also on ebay 
Didn't sell at a little under £1,700. Not sure that it would have made that much if the seller hadn't already declared the reserve
Still, looks like a nice example and well worth saving. I'd have it but unfortunately not having any work at the moment means I'll be reducing my fleet rather than increasing it
Membership Number: 4647
Bigger old Fiats still can't command any money.
Had identical car in 1986, paid £65 for it with a bent half-shaft, repaired it and me and two friends ran it for a further 4 years before it moved out of our Fiat circle but was still running and spotted in 2002 in London.
Happy memories but still worthless 
Membership Number: 1046
Had identical car in 1986, paid £65 for it with a bent half-shaft, repaired it and me and two friends ran it for a further 4 years before it moved out of our Fiat circle but was still running and spotted in 2002 in London.
Happy memories but still worthless
I think Fiats are an acquired taste, and for those that hold them dearly in our fond memories will no doubt be prepared to pay "reasonable" money for a particulary well prepared car. However, I think the other Italian marques of Alfa Romeo and Lancia will generally obtain higher values due to the distinction their names hold (call it classic - car snobbery if you like but there is no getting away from it, unfortunately) Many factors play a part in an older cars potential value. I've noticed , in the case of various English marques for example, that various "bread and butter" models, previously over - looked, are now gaining much interest, and higher premiums. Possibly due to the fact our own motor industry has been sold "up the river" and people have fond memories of what we once had. Yet these same models don't appear in classic car press every month etc; I think some Fiats , particulary, the saloon models, are likewise an acquired taste, appreciated by the few who release how good they really were in their day but not likely to gain much publicity from the general motoring media. (possibly because there are also so few left!!)
Membership Number: 10962
Wise words Mr C and I agree that I think the classic motoring press certainly don't do the classic Italian world (especially Fiat) any favours especially when, within the first paragraph, the word rust will have appeared more than once.
How strange and ironic then that when you turn the page to read an in depth Readers Resto article on one of Britains "finest", the bulk of the write up is devoted to the restorer's efforts at rust removal and repair! Blimey, Heritage have created a whole industry out of manufacturing replacement bodyshells for British cars which appear to suffer from a more acceptable form of corrosion to Italian cars
If I'd had the dosh, I'd pay the reserve for that 131. How many are left with a provenance and condition like that?!
You've hit on an interesting point there, Julian, Whether to spend on a brand new car or go down the classic / old car route and perhaps have "more car for the money". The 130 Coupe was a very expensive car at the time starting at £5,500 approx on its launch in uk (1972) and rising to over £8000 by 1976, such was the over-riding power of inflation at the time which affected the new car market as a whole. The cars for sale in Motorsport at the time (I used to buy them religiously as a teenager),although collectable, were no-where near reaching the stratosphere premiums of the 1980's (when the "classic car thing took off), and indeed ,today. A good E type or XK150 could command an easy £40K- £60K . Likewise on the "new or old" point, you could spend £15K on a modern eurobox, capable of 120mph and 45-50mpg, or buy a nice Rolls Silver Shadow, Jensen Interceptor , or maybe a Ferrari 308. Despite the financial pressures of fuel costs, I still maybe inclined to the "old" route. This is partly fed by my love of reading old road tests, like you mentioned.
Membership Number: 10962
