In the early 1970s, Fiat took a remarkably bold turn with the 130 V6 3200 Coupé, a car that, in the hands of Pininfarina, became nothing short of a style icon for its era. Unveiled in 1971 and built on the underpinnings of Fiat’s flagship sedan, this two-door grand tourer combined luxury, performance, and a design language that oozed both sophistication and daring simplicity. Being the 1970s, lavish shades and wild materials were the norm when it came to speccing your new set of wheels, and this Fiat heading to Aguttes on Wheels’ upcoming sale has all of the craziness, and we can’t get enough!

On paper, the technicals of the Fiat 130, especially in its most potent 3.2-litre V6 form like this example, already read like the perfect hymn shet. Penned by none other than Aurelio Lampredi, this high-revving V6 produced around 165 horsepower, making a glorious sound while doing so. But where the 130 Coupé really stood out was in its aesthetic sensibility. The beautifully crisp Pininfarina body, drawn by Paolo Martin, was angular yet elegant, entirely of its era yet somehow timeless. Even by today’s standards, the car looks far newer than something from the 1970s, yet strangely is unmistakably a Fiat product. 

Step inside, and the 130 Coupé felt less like a practical GT and more like a boudoir on wheels. While leather was all the rage at the time, Fiat opted for sumptuous velour and, in some special examples like this one, even velvet upholstery. These fabrics are luxurious and somewhat decadent in that soft-focus seventies way, standing as proof that the 130 was not merely built to be driven, but also to be admired. 

Interestingly, of only 4,491 coupés ever produced between 1971 and 1977, just 170 were destined for the French market, making this model an extremely rare and sought-after. Rarer still, this example is a pre-production model, one of the very first produced and was registered "TO F22438" in July 1971 in the name of the Fiat Group's design and research department. The car would remain with Fiat for an entire decade, before being sold on to a private owner in 1981. Initially painted in Silver Indianapolis 605 for press photos, it was later repainted in this superb coral tone, which complements the car’s effortless style and simply outrageous interior perfectly. 

Despite its understated looks, the Fiat 130 Coupé was very much a statement, yet spoken in hush tones. It became a quietly audacious icon of its decade, a grand tourer that felt effortlessly elegant, yet entirely in tune with the bold style of its time!

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