As if it was my little bro. When I was six, my father bought our first car: Murat 124 (It was named Murat by TOFAŞ in Turkey). It has been produced for six years from 1971 to 1976 in Turkey. We've kept it for twenty years. Sometimes I miss it so much.
One of my most favourite cars ever. Fiat saloons always looked and handled nice for example the 131, Regata or Tempra. Hoping for Videos about these cars as well
I had a 124 Special while in high school! One helluva car! I remember racing a Camaro w/327 down Dorchester in NE Austin one day in the 70's. It did not beat me! 😆 Beautiful green w/beige vinyl top and interior. Hell on wheels and boy could it handle...
Una vettura robusta e di classe! Oggi si vedono solo dei mostri, niente più linee eleganti e semplici ma solo brutture tratte dai giornali a fumetti, il classico vero è solo un lontano ricordo!
In La Victoria, Venezuela, FIAT assembled the 124 and the 124 special with italian CKD and some local parts like glasses, weels and seating. Today there are still some 124 working.
@@Matteo_Licata also assembled the 125 with Italian CKD until 1973. The FIAT factory in La Victoria assembled very special model never seen in others markets. For example, there was a Regata with a two litres twin cam engine... But that, is another story.
My dad is Turkish he talked about his love of the Fiat 124 aka Murat so many times. The car is so much loved that car culture in Turkiye is centred on this particular Italian car that is loved by all.
My first car back in 1979 was a ‘68 Fiat 124 sedan. I restored that car over the next year or so and rebuilt an engine from a special for more power. I loved that little car. I replaced the sedan later and bought a ‘69 AC 124 sport and still have the AC to this day. My brother in law had two 124 sedans over time, a ‘67 version and later a 124 special. We both also had 125 specials.
A great car. Love the exterior look, which is classic. I prefer it to styling of current cars of all manufactures. I can vouch for the comfort as I rode many times in a 124 in Indonesia in 1971 where roads were rough and often unpaved. In 1971 I saw many 124s, but recently just before the pandemic I lived for seven years in Indonesia and never saw any Fiats. Anyway, a great car. Thanks for this excellent video!
@@Nel33147 Yes it did rust eventually, it was a new car in the mid 70s, but by the early 80s the front nearside (left) wing was very badly rusted, the rust was eating through the paint and the wing was starting to disintegrate (they spread salt on the road in the UK in the winter to prevent ice formation which didn't help!) I don't know the total exent of the rust on the car as I was just a kid and didn't inspect the sills or the floorpan etc which I guess is where my T-34 tank comparison falls apart! 😂 But rust problems aside the Lada was very mechanically tough and reliable and never broke down or left us stranded.
Also, in 1983, I was lucky (or not!) enough to own a 1975 FIAT 130 saloon for a year or so. Call it a heavyweight version of the 124, but what a great car that was!
The braking system of the French company DBA was perfect only theoretically and had many disadvantages. Therefore, during the tests in the USSR, it was rejected and the Lada licensee received the older layout of the Girling company from the Fiat 1300/1500.
Thank you for another great video! A 124 S was the first Fiat (out of 19 since then) in our family. My father bought it in 1970 because of its very clear, minimalistic design and the very agile engine. Although it had the usual problems with German weather and salty streets in winter we had a lot of fun with it!
I have a lot great memory’s on the Fiat 124, while spending our holidays in Italy as I was a child. It was in the late 70th and early 80th. Streets where predominant occupied by the Fiats and Alfa’s out of this timeframe. Maybe the 124 is not the nicest looking car, but was practically for the whole family as rental car on Sicilia. It was a great time! Thanks for that video Matteo 😍
I like Italian cars and looked the video till the end like I do everytime and saw at the final the TOFAS( Türkiye Otomobil Fabrikaları Anonim Şirketi). Little story from me as a Turkish for Turkish production: The Fiat 124 started to produce in Turkey from 1974 to 1994 . It names Murat 124 wirh 1.2 liter 60hp till 1987 and the second generation gets 1.3 liter from the Fiat 131 and plastic bumpers in front and Rear with rectangular projector and changed the name : it names Serçe. In Turkey the fanatic people of Tofaş chose mostly the original one with inox bumpers. Last production was in 1994. In 1995 Fiat Uno taked the place of A segment caterory automobiles production in Bursa by TOFAŞ Factory with a modern injection engine from Fiat ( 1.4 70hp SXie aircondiotioned version the most wanted for the comfort ). At the moment TOFAŞ produce The new Fiat Tipo ( Named Fiat Egea in Turkey ) and Fiat Doblo( 1 million Doblo produced in 2019 and continue to export all over the world). Thanks for reading.🙂👍
Thank you very much for your comment and the good info about Tofas. I visited Turkey in 2016, and I was positively surprised by how many 131s were roaming the streets. I took hundreds of pictures of street-parked 131s! But I didn't see many 124s, I guess attrition and age has gotten those off the road.
@@Matteo_Licata Yess , unfortunatly too old to Keep. Only Some of them in perfect condition and go out only for the big occasion like meeting by 124 fun clubs. Nows a day it's an collector objects. The 124 served the Turkish people permitted to buy a brand new car in 70's ( Like the Vw bettle in Germany in 50's , the Citroën 2cv in France or Fiat 500 in Italy ).🙂
Excellent, as usual. Fiat have a long history in Argentina since 1919: tractors, locomotives, trucks. Fiat 600, 850, 1100, 1200, 1500 (the Argentinian version of the 1300) with an astonishing version "Fiat 1500 Vignale", 128 and others. The same engine of the 1500 was used to make the Fiat 1600, also an argentinan development made by Fiat Concord, that's the name of the subsidiary. Still with the 1600 there was later a 90HP version until the arrival of the 125 with the amazing Lampredi twin cam engine. The last 125 leave the production line in 1982.
@@Matteo_Licata to be honest I don't know, but must be something. The information I have is my memory and some Wikipedia pages. I will search if there's something. Thanks a lot for your channel!! After a search I found a book of Eugenia Scarzanella: la Fiat in América Latina. Seems to be in Italian 👍🏻
@@Matteo_Licata also Chech out IAVA, it was here in Argentina what abarth was elsewhere. Fiat has had a huge impact here, it's been "the people's car brand" since the introduction of the 600, later the 147 and the Uno. My father had a 600, a 125 mirafiori and a 128. He still has very good memories about his 125
And in same time Renault developed model Renault 12/ Dacia 1300 was produced in France, Romania, Turcia, South America: Argentina, Brazilia, Columbia, North America- Canada and Australia .
I am russian Lada owner. Nowadays it is a problem to buy good quality aftermarket parts (there are too much counterfeit, especially for old 124-based Ladas). A have self-made 2103+2106 mix (1973 manufactured and 1996 replaced rusted body to new one) but I drive it not often.
Great video as always. From episode to episode the graphic quality is improving significantly, thanks. There is chapter in Dante Giacosa's Forty Years of Design in Fiat book about the 124 and it's difficult birth. When it was decided to start producing the 124 Giacosa was developing the project 123E4, a car with a transversal engine and front wheel drive, that would have summarized the experiences had with the Autobianchi Primula. This car would have had great roominess, similar to the one of the 6 cylinders 1800 but in less than 750kg. The car prototipes of the 124 and of the 123 were both tested by the and even the sales department preferred the 123 over the 124. According Giacosa the 123 was far more technically advanced, but "The Professor" (Valletta) thought that Fiat had to stay cautious with the feared front wheel drive system, letting Autobianchi make experience for a few years after the release of the Primula in 1964.
But the 123E4 survived somehow, nevertheless. It's design, combined with the mechanics of the Autobianchi Primula, became the Autobianchi A111. I have seen only one or two of these in my life, and only from the outside. But knowing very well how incredibly roomy the 128 was, it's easy to imagine what an impressive car the A111 must have been with that respect.
When I was younger, every year for the summer festivities in our hometown we used to buy a car from the local scrapyard, chop the roof off and paint it yellow for use as "official company car" of our group of friends. The first one was a venerable Seat 124. She carried an average of 15-20 people around for a week. It made it back to the scrapyard on its own. Tough, no-nonsense car. I kept the ignition key :)
Brilliant my friend. I learn more and more with your videos. I didn't realise Seat had a relationships with Fiat so early. Your videos are a priceless jewell. Marc.
Glad you like them! Well, Seat was tied to Fiat since its inception, as the first-ever seat model was a license-built Fiat 1400, then the 600 ecc. Ties were broken in 1981-82, but Seat relied on legacy Fiat designs for a few years afterwards
Спасибо итальянцам от многих поколений всего мира! Это воистину потрясающий автомобиль! Великолепный комфорт подвески, большая площадь остекления, дизайн, нет, Дизайн! Дизайн снаружи и внутри очень целостный и какой-то воздушно-лёгкий. Гармоничный и душевный, как сама Италия!
In Argentina was produced until 1982, (first named 1600 and then 125) the last version was the 125 Mirafiori, with the 1.6 l and DOHC, with 110CV!! a pocket rocket.
@@YaderniyBombardir The VAZ-2101 Zhiguli was continued to be manufactured until 1988. The last manufactured Zhiguli was VAZ-2104 and VAZ-2107 in 2012. (VAZ-2107 continued to be produced in Egypt until 2014)
@@faurl35h The 125 derived from the FIAT 1500 (aldo mnft'd in Argentina, 1963-1969), with leaf springs in the back. The Argentine 1600 (1969-1972) is actually a FIAT 1500 with a Mk. I FIAT 125 body... The 124 was much more modern.
Yes! Thank you! I know the "catorce-treinta" is a much-loved car in Spain :) When I lived there, I loved to gaze at older Seats, spotting the detail differences with the Fiats
I remember seeing the Fiat 124 versions when I was younger only to slowly disappear and for the Lada version become a regular sight on the roads local to us. I have traveled in Italian, Russian, Spanish and Turkish made variants and just love the three box design. Maybe one day I will be able to add the Premier 118NE to complete the list of models.. Another great video and a car I hope you write a book about...
Me too. I spent part of my childhood in Lada 1200 at my uncle . In summer 1982 when i have 9 year i am travel at vacancy/holyday at a Black Sea in a new car Lada . 5 or 6 year im travel in Lada. Beautiful memories when i am a was child and travel in Renault Gordini/Dauphine, Skoda 1000MB, Lada 1200, Dacia 1300 and a little In a Moskvich 1500.
My dad had 2 124 specials both a fawny tan colour and not the twin cams. Come to think of it there's not many Fiats my dad brother or me haven't owned. Thanks Matteo for another cracking bit of Italian car knowledge.
Learnt to drive on a PAL 118NE that was the bastardized Indian version of the Fiat. Butter smooth gearbox coupled to an ordinary Nissan engine but created loads of memories ❤
As a kid who grew up on the backseat of a white Lada 1300 (VAZ21011) in the eighties, it was nice to see where the whole story started. Ladas were the best cars communism could offer, in Hungary you had to wait 4-5 years to get yours after paying the deposit (at least in the eighties). I was actually shocked about the net weight of the 124 (850) I am pretty sure our Lada was at least 100kg heavier. Sturdiness had its price...
Oh yes. The 124's structure was perhaps too light, as Fiat itself applied some reinforcements a few months into production. But the Lada was another level altogether, much stronger the suspensions, their mounts, and the bodies too.
Amazing car! In Spain it was also very popular with iconic "sporty" versions of the last series. With 1.6, 1.8 and even 2.0 engines they were fast at that time. On the '77 Montecarlo Antonio Zanini and Salvador Cañellas managed finishing 3rd and 4rd scratch with their SEATs 124 1.800! And speaking of restylings, to me the last spanish series with rectangular headlights was really nice, lights matched the hole design very well and the car looked really refreshed.
Is they still around in Spain? I used to own russian version, Lada. Some while ago, I met TwinCam Fiat 131 in United Kingdom. But there they drive RHD cars. So I’m looking for alternative. Seat is option. Is it possible to get hands on one of these?
Dear Matteo, I sincerely hope that in one way or another the little beautiful charming stories of the Dino the 130 the Aurelia, The Fulvia, the Alfa the Innocenti autobianci stories with the design clues are coming back available. What I also love about them is when you put them al together they tell a to me more than fascinating history of the Italian automotive heritage and contribution to the car. To me the Italian car is the car in its purest form, beautiful to look at, wonderful handling and charming and stylish! Sincerly yours Reyer
Thank you for your appreciation. I’ve been deleting most of my 2019/20 output because they no longer represented the level of quality the channel now has. Moreover, those videos hardly received any views lately. However, I’m keen on going back to those subjects in the future, by filming actual cars and presenting them the best I can.
Here in Canada we were able to but Lada's up until the early 1990's. I personally owned a Lada 1500 (that had the engine rebuilt and bored out to 1600cc) that I really enjoyed. It seemed to be a little peppier than what a regular Lada should have been and was as tough as nails. Maybe you can put together a video on Lada's in the future as many people are curious about them.
In my teens I had a best friend whos father was Italian and was always working on Lancia and Fiat cars, also my sisters boyfriend worked in an Alfa Romeo garage so inevitably I became an Italian car nut. I live in Somerset UK and there was a small cars sales lot on a small crossroads at a hamlet called Standerwick that was run by John Button, yes, Jenson Buttons father (he was born and raised in my town). So, while driving past the car sales one day I glimpsed the twin headlights of a green 124 for sale and immediately did a u-turn, all the while saying to myself "please be a Special T, please be a Special T" (the Special also had twin headlights)... I pulled up and quickly walked to the back of the car and It was A SPECIAL T, a 73' 1600cc. It must have been a Sunday as I remember waiting for John to open the next morning and bought it. I also remember the car that was next to the Fiat was a Lancia Gamma Coupe. I was 18 at time. I put bucket seats in from an Alfasud sprint, a wood rim steering wheel and campagnola alloys. I am 58 now and of all the cars ive ever owned, the 124 Special T holds the fondest memories.
Humble it might be, but without a shadow of a doubt a true automotive icon. And the quality of your videos are getting better and better! Thanks a lot for this cool video! Ciao 🙋♂️
Memories....had a 69 1200cc berlina in Miami, same cream color but black interior. A great car, simple, reliable, and fantastic handling. Didn't have the heavy doors of later versions. Wanted to put a 1438 twin cam in it. But got a Giulia instead.
Uou have to be a strong and original person for such choices in the US at that time: totally against the tide! (although I think a good number of 124 SW have come to you)
Great video. My first car was a 1965 Fiat 1500, followed by a 1967 Fiat 125. Not a 124 but in those days Fiat designed wonderful cars with simple but elegant designs. The 124 was an excellent example, you've done a nice job presenting it here.
When I immigrated to Canada in 2000, one of the joys of life here was the ability to buy the Lada NIVA brand new. Fiat hadn’t been here in years by then but Lada was a kind of cheap mainstay. All have I think rusted away by now, haven’t seen one in years.
Was popular in India as 118 NE where NE stands for Nissan Engine. It was locally produced by Premier Automobiles Limited. Nissan Engine and gearbox was smooth. There was also Premier 1.38D which has FNM Italian designed Diesel engine which was noisy yet fuel efficient. Peugeot improved the quality of last batches and they were called Premier Viceroy.
A rational, modern, sporty, understated sedan. For me its weak point was the van-like dashboard. If you look at the contemporary of the Autobianchi Primula, you appreciate a tasty design approach. ..Without going into the Alfa, Lancia or even Innocenti masterpieces! (Who remembers the gorgeous one from IM3?!?)
Late 60s ..Twincam ..4 disc brakes...Tell Me Any Car in These Years Has These...emmm ..Some Say Square ..Envios is Always there for Other Automakers ..Say what they want to say The Special T 1600.. thats my Favorite ..tq for the video Matteo ..Much Apreciate it ..
So you need to follow up with the 124 Coupe and Spider. I love my 1970 Coupe. With the optional Cromodora pure Magnesium wheels it has amazingly delicate and precise steering and is great fun to drive.
I owned the Fiat 124Special 1400cc in 1978 which was the most popular car in my country then.....! Big, Spacious and Powerful .... what more do you want....??
Mon père avait acheté une 124 neuve en 1967. Il l’a gardé jusqu’en 1976. Je me souviens encore de l’odeur du neuf lorsqu’il a été livré. Je me souviens aussi des moindres détails du tableau de bord. Depuis j’ai toujours roulé en Fiat : 127, uno, punto, panda et 500 !
Will it be safe to assume that total of about 20 Million of 124 and it's derivatives world wide were produced?. I can not find your video of FIAT 125 titled "Guilia from Turin", Can you pls send me the link thanks. Waiting anxiously for the revival of your channel,but hopefully it will centre around Italian Cars
There's no way of knowing for sure how many 124s were made around the world, so your guess is as good as mine. The 125 video is no longer online, because those older vids had lower quality than the newer ones, so I removed most of those
Good movie! Clear and simple talk. Like it! I grow up with ussr version of early and late 124 model, called Lada 2101 and 21013. Green and red memories! When I was youngster, I own 74th early model Lada. Back then it was much more quality car than later at 80’ Very little difference at visual look and technically, but huge difference in build quality. Even the 74th model year was much dynamic on road then later models. Probably because of machinery they’re builded, later machines worn out and I guess workers didn’t give them proper maintenance which resulted in a bad outcome. Is well, at time huge soveit union had just this one big plant in Tolyatti where was produced Ziguli for all ussr and exports. They could not produce enough cars for large scale demand. Even my dad was on waiting list for several years buying his first new 2104 I loved this car like a kid!
In the mid 1980s my ex brother-in-law had a 1977/78 Lada 1600 GLS in red with a black vinyl roof. I was around the same age as the car, thought it was very cool with it's quad headlamps. I also remember the very peculiar seatbelt clips.
@@Matteo_Licata If I still had mine I would have been crazy enough to set something up but alas... You will find one. As long it's an AC or BC. Not a big fan of the CC.
A Retro Modded one of these would be a fair lil thing - Mini Light Wheels, a Twin Cam FIAT Motor and some Suspension Upgrades would make it great fun for Hill Climbing or Cruising
In 1972 I bought a Fiat 124. It turned out to be one of the best cars I ever had - and definitely the best saloon car. If it was still made today (without any modifications) I would buy it again!
I do so very much enjoy your research, knowledge and delivery of information regarding the Italian automotive industry’s products! I’d love for you to do something similar on the Alfa 2600 Sprint; I had a ten-year-old example in 1974, and I so wish that I hadn’t disposed of it… 🙁
Thank you very much! A video about the 2600 Sprint is a very good idea actually, as it's a very important car in the history of automobile design. I'll work on it :)
@@studiocalder818 Yes, I didn’t realise that, at the time. I just never knew that it was quite exclusive, especially as a RHD example! 😞 Such a beautiful engine…
@@steveboatronics 😊 Alfas get old, then get classic, inside the most interesting family of enthusiasts, from the pops dedicated to the Sud/33 to the top collectors of 2900 and so on. Any Alfa model finds a place in the family.
Matteo, great vids! I think you should do a video sometime about the Mk1. Twingo. It shares the same virtues as a Multipla, but Le Quement managed to do something slightly quirky rather than wholeheartedly polarizing. So you don't have to convince people about great packaging and airy feeling, as it's often the case when trying to convince people about the Multipla's design virtues... they (mostly) like it anyway!
Noted! I'm not a Renault expert, but I got a design background and I love the original Twingo :) I still remember going with my mum to see it at the dealership. It was apple green and the dealer even gifted me a model of Mansell's 1992 Williams F1 car
Let me put it simply Matteo since I've driven both 124's and Lada 1200's: The Fiat is a ballerina on the road, lively and communicative, the Lada is like a female Russian Olympic wrestler : you can't handle the bloody thing it throws you where it wants to be ! As a boy I vividly remember the introduction movie of the 124, a car was thrown from an airplane and landed in a field where 4 guys wearing crash helmets and jumpsuits got into the car and drove like a bat out of hell. Another film showed a 124 rolling over at very high speed, after it had come to a standstill, a guy opened the door, got in and drove of. In 1965 this was almost rocket science that a car could be so strong ! Togliatti was named after an Italian Communist party member was n't it and rumor has it that Fiat agreed to build the Russian factory after being threatened by local Italian communists who'd threatened to kidnap some family members. I think I read somewhere the Russians also had talks with Renault and Volkswagen But thanks, the 124 is an old friend,a car you could pick up an old used one for a few hundred guilders and it was great transport !
The russians were about to go to Renault for negotiating, but because the italian government was more friendly, they tried fiat first. They also tested the Peugeot 204(?) but found it unsuitable for mass production, at least for the scale they wanted. VW at the time had only the beetle, which was 30 years old at that point, doubt they wanted it. Plus they already had ZAZ which made rear engined air-cooled small cars.
The 124 and the rest of other Fiat cars in the 1970s could have been a success in Malaysia had Fiat engineers made extensive research and testing the cars' thermostats in humid climates. These cars were prone to engine overheating issues, causing many Fiat owners in Malaysia at that time to make a drastic decision to remove the cars' thermostats to solve the problem. Eventually, many owners got so fed up with the problem and switched to Toyota Corollas which had thermostats that worked much better in tropical weather conditions and never caused engine overheating issues.
In india, a modernised version of the car were sold as PREMIER 118 NE, by Premier Automobiles Ltd. With engine outsourced from NISSAN. Whereas the NE stands for Nissan Engine.
The 124 s was the second car I owned, you could stand and watch it rot away and was forever breaking down, an absolute bucket of a car and was glad to get rid of it.
@@Matteo_Licata The Lada vs Fiat at inital point had just 3 differences - camshaft, rear brakes and rear suspension. Later they made more differences. Little know fact is that before Lada in Bulgaria 124 should have been produced as FIAT PIRIN
can you pls tell me how many of 124 S or special were totally built. thanks. have you stopped making videos, because i do not see any new ones on the net.?
I have absolutely no idea how many 124 Specials were built, unfortunately. Yes, the channel is in a bit of a hiatus now, but I'm thinking to make new and different stuff in the future
Here in Czechia (at the time Czechoslovakia), we had the advantage that before the import of the VAZ 2101 started, Fiat 124 was actually sold through the standard Mototechna car stores (and some even later after the import of the Lada started, in the Tuzex Shops with western products). 124s were known to be faster and sportier that the Lada but also not as rugged and about as well put together (early 70s Ladas were built very well out of good quality steel, only during the late 70s and early 80s did their quality worsen.)
USSR made more then 800 modifications in manufacturing including engine. USSR made it tougher for poor quality roads and service and simple service. No chips computer and other junk. Soviet version was rallying also in Europe. Lada 2101 or Vaz 2101.
At various times I have had the sedan, sports coup, spider, and wagon. All of them were great cars for different reasons,
As if it was my little bro. When I was six, my father bought our first car: Murat 124 (It was named Murat by TOFAŞ in Turkey). It has been produced for six years from 1971 to 1976 in Turkey. We've kept it for twenty years. Sometimes I miss it so much.
VAZ-2101 Zhiguli marked my childhood. I thought it was a spaceship. Lot of great memories, still remember every detail of the car.
По лицензии в 1971 году начали собирать в Тольятти!
@@Ed-sd9qb В 1970 году. К 100 летнему юбилею дня рождения В.И.Ленина.
same,my father had one.
Да. Классная машинка.
I had 124 famigliare Lada 2102 great car!!
One of my most favourite cars ever.
Fiat saloons always looked and handled nice for example the 131, Regata or Tempra. Hoping for Videos about these cars as well
The 131 deserves a video, that's for sure. It'll happen as soon as I'll find a good example to film!
@@Matteo_Licata Anche la 130!
I had a 124 Special while in high school! One helluva car!
I remember racing a Camaro w/327 down Dorchester in NE Austin one day in the 70's. It did not beat me! 😆
Beautiful green w/beige vinyl top and interior.
Hell on wheels and boy could it handle...
Cool! Thank you for sharing this memory with me!
Oh come on now. There’s no doubt it was a great car , but you really beat a Camaro ?
Una vettura robusta e di classe! Oggi si vedono solo dei mostri, niente più linee eleganti e semplici ma solo brutture tratte dai giornali a fumetti, il classico vero è solo un lontano ricordo!
I agree totally with you. I prefer the looks of the 124 to what I see on the road today. A classic car, and the standard for elegance.
La 124..C'est la voiture qui nous a fait rêver avec son son d'échappement.. ça était sublime !!
The Fiat 124 was the Standard of the World in his class and for it’s time. ☝️👍🇮🇹
In La Victoria, Venezuela, FIAT assembled the 124 and the 124 special with italian CKD and some local parts like glasses, weels and seating. Today there are still some 124 working.
That’s great to know, I had no idea! Thank you 😊
@@Matteo_Licata also assembled the 125 with Italian CKD until 1973. The FIAT factory in La Victoria assembled very special model never seen in others markets. For example, there was a Regata with a two litres twin cam engine... But that, is another story.
My dad is Turkish he talked about his love of the Fiat 124 aka Murat so many times. The car is so much loved that car culture in Turkiye is centred on this particular Italian car that is loved by all.
My first car back in 1979 was a ‘68 Fiat 124 sedan. I restored that car over the next year or so and rebuilt an engine from a special for more power. I loved that little car. I replaced the sedan later and bought a ‘69 AC 124 sport and still have the AC to this day. My brother in law had two 124 sedans over time, a ‘67 version and later a 124 special. We both also had 125 specials.
A great car. Love the exterior look, which is classic. I prefer it to styling of current cars of all manufactures. I can vouch for the comfort as I rode many times in a 124 in Indonesia in 1971 where roads were rough and often unpaved. In 1971 I saw many 124s, but recently just before the pandemic I lived for seven years in Indonesia and never saw any Fiats. Anyway, a great car. Thanks for this excellent video!
My parents had the Soviet Lada version in the UK back in the 70's - like a T-34 tank it was tough, reliable and got the job done!
Did it rust ?
@@Nel33147 Yes it did rust eventually, it was a new car in the mid 70s, but by the early 80s the front nearside (left) wing was very badly rusted, the rust was eating through the paint and the wing was starting to disintegrate (they spread salt on the road in the UK in the winter to prevent ice formation which didn't help!) I don't know the total exent of the rust on the car as I was just a kid and didn't inspect the sills or the floorpan etc which I guess is where my T-34 tank comparison falls apart! 😂 But rust problems aside the Lada was very mechanically tough and reliable and never broke down or left us stranded.
Did it reverse faster than going forward?
@@colrhodes377 Yes, I always used to wonder why we went everywhere backwards.
@liminal-m3g Have you ever seen the Italian battle flag? It's a white cross on a white background!
Also, in 1983, I was lucky (or not!) enough to own a 1975 FIAT 130 saloon for a year or so. Call it a heavyweight version of the 124, but what a great car that was!
i miss my 124 special sedan. i took many roadtrips in it. super cool factor .
I drove one in 1990. I was amazed by the braking system. Excellent.
The braking system of the French company DBA was perfect only theoretically and had many disadvantages. Therefore, during the tests in the USSR, it was rejected and the Lada licensee received the older layout of the Girling company from the Fiat 1300/1500.
Thank you for another great video! A 124 S was the first Fiat (out of 19 since then) in our family. My father bought it in 1970 because of its very clear, minimalistic design and the very agile engine. Although it had the usual problems with German weather and salty streets in winter we had a lot of fun with it!
Very cool, thanks for sharing!
I have a lot great memory’s on the Fiat 124, while spending our holidays in Italy as I was a child. It was in the late 70th and early 80th. Streets where predominant occupied by the Fiats and Alfa’s out of this timeframe. Maybe the 124 is not the nicest looking car, but was practically for the whole family as rental car on Sicilia. It was a great time! Thanks for that video Matteo 😍
Thank you for sharing your memories with the car!
Great video again, my father had a 1970 124 Special. I remember it very well. They were also manufactured here in South Africa.
I like the way you tell the story of Italian cars with your Italian accent, plz keep on going it s very entertaining .
Thank you very much! There's much more to come, rest assured!
Such a simple design, but I find it very attractive. Would love to own one. Especially the Special T.
Right on!
My father still drives a Lada VAZ 21013, produced in 1985.
I like Italian cars and looked the video till the end like I do everytime and saw at the final the TOFAS( Türkiye Otomobil Fabrikaları Anonim Şirketi). Little story from me as a Turkish for Turkish production: The Fiat 124 started to produce in Turkey from 1974 to 1994 . It names Murat 124 wirh 1.2 liter 60hp till 1987 and the second generation gets 1.3 liter from the Fiat 131 and plastic bumpers in front and Rear with rectangular projector and changed the name : it names Serçe. In Turkey the fanatic people of Tofaş chose mostly the original one with inox bumpers. Last production was in 1994. In 1995 Fiat Uno taked the place of A segment caterory automobiles production in Bursa by TOFAŞ Factory with a modern injection engine from Fiat ( 1.4 70hp SXie aircondiotioned version the most wanted for the comfort ). At the moment TOFAŞ produce The new Fiat Tipo ( Named Fiat Egea in Turkey ) and Fiat Doblo( 1 million Doblo produced in 2019 and continue to export all over the world). Thanks for reading.🙂👍
Thank you very much for your comment and the good info about Tofas. I visited Turkey in 2016, and I was positively surprised by how many 131s were roaming the streets. I took hundreds of pictures of street-parked 131s! But I didn't see many 124s, I guess attrition and age has gotten those off the road.
@@Matteo_Licata Yess , unfortunatly too old to Keep. Only Some of them in perfect condition and go out only for the big occasion like meeting by 124 fun clubs. Nows a day it's an collector objects. The 124 served the Turkish people permitted to buy a brand new car in 70's ( Like the Vw bettle in Germany in 50's , the Citroën 2cv in France or Fiat 500 in Italy ).🙂
I look forward to a 131 video. I've loved those since I was a child playing with a model 131 abarth.
And me as well. My father bought me my first Burago die cast car was a 131 Abarth in Alitalia livery. Loved Italian cars since.
Right on! Yes, the 131 is overdue a video. I'll try to find one to film :)
I had a 1968 124 with the 1.2 liter engine. It was one of the most fun cars to drive I ever owned. I paid $150 US for it in 1976.
My dad owned a 1.2 124 too. It got stolen while he was in the cinema, watching the original Star Wars movie!
Excellent, as usual. Fiat have a long history in Argentina since 1919: tractors, locomotives, trucks. Fiat 600, 850, 1100, 1200, 1500 (the Argentinian version of the 1300) with an astonishing version "Fiat 1500 Vignale", 128 and others. The same engine of the 1500 was used to make the Fiat 1600, also an argentinan development made by Fiat Concord, that's the name of the subsidiary. Still with the 1600 there was later a 90HP version until the arrival of the 125 with the amazing Lampredi twin cam engine. The last 125 leave the production line in 1982.
Thank you very much!
I wish there was a book documenting properly all the various South American Fiats, as it's a world I barely know anything about!
@@Matteo_Licata to be honest I don't know, but must be something. The information I have is my memory and some Wikipedia pages. I will search if there's something. Thanks a lot for your channel!! After a search I found a book of Eugenia Scarzanella: la Fiat in América Latina. Seems to be in Italian 👍🏻
@@DanielCurti I'll check that out immediately, thank you!
@@Matteo_Licata also Chech out IAVA, it was here in Argentina what abarth was elsewhere.
Fiat has had a huge impact here, it's been "the people's car brand" since the introduction of the 600, later the 147 and the Uno.
My father had a 600, a 125 mirafiori and a 128. He still has very good memories about his 125
Yet another great episode from you!
Thank you! Much appreciated!
I remember this car very well. It was my father's car in 1969 until 1973. How many travel..........
With the 124, Fiat developed a 'World Car' even before GM or Ford - the 124 Special was a popular in Singapore in the 70s.
And in same time Renault developed model Renault 12/ Dacia 1300 was produced in France, Romania, Turcia, South America: Argentina, Brazilia, Columbia, North America- Canada and Australia .
Finally, somebody is adequate about lada!
Русский комментарий, который ты ищешь.
Офигенный Английский с Итальянским акцентом.(-:
I drove the 124 Sport Coupé series III, one of the nicest at the time with a raspy, revvy 1600 sweetheart of an engine. What memories!
Those were great cars indeed!
Great video! Thanks! As a British Lada owner I was interested to hear how well/badly the 124 coped with Russian roads. Keep up the excellent work!
Thanks for watching and for your appreciation. I post every week, each time trying to be better :)
I am russian Lada owner. Nowadays it is a problem to buy good quality aftermarket parts (there are too much counterfeit, especially for old 124-based Ladas). A have self-made 2103+2106 mix (1973 manufactured and 1996 replaced rusted body to new one) but I drive it not often.
Friday afternoon, start of the weekend with Matteo 😃👍👌
Thank you! :)
Great video as always. From episode to episode the graphic quality is improving significantly, thanks. There is chapter in Dante Giacosa's Forty Years of Design in Fiat book about the 124 and it's difficult birth. When it was decided to start producing the 124 Giacosa was developing the project 123E4, a car with a transversal engine and front wheel drive, that would have summarized the experiences had with the Autobianchi Primula. This car would have had great roominess, similar to the one of the 6 cylinders 1800 but in less than 750kg. The car prototipes of the 124 and of the 123 were both tested by the and even the sales department preferred the 123 over the 124. According Giacosa the 123 was far more technically advanced, but "The Professor" (Valletta) thought that Fiat had to stay cautious with the feared front wheel drive system, letting Autobianchi make experience for a few years after the release of the Primula in 1964.
But the 123E4 survived somehow, nevertheless. It's design, combined with the mechanics of the Autobianchi Primula, became the Autobianchi A111. I have seen only one or two of these in my life, and only from the outside. But knowing very well how incredibly roomy the 128 was, it's easy to imagine what an impressive car the A111 must have been with that respect.
When I was younger, every year for the summer festivities in our hometown we used to buy a car from the local scrapyard, chop the roof off and paint it yellow for use as "official company car" of our group of friends. The first one was a venerable Seat 124. She carried an average of 15-20 people around for a week. It made it back to the scrapyard on its own. Tough, no-nonsense car. I kept the ignition key :)
That was cool! I guess this wouldn't be very legal nowadays though :)
@@Matteo_Licata Yeah, what the world is coming at? 😂
Brilliant my friend. I learn more and more with your videos. I didn't realise Seat had a relationships with Fiat so early. Your videos are a priceless jewell. Marc.
Glad you like them! Well, Seat was tied to Fiat since its inception, as the first-ever seat model was a license-built Fiat 1400, then the 600 ecc. Ties were broken in 1981-82, but Seat relied on legacy Fiat designs for a few years afterwards
Спасибо итальянцам от многих поколений всего мира! Это воистину потрясающий автомобиль! Великолепный комфорт подвески, большая площадь остекления, дизайн, нет, Дизайн! Дизайн снаружи и внутри очень целостный и какой-то воздушно-лёгкий. Гармоничный и душевный, как сама Италия!
In Argentina was produced until 1982, (first named 1600 and then 125) the last version was the 125 Mirafiori, with the 1.6 l and DOHC, with 110CV!! a pocket rocket.
124 and 125 were two different models, one common element was the cabin
Haha, hold my russian beer. We made it till 2007
@@YaderniyBombardir The VAZ-2101 Zhiguli was continued to be manufactured until 1988.
The last manufactured Zhiguli was VAZ-2104 and VAZ-2107 in 2012.
(VAZ-2107 continued to be produced in Egypt until 2014)
@@faurl35h The 125 derived from the FIAT 1500 (aldo mnft'd in Argentina, 1963-1969), with leaf springs in the back. The Argentine 1600 (1969-1972) is actually a FIAT 1500 with a Mk. I FIAT 125 body...
The 124 was much more modern.
@@martingianelli7552 Argentine F1600 witch a Polski Fiat 125p body
1430, mythical number indeed in Spain. Great video as always!
Yes! Thank you! I know the "catorce-treinta" is a much-loved car in Spain :)
When I lived there, I loved to gaze at older Seats, spotting the detail differences with the Fiats
@@Matteo_Licata Haha! I can imagine, I can definitely relate to that. Where did you live?
I remember seeing the Fiat 124 versions when I was younger only to slowly disappear and for the Lada version become a regular sight on the roads local to us.
I have traveled in Italian, Russian, Spanish and Turkish made variants and just love the three box design.
Maybe one day I will be able to add the Premier 118NE to complete the list of models..
Another great video and a car I hope you write a book about...
Thank you! Traveling on a Premier 118 may be more difficult, as the car wasn't a success in India and not many were sold, as far as I know.
Interesting to know how was possible that the Padmini 1100 manteined a strong success for decades while the more modern 124 and Punto no
I spent part of my childhood in Lada (Vaz 2106). and because of it I like to watch videos about old Ladas an Fiats.
I understand :) I spent part of my childhood riding on Citroens, so I love old Citroens!
Me too. I spent part of my childhood in Lada 1200 at my uncle . In summer 1982 when i have 9 year i am travel at vacancy/holyday at a Black Sea in a new car Lada . 5 or 6 year im travel in Lada. Beautiful memories when i am a was child and travel in Renault Gordini/Dauphine, Skoda 1000MB, Lada 1200, Dacia 1300 and a little In a Moskvich 1500.
Felicitaciones por los videos! Muy buenos!
Muchas gracias, me alegro mucho que te gusten!
One of the greatest Italian car's ever.
127 to me , was
My dad had 2 124 specials both a fawny tan colour and not the twin cams. Come to think of it there's not many Fiats my dad brother or me haven't owned. Thanks Matteo for another cracking bit of Italian car knowledge.
Fantastic video Matteo! I had a 74 tc special Berlina that I had a FI engine put in. Fun!
Thank you!!! That car must have been great fun to drive
@@Matteo_Licata It was.
Learnt to drive on a PAL 118NE that was the bastardized Indian version of the Fiat. Butter smooth gearbox coupled to an ordinary Nissan engine but created loads of memories ❤
As a kid who grew up on the backseat of a white Lada 1300 (VAZ21011) in the eighties, it was nice to see where the whole story started. Ladas were the best cars communism could offer, in Hungary you had to wait 4-5 years to get yours after paying the deposit (at least in the eighties).
I was actually shocked about the net weight of the 124 (850) I am pretty sure our Lada was at least 100kg heavier. Sturdiness had its price...
Oh yes. The 124's structure was perhaps too light, as Fiat itself applied some reinforcements a few months into production. But the Lada was another level altogether, much stronger the suspensions, their mounts, and the bodies too.
The Lada 1300 weighed 955 kg, the 1600GL 1050kg at the kerb.
Amazing car! In Spain it was also very popular with iconic "sporty" versions of the last series. With 1.6, 1.8 and even 2.0 engines they were fast at that time. On the '77 Montecarlo Antonio Zanini and Salvador Cañellas managed finishing 3rd and 4rd scratch with their SEATs 124 1.800! And speaking of restylings, to me the last spanish series with rectangular headlights was really nice, lights matched the hole design very well and the car looked really refreshed.
Is they still around in Spain? I used to own russian version, Lada. Some while ago, I met TwinCam Fiat 131 in United Kingdom. But there they drive RHD cars. So I’m looking for alternative. Seat is option. Is it possible to get hands on one of these?
Dear Matteo,
I sincerely hope that in one way or another the little beautiful charming stories of the Dino the 130 the Aurelia, The Fulvia, the Alfa the Innocenti autobianci stories with the design clues are coming back available. What I also love about them is when you put them al together they tell a to me more than fascinating history of the Italian automotive heritage and contribution to the car. To me the Italian car is the car in its purest form, beautiful to look at, wonderful handling and charming and stylish! Sincerly yours Reyer
Thank you for your appreciation. I’ve been deleting most of my 2019/20 output because they no longer represented the level of quality the channel now has. Moreover, those videos hardly received any views lately. However, I’m keen on going back to those subjects in the future, by filming actual cars and presenting them the best I can.
Here in Canada we were able to but Lada's up until the early 1990's. I personally owned a Lada 1500 (that had the engine rebuilt and bored out to 1600cc) that I really enjoyed. It seemed to be a little peppier than what a regular Lada should have been and was as tough as nails. Maybe you can put together a video on Lada's in the future as many people are curious about them.
A video about Ladas would be a good idea, but I have to admit I don't know them nearly as well as I think I'd need to cover them properly. We'll see.
In my teens I had a best friend whos father was Italian and was always working on Lancia and Fiat cars, also my sisters boyfriend worked in an Alfa Romeo garage so inevitably I became an Italian car nut. I live in Somerset UK and there was a small cars sales lot on a small crossroads at a hamlet called Standerwick that was run by John Button, yes, Jenson Buttons father (he was born and raised in my town). So, while driving past the car sales one day I glimpsed the twin headlights of a green 124 for sale and immediately did a u-turn, all the while saying to myself "please be a Special T, please be a Special T" (the Special also had twin headlights)... I pulled up and quickly walked to the back of the car and It was A SPECIAL T, a 73' 1600cc. It must have been a Sunday as I remember waiting for John to open the next morning and bought it. I also remember the car that was next to the Fiat was a Lancia Gamma Coupe. I was 18 at time. I put bucket seats in from an Alfasud sprint, a wood rim steering wheel and campagnola alloys. I am 58 now and of all the cars ive ever owned, the 124 Special T holds the fondest memories.
Thank you for sharing with me these fantastic memories!
Humble it might be, but without a shadow of a doubt a true automotive icon. And the quality of your videos are getting better and better! Thanks a lot for this cool video! Ciao 🙋♂️
Wow, thank you! I got a lot of cool stuff in the works for June, you'll see the results :)
Memories....had a 69 1200cc berlina in Miami, same cream color but black interior. A great car, simple, reliable, and fantastic handling. Didn't have the heavy doors of later versions.
Wanted to put a 1438 twin cam in it. But got a Giulia instead.
Uou have to be a strong and original person for such choices in the US at that time: totally against the tide! (although I think a good number of 124 SW have come to you)
It was produced in Turkey under the names "Murat 124" and "Serçe".
I had a 124 ST DOHC with the twin choke carb that kicked in about 3.5k huge fun!
Another great video! Thx!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Preventive like...now watching the vídeo!
Thank you for the confidence :)
Great video. My first car was a 1965 Fiat 1500, followed by a 1967 Fiat 125. Not a 124 but in those days Fiat designed wonderful cars with simple but elegant designs. The 124 was an excellent example, you've done a nice job presenting it here.
Very cool, thank you very much!
An incredible rational modern easy sporty understated berlina
If I don’t mistake 125 had same body as 124 with different facelift. Great car for that era. Mass produced in different countries with modifications.
Great video, as always. 👍
Thank you! Cheers!
When I immigrated to Canada in 2000, one of the joys of life here was the ability to buy the Lada NIVA brand new. Fiat hadn’t been here in years by then but Lada was a kind of cheap mainstay. All have I think rusted away by now, haven’t seen one in years.
One of the best no frills off road 4x4 available for purchase today. Fantastic off road vehicle.
Was popular in India as 118 NE where NE stands for Nissan Engine. It was locally produced by Premier Automobiles Limited. Nissan Engine and gearbox was smooth. There was also Premier 1.38D which has FNM Italian designed Diesel engine which was noisy yet fuel efficient. Peugeot improved the quality of last batches and they were called Premier Viceroy.
A rational, modern, sporty, understated sedan.
For me its weak point was the van-like dashboard. If you look at the contemporary of the Autobianchi Primula, you appreciate a tasty design approach.
..Without going into the Alfa, Lancia or even Innocenti masterpieces! (Who remembers the gorgeous one from IM3?!?)
Great job as usual . love the 124 .
Thank you! 👍
Grazie per questo video. Fantastico ancora una volta! Ma è sempre troppo breve :(
Grazie mille!
Late 60s ..Twincam ..4 disc brakes...Tell Me Any Car in These Years Has These...emmm ..Some Say Square ..Envios is Always there for Other Automakers ..Say what they want to say
The Special T 1600.. thats my Favorite ..tq for the video Matteo ..Much Apreciate it ..
The fiat 124 was also build under license by Tofaş in Turkey and was sold as the Tofaş Murat 124
Plenty of Murat you could meet around Turkey as a tourist, far more exciting than the Otosan
Was it called the Anatolia?
@@1mattadams 👍🏻 Anadol I remember!
In Somalia back in the 70s and 80s, all taxis were Fiat 124. I remember vividly. That car was a workhorse.
I still remember James May having fun in a 124! 😄😄
👍🏽👍🏽!!
So you need to follow up with the 124 Coupe and Spider. I love my 1970 Coupe. With the optional Cromodora pure Magnesium wheels it has amazingly delicate and precise steering and is great fun to drive.
That's the plan! As soon as I'll find a nice Coupé and a nice Spider to film, I'll duly make a video about them
@@Matteo_Licata hopefully not too hard to find in Italy I would think, the Spider probably harder most all were sold in the USA.
I owned the Fiat 124Special 1400cc in 1978 which was the most popular car in my country then.....! Big, Spacious and Powerful .... what more do you want....??
Mon père avait acheté une 124 neuve en 1967. Il l’a gardé jusqu’en 1976. Je me souviens encore de l’odeur du neuf lorsqu’il a été livré. Je me souviens aussi des moindres détails du tableau de bord. Depuis j’ai toujours roulé en Fiat : 127, uno, punto, panda et 500 !
The car which made me fall in love at the age of 5
Will it be safe to assume that total of about 20 Million of 124 and it's derivatives world wide were produced?. I can not find your video of FIAT 125 titled "Guilia from Turin", Can you pls send me the link
thanks. Waiting anxiously for the revival of your channel,but hopefully it will centre around Italian Cars
There's no way of knowing for sure how many 124s were made around the world, so your guess is as good as mine. The 125 video is no longer online, because those older vids had lower quality than the newer ones, so I removed most of those
Good movie! Clear and simple talk. Like it!
I grow up with ussr version of early and late 124 model, called Lada 2101 and 21013. Green and red memories!
When I was youngster, I own 74th early model Lada. Back then it was much more quality car than later at 80’ Very little difference at visual look and technically, but huge difference in build quality. Even the 74th model year was much dynamic on road then later models. Probably because of machinery they’re builded, later machines worn out and I guess workers didn’t give them proper maintenance which resulted in a bad outcome. Is well, at time huge soveit union had just this one big plant in Tolyatti where was produced Ziguli for all ussr and exports. They could not produce enough cars for large scale demand. Even my dad was on waiting list for several years buying his first new 2104 I loved this car like a kid!
Glad you enjoy the video. Thank you for sharing these memories with me, I always like to hear from owners of the cars I cover in the videos!
@@Matteo_Licata Im into classic cars, and if it is close to my hart I like to share my feelings.
Thanks for your wonderful job.
All the best!
In the mid 1980s my ex brother-in-law had a 1977/78 Lada 1600 GLS in red with a black vinyl roof. I was around the same age as the car, thought it was very cool with it's quad headlamps. I also remember the very peculiar seatbelt clips.
Red with vinyl roof must have looked smart indeed :)
Nice car and great memories -- especially -- the S model with its TC engine.
Excellent piece, once again. Waiting patiently for the Sport Coupé version. ;-)
You and me both! I'd really like to film a nice Sport Coupé for the channel. Will look for one!
@@Matteo_Licata If I still had mine I would have been crazy enough to set something up but alas... You will find one. As long it's an AC or BC. Not a big fan of the CC.
A Retro Modded one of these would be a fair lil thing - Mini Light Wheels, a Twin Cam FIAT Motor and some Suspension Upgrades would make it great fun for Hill Climbing or Cruising
Many people actually do that! Even Ladas make for good rally cars!
In 1972 I bought a Fiat 124. It turned out to be one of the best cars I ever had - and definitely the best saloon car. If it was still made today (without any modifications) I would buy it again!
I do so very much enjoy your research, knowledge and delivery of information regarding the Italian automotive industry’s products! I’d love for you to do something similar on the Alfa 2600 Sprint; I had a ten-year-old example in 1974, and I so wish that I hadn’t disposed of it… 🙁
Thank you very much! A video about the 2600 Sprint is a very good idea actually, as it's a very important car in the history of automobile design. I'll work on it :)
Wow, you owned a very exclusive sport car
@@studiocalder818 Yes, I didn’t realise that, at the time. I just never knew that it was quite exclusive, especially as a RHD example! 😞
Such a beautiful engine…
@@steveboatronics 😊
Alfas get old, then get classic, inside the most interesting family of enthusiasts, from the pops dedicated to the Sud/33 to the top collectors of 2900 and so on.
Any Alfa model finds a place in the family.
Fantastic video 👍
Thank you! Cheers!
Matteo, great vids! I think you should do a video sometime about the Mk1. Twingo. It shares the same virtues as a Multipla, but Le Quement managed to do something slightly quirky rather than wholeheartedly polarizing. So you don't have to convince people about great packaging and airy feeling, as it's often the case when trying to convince people about the Multipla's design virtues... they (mostly) like it anyway!
Noted! I'm not a Renault expert, but I got a design background and I love the original Twingo :) I still remember going with my mum to see it at the dealership. It was apple green and the dealer even gifted me a model of Mansell's 1992 Williams F1 car
@@Matteo_Licata I remember something similar, going to the dealership to check the Twingo out and receiving as a gift a small R5 scale model!
Я помню Жигулей как вчера. That's the first car I was allowed to drive back in 70's!
😍
Let me put it simply Matteo since I've driven both 124's and Lada 1200's:
The Fiat is a ballerina on the road, lively and communicative, the Lada is like a female Russian Olympic wrestler : you can't handle the bloody thing it throws you where it wants to be !
As a boy I vividly remember the introduction movie of the 124, a car was thrown from an airplane and landed in a field where 4 guys wearing crash helmets and jumpsuits got into the car and drove like a bat out of hell.
Another film showed a 124 rolling over at very high speed, after it had come to a standstill, a guy opened the door, got in and drove of.
In 1965 this was almost rocket science that a car could be so strong !
Togliatti was named after an Italian Communist party member was n't it and rumor has it that Fiat agreed to build the Russian factory after being threatened by local Italian communists who'd threatened to kidnap some family members. I think I read somewhere the Russians also had talks with Renault and Volkswagen
But thanks, the 124 is an old friend,a car you could pick up an old used one for a few hundred guilders and it was great transport !
I'm sure you already know that Centro Storico has that video here on UA-cam ;)
ua-cam.com/video/dulB5nlKYCk/v-deo.html
The russians were about to go to Renault for negotiating, but because the italian government was more friendly, they tried fiat first.
They also tested the Peugeot 204(?) but found it unsuitable for mass production, at least for the scale they wanted.
VW at the time had only the beetle, which was 30 years old at that point, doubt they wanted it. Plus they already had ZAZ which made rear engined air-cooled small cars.
The twin cam engined 124s however were quite brilliant.
The 124 and the rest of other Fiat cars in the 1970s could have been a success in Malaysia had Fiat engineers made extensive research and testing the cars' thermostats in humid climates. These cars were prone to engine overheating issues, causing many Fiat owners in Malaysia at that time to make a drastic decision to remove the cars' thermostats to solve the problem. Eventually, many owners got so fed up with the problem and switched to Toyota Corollas which had thermostats that worked much better in tropical weather conditions and never caused engine overheating issues.
Didn't know that, thank you!
@@Matteo_Licata You're welcome, Matteo! 😊
P.s. Fiat also has an unfortunately funny slogan among drivers in Malaysia: Fiat Is Always Trouble (FIAT)
La mitica 124,gran macchina,BELLA linea,uno dei MITI di mamma fiat.
In india, a modernised version of the car were sold as PREMIER 118 NE, by Premier Automobiles Ltd. With engine outsourced from NISSAN. Whereas the NE stands for Nissan Engine.
la partie que j'attendais tellement depuis longtemps :-)
The 124 s was the second car I owned, you could stand and watch it rot away and was forever breaking down, an absolute bucket of a car and was glad to get rid of it.
Between 1997 to 20** I rode in many of these when I travelled & lived in India :-)
Really? I'm told these were not a success there
@@Matteo_Licata I think you're right... compared to the Premier Padmini (FIAT 1100) the Premier 118 (FIAT 124) did not sell as well.
Personally I think an original 124 finished in black, with red vinyl interior, today looks pure style and class.
I agree. Black was available as an option, by the way, at no extra cost.
My dad hand over me a SEAT 124 Special. ... it was my first car ! ... my girlfriend used to tell me "the back seat was even better than a couch" ;)
That's a cool story ;)
Hey! I'm still using this masterpeace (1979) as everyday car without any trouble.
That’s cool 👍
We loved it as L:ada and still keep one for 50 years
You still have a Lada? That's cool!
@@Matteo_Licata just a little right on the map, on the Balkans we still do drive them as everyday drive dear friend.
@@Matteo_Licata The Lada vs Fiat at inital point had just 3 differences - camshaft, rear brakes and rear suspension. Later they made more differences. Little know fact is that before Lada in Bulgaria 124 should have been produced as FIAT PIRIN
@@Matteo_Licata i have lada from 70's as daily car :D
can you pls tell me how many of 124 S or special were totally built. thanks.
have you stopped making videos, because i do not see any new ones on the net.?
I have absolutely no idea how many 124 Specials were built, unfortunately. Yes, the channel is in a bit of a hiatus now, but I'm thinking to make new and different stuff in the future
Here in Czechia (at the time Czechoslovakia), we had the advantage that before the import of the VAZ 2101 started, Fiat 124 was actually sold through the standard Mototechna car stores (and some even later after the import of the Lada started, in the Tuzex Shops with western products). 124s were known to be faster and sportier that the Lada but also not as rugged and about as well put together (early 70s Ladas were built very well out of good quality steel, only during the late 70s and early 80s did their quality worsen.)
That's something I didn't know, thank you!
We had something similar here in Bulgaria too, Pirin-Fiat
USSR made more then 800 modifications in manufacturing including engine. USSR made it tougher for poor quality roads and service and simple service. No chips computer and other junk. Soviet version was rallying also in Europe. Lada 2101 or Vaz 2101.
Same problem to quality for Renault 12- Dacia 1300/1310 in this time period.
Looks charming isn't it? We had this one in our family.
No Brasil infelizmente tivemos apenas o Lada Laika nos anos 1990. A Fiat chegou ao Brasil com o querido Fiat 147 (127 na Europa).
Forgot to mention that between 1970 to 1975 Kia also built Fiat 124 under licence.
And 1967 - 1971 also in Bulgaria named Pirin-Fiat 124.