Fiat 132

Fiat 132 (1972–1974)

The 132 was introduced as a replacement for the Fiat 125 and like it, came with Fiat Twin Cam engines as standard. However, the Fiat 132 looked more like the larger top-of-the-range Fiat 130.

Like the 125, the 132 came with a five-speed manual gearbox, optional in some markets and standard in others: this was still a relatively unusual feature in this class of car in 1977.

The first series of the 132 was available in two versions: 'normal' (only 1600 engine) and 'special' (1600 or 1800 engine).

Fiat 132 (1974–1977)

A major update to the front suspension was implemented for January 1974 in response to criticism of the handling and very low geared steering. gave the impression of a lowered waistline resulting from larger side windows. It included a new grille, new rear lights and a reshaped C-pillar which had a semblance of BMW's "Hofmeister kink" and reminded some of the BMW 5 Series, introduced two years before.

For the driver, new shock absorbers accompanied the suspension improvements. The 1600 cc engine remained unchanged but the 1800 cc engine benefited from a modified cylinder head and carburettor, resulting in a small increase in claimed output to 107 hp, along with a usefully flattened torque curve. Interior improvements included a redesigned steering wheel along with improved heating and ventilation controls.

The second series of the 132 was available as GL (only 1600 engine) and as GLS (1600 or 1800 engine).

Fiat 132 (1977–1981)

In April 1977, the 132 received a further facelift. New plastic "safety" bumpers were introduced to the model plus big rubber side protection strips, and the gearing of the steering was raised, supported by the addition of servo-assistance. Inside were a new dashboard and seat trims. At this point, with the 130 having been discontinued, the 132 became the "flagship" of the Fiat range.

The third series of the 132 was only available in one unified version, where some of the standard equipment of the 2-liter version was optional for the 1600 version. New were Sofim diesel engines. An innovative feature of this edition were the acrylic sunvisors, which could be extracted from the headliner, both forward and sideways at the same time.

Engines

The Fiat 132 was available with the following engines:

:{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%;" ! || style=line-height:1.2em; colspan=7 | Petrol || colspan = 2 | Diesel |- !Year | 1972–1977 || 1977–1981 || 1972–1974 || 1974–1976 || 1976–1977 || 1977–1981 || 1979–1981 || colspan = 2 |1978–1981 |- !Engine code | 132A.000 || 132C.000 || 132A1.000 || colspan=2 | 132B1.000 || 132C2.000 || 132C3.000 || 8144.65 || 8144.61 |- !Displacement | 1592 cc || 1585 cc || colspan=3 | 1756 cc || colspan=2 |1995 cc || 1995 cc || 2445 cc |- !Bore × stroke | 80 × 79.2 mm|| 84 × 71.5 mm|| colspan=3 | 84 × 79.2 mm|| colspan=2 | 84 × 90 mm|| 88 × 82 mm|| 93 × 90 mm |- !Fuel system |- !Output | 98 PS at 6,000 rpm || 98 PS at 5,600 rpm || 105 PS at 5,600 rpm || 107 PS at 6,000 rpm || 111 PS at 5,600 rpm || 112 PS at 5,600 rpm || 122 PS at 5,300 rpm || 60 PS at 4,400 rpm || 72 PS at 4,200 rpm |- !Torque | 13.2 kgm at 4,000 rpm || 13.4 kgm at 4,000 rpm || 14.4 kgm at 4,200 rpm || 14.4 kgm at 4,000 rpm || 15.1 kgm at 3,400 rpm || 16.1 kgm at 3,000 rpm || 17.5 kgm at 3,500 rpm || 11.5 kgm at 2,400 rpm || 15 kgm at 2,400 rpm |}

Overseas assembly

The 132 had limited manufacture outside Italy compared to its predecessor 125. The car was built in Spain by SEAT with a version that was sold between 1973 and 1982. It was also assembled in South Africa by Fiat's local assemblers in Rosslyn. After the 1977 update, the 132 was renamed "Elita" in South Africa, and due to a shortage of capacity at Fiat's plant it was assembled by competitors Alfa Romeo South Africa.

The 132 was also assembled in Yugoslavia by Zastava, in Zagreb. Cars arrived there practically fully completed, and there parts like wheels, battery, and also a plate which confirmed that car was assembled in Yugoslavia (under the name "Zastava 132"), were put. There weren't any differences from the Italian-built model. Assembly lasted from 1974 to 1983, and some 2,000–3,000 examples were built annually. Total 13.025 cars. It was particularly popular between directors and officials. The 132 was succeeded by Fiat Argenta in Zastava's lineup.

In Poland the 132 was offered from 1973 as the Polski Fiat 132p. The car was described as "assembled by FSO", though actually the cars were shipped from Italy almost complete. FSO only did the final assembly, fitting minor parts like wipers, batteries, seats, wheels and logos. The Polski Fiat 132p was a favourite with high state officials and security services. For internal market it was available only for hard currency in Pewex stores.

Kia built 4,759 units of the 132 from CKD kits in South Korea, from 1979.

References

References

1. (September 1978). "Fiat Elita 2000: the new flagship". Ramsay, Son & Parker (Pty) ltd..
2. "Kia history". Kia UK.
3. "Rising out of Asia". thehyway.com.
4. (15 February 1973). "Autotest: Fiat 132 1800 Special".
5. Mazzocchi Bordone, Maria Giovanna. (2010). "Fiat, tutti i modelli del novecento". Editoriale Domus.
6. (February 1974). "Zahlreiche Aenderungen nahm Fiat am Mittelklasse-Modell 132 vor, dessen Verkauf sich bisher nur schleppend entwickelt hat...".
7. (16 April 1977). "Fiat's new flagship".
8. Podbielski, Zdzisław (2019). ''Samochody montażowe z Żerania'', "Auto Świat Classic" Nr 4/2019, p. 132-137 (Polish)
9. Szczerbicki, Tomasz. (8 October 2024). "Polski Fiat 132p. Klasyk z okresu PRL-u. Historia, dane techniczne, ciekawostki". Motofakty.
10. "起亞産業(기아산업) 4氣筒(기통) 피아트132市販(시판)".
11. "지혜로운 선택".