The SEAT 131 is a rebadged
Fiat 131
The Fiat 131 is a family sedan manufactured and marketed by Fiat from 1974 to 1984 after its debut at the 1974 Turin Motor Show. Available as a two-door and four-door saloon and 5-door estate across a single generation, the 131 succeeded th ...
, a mid-size
family car, produced by the
Spanish car manufacturer
This is a list of notable automobile manufacturers with articles on Wikipedia by country. It includes companies that are in business as well as defunct manufacturers. Only companies that have articles here are included.
A
Algeria
* SNVI
...
SEAT
A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense.
Types of seat
The following are examples of different kinds of seat:
* Armchair (furniture), ...
from 1975 to the middle of 1984. The SEAT 131 was presented in May 1975 in the
Barcelona Motor Show
The Automobile Barcelona is an auto show held every second year at Fira de Barcelona's Montjuïc Exhibition Centre in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain). Established in 1919, the Automobile Barcelona is one of the biggest trade fairs held ...
.
With SEAT having formed a partnership with Fiat, the SEAT 131 was a rebadged version of the
Fiat 131
The Fiat 131 is a family sedan manufactured and marketed by Fiat from 1974 to 1984 after its debut at the 1974 Turin Motor Show. Available as a two-door and four-door saloon and 5-door estate across a single generation, the 131 succeeded th ...
, which had been presented nine months earlier in Turin. It received a few locally produced engines and other concessions to the Spanish market. The SEAT 131 entered production in early 1975 in Barcelona and up to the end of its production life cycle 412,948 units were produced.
Versions
Two sedan versions were offered: the ''SEAT 131 L'', featuring rectangular front lamps, 1438 cc OHC engine and four-speed gearbox, and the ''SEAT 131 E'' which featured four round headlamps, a 1592 cc DOHC engine, and a five-speed gearbox.
The range grew up in the spring of 1976 with the ''SEAT 131 5 puertas'' unofficially known as the SEAT 131 Familiar, which was the estate version offered with both engines. In 1977 the 131 Automatico (Automatic gearbox) was released and the following year a very short production of the SEAT 131 CLX 1800 was offered. Spain was the only place where the estate 131 was built, but in the export these were labelled Fiat 131 Familiare ("Panorama" after a facelift).
In 1978, the SEAT 131 evolves into the SEAT 131 Mirafiori/Supermirafiori (Panorama for the estate versions), with the same changes as seen on its Italian cousin. The engines remained largely the same, but a 1.8 liter Diesel
Perkins 4.108 engine was available in 1979. In 1981, the Diesel version was developed with a new
Sofim engine. This 2500 cc engine was much more powerful than the Perkins version (72 hp against only 49 hp) and was one of the most successful taxis in early '80s Spain.
A new CLX edition was launched in 1980. Available only in metallic silver or metallic bronze colours, this 131 CLX had a 1919 cc engine, developing at 5800 rpm.
In 1982, the SEAT 131 changed again, gathering all the body changes seen on the Fiat 131 series 3. The 131 was now available in CL, Supermirafiori and Diplomatic versions. The Diplomatic was the top of the range, with a 1,995 cc engine and features such as power steering, power windows or air conditioning. The Panorama versions were the cars chosen by the "Cuerpo Nacional de Policia" (Spanish Police force) as patrol cars. In 1984, the whole SEAT 131 range was phased out, without a direct substitute. The brand new
Fiat Regata
The Fiat Regata is an automobile produced by Italian automaker Fiat from 1983 until 1990. The Regata name was used for the sedan and station wagon versions of the Fiat Ritmo hatchback, corresponding to the post-facelift Ritmo. The Regata was off ...
-based
SEAT Málaga
The SEAT Málaga (codenamed ''023A'') is a four-door sedan (automobile), saloon produced by the Spain, Spanish automotive industry, automaker SEAT from 1985 to 1991 and named after the city of Málaga in Andalucía in southern Spain. It can be con ...
took its place in 1985.
Curiosities
The implementation of the diesel engines in the SEAT 131 range took place almost four years after its launch. This would practically exclude the use of the SEAT 131 in the taxi fleet, in spite of its significant performance in both comfort and roominess. In the meantime however, for a great number of Spanish taxi owners and other professionals who were opting for the SEAT 131 as their taxicab of choice, a very common practice was the after-market replacement with a diesel engine of a newly purchased gasoline-powered SEAT 131. Engines that were widely used for this purpose were derived from Perkins, Barreiros, Mercedes-Benz and Sava, but the most widespread option was the 52CV Sava 1,795 cc engine.
Awards
* ''Car of the Year'' 1976, from the Spanish newspaper
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
* ''Car of the Year'' 1979, from the Spanish magazine Motorpress
Technical specifications
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References
{{Early SEAT vehicles
131 131 may refer to:
*131 (number)
*AD 131
*131 BC
*131 (album), the album by Emarosa
*131 (MBTA bus), the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus. For the MBTA bus, see 131 (MBTA bus).
*131 (New Jersey bus), the New Jersey Transit bus
{{numbe ...
1980s cars
Cars introduced in 1975
Cars discontinued in 1984
Cars of Spain
Station wagons