Fiat 124

Fiat 124
Manufacturer	Fiat
Production	1966-1974
Assembly	Turin, Italy
Predecessor	Fiat 1300/1500
Successor	Fiat 131
Class	Family car
Body style	4-door sedan 5-door station wagon|
Layout	FR layout
Transmission	4 speed manual all-synchromesh
Wheelbase	Sedan: 2420 mm SW: 2420 mm
Length	Sedan: 4042 mm SW: 4045 mm
Width	Sedan: 1625 mm SW:1625 mm
Height	Sedan: 1420 mm SW:1440 mm
Weight	950 kg (2094 lb)
Fuel capacity	39 L
Related	SEAT 124 VAZ-2101 (Lada 1200) VAZ-2105 (Lada Riva) Tofaş Murat 124 Premier 118NE

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Fiat 124 Sedan at Wheels Of Italy

The Fiat 124 is a mid-sized sedan produced by the Fiat company of Italy. It replaced the Fiat 1300 and Fiat 1500 in 1966.

The 124 was introduced by being dropped by parachute from a plane and instantly won critical acclaim, including that year's European Car of the Year award. It was praised for its spacious interior, advanced coil spring rear suspension, disc brakes and lightweight construction.

Power came from a 1.2 L (1197 cc) Fiat OHV straight-4, producing 65 hp (49 kW) and 70 ft.lbf (95 Nm). Its performance belied this small engine, though. Road & Track praised the car's acceleration, comparing it with cars in the 1800-2000 cc class.

The basic 124 saloon also spawned the Fiat 124 Sport Spider, and 124 Coupe, both sought after 1970s classic cars. A stretched and more luxurious version of the 124 sedan known as the 125 was also launched in 1969.

In 1970, Fiat sponsored the building of the AutoVAZ car factory in the Soviet Union. The factory produced an adapted version of the 124 known as the Lada ВАЗ-2101 / Zhiguli (later Lada Riva). These cars, which look almost identical to the 124, and which were produced into the 21st century, currently suffer a bad reputation due to their outdated technology and lower quality when compared with modern automobiles.

Production of the Fiat 124 ceased in 1974, paving the way for the Fiat 131 Mirafiori, although the Lada version continued until 1984 (1986 for station wagon). Several versions of Lada based on the Fiat 124/ВАЗ-2101 design are made to this day. Production by Fiat and the Pininfarina of the 124 Spider continued until 1985.

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Fiat 124 Spider at Wheels Of Italy

Despite its technological achievements, history has not been kind to the 124 - most people highlighting its connection to the Lada -- and very few 124 sedans have survived.

Engines

• 1200 (1197 cc) - 60PS - 66PS (1966-1974)
• 1400 (1438 cc) - 70PS - 75PS (1968-1974)
• 1400 Special T (1438 cc) Twincam - 80PS (1968-1972)
• 1600 Special T (1592 cc) Twincam - 95PS (1973 - 1974)
• Abarth Rally (1756 cc) Twincam - 128PS (1972-1973)

Twins

Soviet Union/ Russia

VAZ-21011

1989 Premier 118NE

SEAT 124 manufactured circa 1970.

In 1966-1970, Fiat sponsored the building of the AutoVAZ car factory in the Soviet Union. The factory produced an adapted version 124R of the 124 known as the Lada ВАЗ-2101 / Zhiguli (later Lada 1200). These cars, which platform almost identical to the 124, and which were produced till 1984, currently suffer a bad reputation due to their outdated technology, poor (by modern standards) safety level and equipment when compared with modern automobiles, but are still favored for their extremely low price and serviceability. Several restyling versions of Lada based on the Fiat 124/ВАЗ-2101 design are made to this day: LADA 2104/2105/2107. Production of this line until 2000 has exceeded 14,000,000 cars (List of automobiles by sales.), and it continues in 2008.

Indian

The Fiat 124 was also introduced in India by Premier Automobiles in 1986 as the Premier 118NE. The car was very similar to the 1966 version except for a few cosmetic changes to the front and rear. However, Premier incorporated the Nissan A12 (1171 cc/52 bhp) powertrain instead of the original Fiat engine. The car got a tremendous response in the beginning. Later on it was outmoded by other modern cars and production was stopped in 2001. Few well maintained versions are still found today.

Spanish

In the frame of the licence agreement between SEAT and Fiat, it was produced and sold in Spain with the name SEAT 124 from 1968 to 1980. The car was very successful in Spain, and was sold in both the 4-door and station wagon versions.

Also Sport versions were made with 1430 cc, 1600 cc (1970-72) and 1800 cc (1972-75)

Bulgarian

The Fiat 124 was also produced under the name Pirin-Fiat in Lovech, Bulgaria, on the basis of complete knockdown (CKD) kits between 1967 and 1971.

Turkish

The Fiat 124 was also produced under the name Murat 124 in Bursa, Turkey by Tofaş. 134,867 Murat 124s were produced between 1971 and 1977. TOFAŞ later produced the Fiat 131 series under the name Murat 131, currently manufactures bona fide Fiat models.

Korean

The Fiat 124 was also produced under the name Fiat-KIA 124 by Asia Motors in South Korea between 1970 and 1975.

Egypt

From 2002 to 2007 Lada-Egypt company built at least 9,000 cars (2,200 in 2006), and it has continues in 2007.

1974 Fiat 124 Sport Coupe 1800

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