SEAT 133
Encyclopedia
The SEAT 133 was a small rear-engine car designed and sold by SEAT
in Spain from 1974 to 1979. The car used the chassis and engine of the by then defunct Fiat/SEAT 850
and featured a new body in the style of the contemporary, somewhat smaller and only indirectly related Fiat 126
.
The car was first exhibited at the Barcelona Motor Show in May 1974. Noteworthy at that time was the compression ratio of only 8:1, which permitted the car to run on 85 octane petrol/gasoline. This was still appropriate in Spain, but elsewhere in western Europe even "regular" fuel grades by now generally guaranteed a higher minimum octane rating.
The 133 effectively replaced the SEAT 600
which had been produced in considerable numbers with around 800,000 built - almost exclusively for the domestic market - by 1974. Initially the 133 was only sold in Spain and did not enjoy great success, since it suffered from frequent overheating problems. However, it enjoyed success in other parts of the world, like Egypt for example, where the car is still in service.
Reflecting the rear engine lay-out, there was just a small well for parcels behind the back seats, with more room for luggage under the 'bonnet/hood' at the front of the car.
Up to 200,000 SEAT 133s had been produced by 1979 in Spain. A further 15,821 were made in the Fiat
/Sevel
Plant at Córdoba in Argentina between 1977 and 1982.
In April 1977 it was announced that Egypt
was about to become the world's 32nd car producing country. This followed the signing of an agreement for the shipment of ckd kits from Seat's Barcelona
plant to the Helwan premises of the Nasr Automotive Manufacturing Company for assembly, in order to supply the Egyptian market and for export to Iraq
.
The SEAT 133 was exported to Germany from the Autumn/Fall of 1974: here it found some success among rear wheel drive-loyalists in the mid-seventies. It was also sold in Britain from June 1975. These countries had no SEAT dealership network at the time, and the cars were branded as Fiat 133s, to be marketed alongside the Fiats 126
and 127
.
by SEAT
, with which Italian
company Fiat
had signed an agreement of collaboration in the 1950s. The 133 was a meant to replace the old 600 and 850 models, and to provide a means for SEAT to open new markets and make up for the loss of sales in Spain that would come with the disappearance of the restrictions in car imports during the 1970s.
The 133's design premise was that it had to be a cheap car both to develop and build. Thus, the final product inherited most of its components from the Fiat 850
. As with the 850, it was a rear-wheel drive, rear-engined car, a layout a that was being replaced by a trend for front-engined, front-wheel drive
hatchback
s like the Renault 5
and Fiat's own Fiat 127
.
The 133 began production in 1974, and was introduced in April at the Barcelona
Autoshow. Around 127,000 units were exported, mostly under the Fiat name, and from 1977 to 1980 the Fiat Argentine
subsidiary built them also, under the Fiat name.
, where over 50 per cent of the drivers drive Fiat 133s.
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....
in Spain from 1974 to 1979. The car used the chassis and engine of the by then defunct Fiat/SEAT 850
Fiat 850
The Fiat 850 is a small longitudinal-rear-engined rear wheel drive car which was produced between 1964 and 1973.-Overview:Its technical design was an evolution of the very successful Fiat 600. The internal name for the Fiat 600 development project was "Project 100" and consequently, the internal...
and featured a new body in the style of the contemporary, somewhat smaller and only indirectly related Fiat 126
Fiat 126
The Fiat 126 is a city car introduced in October 1972 at the Turin Auto Show as a replacement for the Fiat 500. Most were produced in Bielsko-Biała, Poland as the Polski Fiat 126p until 2000...
.
The car was first exhibited at the Barcelona Motor Show in May 1974. Noteworthy at that time was the compression ratio of only 8:1, which permitted the car to run on 85 octane petrol/gasoline. This was still appropriate in Spain, but elsewhere in western Europe even "regular" fuel grades by now generally guaranteed a higher minimum octane rating.
SEAT 600
The SEAT 600 was a Spanish car made by SEAT from May 1957 to August 1973. It helped to start the economic boom, the Spanish Miracle , that came at the end of the slow recovery from the Spanish Civil War...
which had been produced in considerable numbers with around 800,000 built - almost exclusively for the domestic market - by 1974. Initially the 133 was only sold in Spain and did not enjoy great success, since it suffered from frequent overheating problems. However, it enjoyed success in other parts of the world, like Egypt for example, where the car is still in service.
Reflecting the rear engine lay-out, there was just a small well for parcels behind the back seats, with more room for luggage under the 'bonnet/hood' at the front of the car.
Up to 200,000 SEAT 133s had been produced by 1979 in Spain. A further 15,821 were made in the Fiat
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...
/Sevel
Sevel Argentina S.A.
Sevel Argentina was an automobile company that produced and marketed Fiat, Peugeot, Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet, and Citroën automobiles for the Argentinian market until it was dissolved in 1999...
Plant at Córdoba in Argentina between 1977 and 1982.
In April 1977 it was announced that Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
was about to become the world's 32nd car producing country. This followed the signing of an agreement for the shipment of ckd kits from Seat's Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
plant to the Helwan premises of the Nasr Automotive Manufacturing Company for assembly, in order to supply the Egyptian market and for export to Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
The SEAT 133 was exported to Germany from the Autumn/Fall of 1974: here it found some success among rear wheel drive-loyalists in the mid-seventies. It was also sold in Britain from June 1975. These countries had no SEAT dealership network at the time, and the cars were branded as Fiat 133s, to be marketed alongside the Fiats 126
Fiat 126
The Fiat 126 is a city car introduced in October 1972 at the Turin Auto Show as a replacement for the Fiat 500. Most were produced in Bielsko-Biała, Poland as the Polski Fiat 126p until 2000...
and 127
Fiat 127
The Fiat 127 is a supermini produced by the Italian automaker Fiat between 1971 and 1983. It was introduced in 1971 as the replacement for the Fiat 850...
.
Fiat 133
The Fiat 133 was a car developed in SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
by 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....
, with which Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
company Fiat
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...
had signed an agreement of collaboration in the 1950s. The 133 was a meant to replace the old 600 and 850 models, and to provide a means for SEAT to open new markets and make up for the loss of sales in Spain that would come with the disappearance of the restrictions in car imports during the 1970s.
The 133's design premise was that it had to be a cheap car both to develop and build. Thus, the final product inherited most of its components from the Fiat 850
Fiat 850
The Fiat 850 is a small longitudinal-rear-engined rear wheel drive car which was produced between 1964 and 1973.-Overview:Its technical design was an evolution of the very successful Fiat 600. The internal name for the Fiat 600 development project was "Project 100" and consequently, the internal...
. As with the 850, it was a rear-wheel drive, rear-engined car, a layout a that was being replaced by a trend for front-engined, front-wheel drive
Front-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...
hatchback
Hatchback
A Hatchback is a car body style incorporating a shared passenger and cargo volume, with rearmost accessibility via a rear third or fifth door, typically a top-hinged liftgate—and features such as fold-down rear seats to enable flexibility within the shared passenger/cargo volume. As a two-box...
s like the Renault 5
Renault 5
The Renault 5 was first unveiled on 10 December 1971, being launched at the beginning of 1972.The Renault 5 was styled by Michel Boué, who died before the car's release, the R5 featured a steeply sloping rear hatchback and front dashboard...
and Fiat's own Fiat 127
Fiat 127
The Fiat 127 is a supermini produced by the Italian automaker Fiat between 1971 and 1983. It was introduced in 1971 as the replacement for the Fiat 850...
.
The 133 began production in 1974, and was introduced in April at the Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
Autoshow. Around 127,000 units were exported, mostly under the Fiat name, and from 1977 to 1980 the Fiat Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
subsidiary built them also, under the Fiat name.
Motorsport
The 133 is also popular in the low-budget Finnish motorsport called JokkisFolkrace
Folkrace is a popular, inexpensive, and entry-level form of Swedish rallycross that originally came from Finland, where it was called Jokamiesluokka . The sport also exists in Norway and Denmark, where it is known as Bilcross and Folkerace respectively.The races are run on special gravel or tarmac...
, where over 50 per cent of the drivers drive Fiat 133s.