with an array of exterior and interior changes including new bumpers, rectangular headlights, new taillights and dashboard as well as modifications to the engines.
Production of all 128s except that of the base 1100 cc powered model ceased in 1979 after the introduction of the Fiat Ritmo/Strada in 1978, whilst in 1980 a small three-door station wagon Panorama was dropped from the range. Production finally ceased in 1985.
The 128 running gear and engine was used for the Fiat X1/9
Fiat X1/9
The Fiat X1/9 is a two-seater mid-engined sports car designed by Bertone and manufactured by Fiat from 1972-1982 and subsequently by Bertone from 1982-1989....
sports car, where the entire front-wheel drive train, suspension and engine was moved to the rear of the car to provide a mid-engined layout.
Road test
The British "MotorThe Motor (magazine)
The Motor was a British weekly car magazine founded on 28 January 1903....
" magazine tested a Fiat 128 in April 1970, shortly after its UK launch. The car had a top speed of 85.4 mph (137.4 km/h) and accelerated from 0-60 mph (96.6 km/h) in 15.5 seconds. An "overall" fuel consumption of 27.5 mpgimp was recorded. This put it fractionally behind the contemporary Morris 1300
BMC ADO16
ADO16 is the codename for the development of what became the Morris 1100, a small family car built by the British Motor Corporation and, later, British Leyland...
on maximum speed but usefully ahead on acceleration. The two were closely matched on fuel economy, where both were outrun by the Ford Escort 1300 Super also included in the comparison, here in its four door version. The Fiat's £876 manufacturer's recommended price was not too far above the Morris 1300's £830 and the Escort's £838. The testers commended the Fiat's interior space and excellent performance. Wind and road noise were low, but engine noise was not.
Moretti Fiat 128 Roadster
Moretti 128 Roadster was a coupe with removable roof (hard, in two parts) made by MorettiMoretti Motor Company
Moretti Motor Company is a now defunct automobile manufacturer formerly based in Italy. It was founded in 1925 and ceased operations in the mid-1980s. Today, many of its sportscar models can still be found at various European auto shows...
and unveiled at the Turin Auto Show 1969. The Moretti (coachbuilder) in Turin was the first to produce an open car based on Fiat 128, using the traditional engine of 1,100 cc. It was built factories via Monginevro in semi-scale and a very limited number of copies. Along with the roadster also a coupe version was also presented (with the same mechanics and aesthetics but with fixed roof) that was produced in several copies, most of which ended up abroad.
Foreign production
The 128 formed the basis of the Zastava 128 (four-door sedan) and Zastava 101 (three-door and five-door hatchbacks) ranges of cars made by the "ZastavaZastava
Zastava can refer to:*Zastava Arms*Zastava Automobiles*Zastava Trucks...
Automobili" company in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. The 128-based Zastavas were available throughout Europe in the '70s. In Britain, three variants were offered: a three-door hatchback (Zastava Yugo 311/313), four-door saloon (Zastava Yugo 411/413) and a five-door hatchback (Zastava Yugo 511/513).
Production stopped in November 2009. It used to be one of the Serbian automaker's most affordable models and, at a price of approximately 3,750 euros, it was also among the most affordable cars in the world. Spare parts are particularly cheap.
Zastava also produced the 128 in its original, four-door sedan form. Regarding exports, as of 2001 no longer sells the car as a whole. Rather, CKD kits are sent to Egypt's Nasr car company, who assemble and sell the cars under the Nasr marque as the Nasr 128. The 128 remains the Nasr's most popular model.
In Argentina, the 128 was produced between 1971 and 1990. Only the 4-door sedan and a 5-door wagon (Fiat 128 Rural) were built. Several trims and versions were available, including the IAVA sport series. In 1983 the car received a facelift with new headlamps, tail lamps and front grille, which was marketed as Super Europa.
In Colombia, the 128 was produced by "Companía Colombiana Automotriz" in Bogota.
In Spain, SEAT
SEAT
SEAT, S.A. is a Spanish automobile manufacturer founded on May 9, 1950 by the Instituto Nacional de Industria , a state-owned industrial holding company....
manufactured its own version of 128 3P model (31,893 copies).
In Sri Lanka, the Fiat 128 was manufactured by the Upali Motor Company until 1978.