MEET THE OWNER – DENVER VKNG AND HIS FIAT 128 3P PROJECT CAR

“To be honest, I didn’t even know what sort of car was hidden under the cover.” Then, in 2020, shortly after the beginning of the pandemic, Denver and his family moved into a village and “on our daily walks I spotted the ‘thing’ covered up, so I always let my imagination have a go at the ‘guess the car game’. But one day, a breeze lifted the rear corner of the cover, and I spotted the rear lights’ lenses.”

This glimpse only further whetted Denver’s attention, for he is a car enthusiast of many years. “I was even more interested and more intrigued to find out more. So, after some time, I finally saw the owner taking his shopping out of his daily car and decided to have a chat about the mystery vehicle. Then I discovered it was a 1978 Fiat 128 3P – and I wanted it instantly!”

Denver’s reaction is wholly understandable as the 3P is one of the most charming members of the 128 dynasty. Fiat introduced the original two-door Coupe in 1971, replacing it four years later with the 3P- ‘Tre Porte’ or ‘Three Doors’. The 1,290cc SOHC engine was capable of over 100 mph and 0-60 in 10.8 seconds, and the UK price was a not unreasonable £2,144.

Meanwhile, Les Dawson appeared to have influenced Fiat GB’s advertising – “Try justifying this to the wife.” Even worse – “Of course, there is a good chance the sporty bit won’t mean a thing to the wife. So tell her it’s a family car. She’ll never know.” Despite such copy, Bill Boddy was highly impressed in the August 1976 edition of Motor Sport - “What a generally good little car the 3-door hatchback Fiat 128 3P is!”

When faced with such a fine car, it is entirely understandable why Denver succumbed to the lure of the 3P. “The body shape and the spirit reminded me of my first car, an Opel Kadett C named ‘Matilda’. Another reason for wanting to buy the 128 was that when I was growing up in Romania, my dad had a Fiat 600D, and by the time I was in my 20s, I looked for one to restore, but they are really expensive.”

Finally, a price for the 3P was agreed on the 26^th of February this year, and Denver could not be happier. He plans “to get it running and for the 128 to be a running project. I know so many people who start a project, but along the way, they get overwhelmed by the amount of work they started and lose interest. So, my aim is to have the Fiat running nicely and attack small bits of body, which need a lot of work.” Meanwhile, Denver’s son Chester decided the 3P should be known as ‘Luigi’.

Of course, we will be reporting updates on Luigi in the near future – and we cannot wait for the day when one of the rarest Fiats in the UK takes to the road again. After all, the 128 3P was good enough for Nikki Lauda - AD FIAT 128 3P - Berlinetta (Niki Lauda) \ 1975 \ ita -V - YouTube

With Thanks To: Denver Vkng