RARER THAN RARE – 1979 FIAT 131 1300CL

Sometimes, the most seemingly minor detail about a car remains in the memory: the Wolseley’s illuminated ‘Ghost Light’ grille badge or the Humber Hawk and Super Snipe’s fuel filler hidden behind the offside rear reflector. In addition, when this writer was much younger, the twin sliding horizontal glove box lids of the Fiat 131 Mirafiori fascinated him. Today, this 1979 1.3CL is believed to be one of just five on the road in the UK: https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/?q=Fiat+mirafiori

The 131 Mirafiori (the name derived from Fiat’s factory near Turin) made its bow at the 1974 Turin motor show as the eventual heir to the 124. British sales began in May 1975, and Richard Hudson-Evans on Thames TV’s Drive In described it as an “Italian Marina”:

He also voted the styling “full marks”. Autocar thought the 131 “practical and entirely conventional”, and Motor Sport complained about the over-assisted brakes, but thought it would “float Fiat on a new wave of prosperity”.

As for Motor, they praised the performance, ride, transmission, and equipment levels. A June 1975 Car group test with the Ford Cortina Mk. III and the Morris Marina found the 131 the winner, not least because “it must be just about the best compromise possible between brio and the tin box”.

Outside of Italy, the 131 was also built by SEAT of Spain. Fiat facelifted the range in 1978; by 1979, the 1300CL four-door was £3,794. This compared very favourably to £3,806 for the Cortina 1300L Mk. IV or £3,918 for the Marina 1300HL. Unlike the Mirafiori, neither the Ford nor the Morris boasted an adjustable steering column, such plush upholstery or the Fiat’s sense of style. After all, ‘CL’ did stand for “Comfort De Luxe”.

1981 saw a further upgrade, and saloon production ended in 1983. Sales of the 131 Estate, badged as the Panorama, lasted until 1984, with total Italian manufacture amounting to 1,513,800 units. But this was not the end of the Mirafiori’s narrative. Versions continued to be made in Turkey by TOFAŞ – Türk Otomobil Fabrikası A.Ş. – until 2002 and in Ethiopia as recently as 2010.

Back in the UK, the 131 Mirafiori was already an unusual sight by the late 1990s, so it is very pleasing to see this rare survivor in all its yellow glory. And who could possibly resist those twin sliding glove box lids?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/375328097432