The SEAT 133 is a small rear-engined car designed and sold by
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), ...
in Spain from 1974 until 1979. The car used the chassis and engine of the by then defunct
Fiat/SEAT 850 and featured a new body in the style of the contemporary, somewhat smaller and only indirectly related
Fiat 126
The Fiat 126 (Type 126) is a four-passenger, rear-engine, city car manufactured and marketed by Fiat over a twenty-eight year production run from 1972 until 2000, over a single generation. Introduced by Fiat in October 1972 at the Turin Auto Show ...
.
History
The car was first exhibited at the Barcelona Motor Show in May 1974.
Noteworthy at that time was the compression ratio of only 8:1, which permitted the car to run on 85 octane petrol/gasoline.
[ This was still appropriate in Spain, but elsewhere in western Europe even "regular" fuel grades by now generally guaranteed a higher minimum octane rating.][
]
The 133's design premise was that it had to be a cheap car both to develop and build. Thus, the final product inherited most of its components from the SEAT 850 (or very closely related Fiat 850). As with the 850, it was a rear-wheel drive, rear-engined car – a layout that was being supplanted by front-engined, front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longit ...
hatchback
A hatchback is a car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to a cargo area. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second row seating, where the interior can be reconfigured to prioritize passenger or cargo volume. ...
s like the Renault 5
The Renault 5 is a four-passenger, three or five-door, front-engine, front-wheel drive hatchback supermini manufactured and marketed by the French automaker Renault over two generations: 1972–1985 (also called R5) and 1984–1996 (also called S ...
and Fiat's own Fiat 127
The Fiat 127 is a supermini car produced by Italian car manufacturer FIAT from 1971 to 1983. It was introduced in 1971 as the replacement for the Fiat 850. Production of the 127 in Italy ended in 1983 following the introduction of its replacement, ...
at the time.
The 133 effectively replaced the SEAT 850
The SEAT 850 was a car launched in 1966, based upon the Fiat 850. Originally only available with the same 2-door sedan body as used in Italy, two different 4-door versions also appeared in 1967. The very rare ''corto'' (short) used the bodywork de ...
and the SEAT 600
The SEAT 600 is a city car made in Spain by SEAT from May 1957 until August 1973 under licence from Fiat. It helped to start the Spanish miracle (economic boom of 1959–1973) that came at the end of the slow recovery from the Spanish Civil War. ...
both of which had been produced in considerable numbers with around 800,000 of the more venerable 600 built – almost exclusively for the domestic market - by 1974.
It was developed in Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
by 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), ...
, with which Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
company Fiat
Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...
had signed an agreement of collaboration in the 1950s. Initially the 133 was only sold in Spain and did not enjoy great success, since it suffered from frequent overheating problems. It was intended to replace the old 600 and 850 models, and was also meant to provide a means for SEAT to open new markets and make up for the loss of sales in Spain that would come with the disappearance of the restrictions in car imports during the 1970s. Export rates were higher than for the 133's predecessors (as well as the remainder of the SEAT range), reaching 36.7 percent in 1976.
Reflecting the rear engine lay-out, there was just a small well for parcels behind the back seats, with more room for luggage under the 'bonnet/hood' at the front of the car.
Up to 200,000 SEAT 133s had been produced by 1979 in Spain.
Export markets
The SEAT 133 was named as the Fiat 133 in certain export markets where the SEAT brand was unknown. Around 127,000 units were exported, mostly under the Fiat name.
The SEAT 133 was exported to Germany from the autumn/Fall of 1974:[ there it found some success among rear-wheel-drive loyalists in the mid-seventies. It was also sold in Britain from June 1975.] These countries had no SEAT dealership network at the time, and the cars were branded as Fiat 133s, to be marketed alongside the Fiats 126 and 127.
From 1977 to 1980 the Fiat Argentine
Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...
subsidiary built them, also under the Fiat name. Around 15,821 Fiat 133 were made in the Fiat
Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...
/Sevel
Sevel S.p.A. (acronym of "Società Europea Veicoli Leggeri" - "Société Européenne de Véhicules Légers" (''European Light Vehicle Company'')) is an Italian automotive company which produces light commercial vehicles. It was first established ...
Plant at Córdoba in Argentina between 1977 and 1982.
A sporty version called FIAT 133 T IAVA developed by ''Industria Argentina de Vehículos de Avanzada'' (IAVA) was made between 1979 - 1980.
In April 1977, it was announced that Egypt was about to become the world's 32nd car-producing country. This followed the signing of an agreement for the shipment of CKD kits from Seat's Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
plant to the Helwan
Helwan ( ar, حلوان ', , cop, ϩⲁⲗⲟⲩⲁⲛ, Halouan) is a city in Egypt and part of Greater Cairo, on the bank of the Nile, opposite the ruins of Memphis. Originally a southern suburb of Cairo, it served as the capital of the now de ...
premises of the Nasr Automotive Manufacturing Company for assembly, in order to supply the Egyptian market and for export to Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
.
Motorsport
The 133 is popular in the Finnish low-budget motorsport called jokamiesluokka, a local folk racing series, where over 30 percent of the drivers chose to drive Fiat 133s at one point.
Technical data
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seat 133
133 133 may refer to:
*133 (number)
* AD 133
*133 BC
*133 (song)
*133 (New Jersey bus) 133 may refer to:
*133 (number)
* AD 133
*133 BC
*133 (song) 133 may refer to:
*133 (number)
*AD 133
*133 BC
*133 (song)
*133 (New Jersey bus) 133 may refer to:
* ...
Rear-engined vehicles
1980s cars
Cars of Spain
Cars introduced in 1974