Fiat 128 Rally
The Fiat 128 is a sports car rally, derived from the model sedan, built by the Turin between 1971 and 1974.
Already in the implementation phase of the prototype model 128 Coupé, the Fiat management realized that the characteristics of the new sports car would actually place some difficulty in countering the new "sports family" proposed by European competitors that offered interpretations of racy look, but with structure devoted to the quiet ride and comfort of a sedan.
In order not to leave the discovery that segment of the market that the new coupe would not be able to meet, the decision was made than next to a special version of the sedan, with more sporting characteristics.
This solution, allowed to fully test engine for more power, planned for the second series of 128, whose trial began in late 1969. Moreover, it would help balance the large productivity gap between the bodies of the four-door version and those of the two-door version, little appreciated by the market.
The Fiat 128 Rally was presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1971 and, although the role of surrogate product provisional and that she had been assigned, he obtained a resounding sales success, also in the affordable price and good performance.
The production ended in 1974, with the advent of the new model 128 3P Coupe, an original coupe with rear door and made with the intention of concentrating in one car and improves the qualities of roominess of the "rally" and the sporty characteristics of the "coupe" traditional.
The substantive differences Rally, compared to the 128 sedan from which it derives, are very few. Except for the engine and for the adoption of the brake booster, the most noticeable improvements relate to the headlights, the exterior moldings and full-bodied remodeling of the interior, with bucket seats and reclining with adjustable head restraints, rear hinged windows, new upholstery, central satellite box on the floor. The dashboard, identical to that of the sedan, was embellished with an instrumentation made more complete by the addition of tachometer, oil pressure gauge and water temperature gauge.
The exterior is made more aggressive adhesive strips from the side, from the front bumper that acts as a support to the supplementary lights "type rally," with four round headlights to the rear (in real inherited from the 850 Coupe) and the ability to get the wheel rims alloy.
The performance, while not deviating excessively from the model derivation, suffered a moderate increase, with almost no increase in fuel consumption. It is also necessary to add, however, that the model 128, just named Car of the Year, at that time represented the technical excellence and performance in its class.
The Fiat 128 Rally was put up for sale at a price of 1,220,000 lire ex-subsidiary (14% more than the base model), with a limited choice of optional accessories, including the theft (7,000 pounds), with the tinted windows rear window defroster (21,000 pounds), the front seat belts (10,000 pounds), the windshield antenna with built-in radio (15,000 pounds) and wheels made of magnesium alloy (50,000 pounds).
The color palette is composed of white, red-orange, arctic gray and yellow, none of which metallic. The interior was planned only in black leatherette.