Fiat 131 meeting

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Thotos
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Fiat 131 meeting

Post by Thotos »

Guy Croft said the following about Fiat¢ž¢s 131 Sport:

…œTo me those 131 Sports are so evocative of another, simpler - maybe better time. Slower, more innovative, less regulated, a time when the world - pre computers - still seemed to be full of new surprises and opportunities. A time when, to see a works car, or an Audi Quattro on a Welsh forest stage on the Lombard RAC rally in the middle of the night was really something!. As evocative of a now-forgotten period as a Spitfire is of the war years when one flies over my house. Call me strange but I do really think we have lost something very precious in the rush for modernism. …œ

GC


Well, a group of very passionate Fiat 131 fans from UK and Ireland who are in full agreement with Guy¢ž¢s comments, are organising the first ever Fiat 131 event open to owners of all versions of the car. It will be held over the weekend of 19th and 20th of May 2007 in the Southwest of Ireland.

The event will be mostly driving with a route designed to take in some of the spectacular Atlantic coastline and mountain passes. The highlight will be a massive gathering of Mirafioris probably in Killarney on the Sunday (20th) where we will attempt a new record of 131s in the same place. The idea that is slowly taking form is a circuit of Munster starting with a Thursday or Friday night in or close to Limerick and then to head off to the Co Clare coastline the next day (cliffs of Moher, Lahinch, Kilkee) then crossing the Shannon by ferry to Co Kerry sticking to the coastline and peninsulas - Plenty of rugged cliffs, the ring of Kerry, West Cork mountains, that sort of thing and working back along the south coastline to Waterford and Rosslare (ferry home for the non-Irish participants). Staying in B&Bs along the way and stopping off at additional points of interest.

A dedicated website has been set up at http://www.131mirafiori.com where you can register your interest and get regular updates for this exciting event.

In the second photograph below you can see a taster of what we achieved with a little planning in March of this year. Two of the five 131s in the photograph travelled from the UK to Ireland for a one day event. We hope next May¢ž¢s event will attract many times more 131s as we expect participants from all over Europe and even further! The furthest enquiry we've had so far is from Australia!

Also below is a photograph of the Healy mountain pass on the Beara peninsula which joins Kerry and Cork. Just one of the roads that will be testing cars and drivers.
Attachments
Fiat 131s at Ratoath, Ireland in March 2006
Fiat 131s at Ratoath, Ireland in March 2006
Ratoth5x131.jpg (92.44 KiB) Viewed 15049 times
The Healy mountain pass between Kerry and Cork
The Healy mountain pass between Kerry and Cork
Healy.jpg (175.31 KiB) Viewed 15053 times
Last edited by Thotos on November 14th, 2006, 2:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Guy Croft
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Post by Guy Croft »

Good luck with the club Thotos, nice to see 'we heard it here first!'

I wonder if Colin Rowe & outrageously fast pink 16v 131, rallied often in Eire, is, or will be joining you over there on that run. I do hope so. Not sure if Colin is a member here.

What will make your club stand out in my view?

'Where-to-get-spare-parts?'

New and used. The 131 needs an equivalent of Chad's 'Monte Hospital'. I can manage most engine things, for those who come to me of course, but body, suspension, gearboxes, cables, brakes, that's not my field. I hope someone will start stockpiling things before they vanish..

Best regards,

GC
Thotos
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Post by Thotos »

Hello Guy, thanks for your support and thank you for letting us advertise this event on your website.

We've had a few confirmed participants already and a few more people have expressed an interest and asked to be kept updated about the event. Colin Rowe isn't one of them (yet?) but we also hope he will be joining us. If we had contact details we could send him an invitation.

Getting some spare parts for 131s is certainly becoming a problem. Unfortunately the Fiat 131 is not thought of as highly as the Lancia Montecarlo. Or at least the mass produced versions of the 131 are not. So most of us need to stockpile our own spares. I certainly have a garage full of spares having been a 131 owner for a very long time. I've had at least one 131 (sometimes more) since my 1600 Special in 1979.
Guy Croft
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Post by Guy Croft »

These cars are special and you need to work the motoring press to get this across.

Unfortunately for the 131 and (also the Lancia Montecarlo) despite the best efforts of some (me incl) there are still those who say 'it's only a Lancia/Fiat..'.
My ears go deaf when I hear this. There seems to be an inferiority complex among some owners. And I keep saying to owners to owners of many F/L marques - if someone says it's only worth ‚£XXX (I mean a little), until you stand your ground and argue them round to a new way of thinking they are going to continue to be regarded as, er, rather valueless.

The Mk2 Escort value rocketed in recent years only really because of the availablity of competition parts. As a rally car sure it has provenance but hardly (in my experienced view) the almost unequalled pedigree of the 131 Sport. And I'm not biased, I used to own a rally Escort.

Starting in a small way Betaboyz have done remarkably well in developing new lines for their cars. Soemthing to mimic in your club I suggest.

GC
clucky32
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Pink Fiat 131

Post by clucky32 »

Hi Guy & Thotos,

First, can I say I have been watching your web site for some time. It is great to see a site with such interesting and technical information.

The pink Fiat (Clucky) is still going strong with it's main annual event being the excellent West Cork rally in March. It's good to see there are still lots of 131s around, your web site seems to have brought them out of the woodwork!

The planned weekend sounds interesting although for me, with it coming so soon after the West Cork rally, it may not be feasible due to the distance and cost involved in getting there. A great opportunity to see genuine works/homologated 131s though, something I have not managed yet..... so who knows maybe.
Regards,
Colin
Guy Croft
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Post by Guy Croft »

When I heard of your new club initiative, one of my early remarks to you was about the role of such a club in hold of new and used spares.

See James Seabolt's difficulties getting spares for the 131 at:

http://guy-croft.com/viewtopic.php?t=587

There is a chance to prove your mettle with a US friend.

GC!
Thotos
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3MA - Fiat 131 Meeting in Killarney

Post by Thotos »

The meeting has by far exceeded the expectations of all who were there and for those who were not, you've missed a great event! Brief details at http://131mirafiori.com/smf/index.php?topic=214.0.

I would like to take this opportunity to say "Thank you VERY much Mr Croft for providing an engine in my car that ensured I could keep up with the Abarth Stradales!" At least I could keep up on the straights and even pull away. In fact I think on the straights my car was superb and the noise alone was addictive! When it came to the bendy bits the Stradales' independent rear suspension was far superior to the solid rear axle on my car. And unfortunately my uprated brakes need further uprating as they faded to almost nothing with smoke bellowing out of the front ones after some energetic driving. But then I wouldn't have coined the phrase of the day: "You are standing in the way of my smoke"
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Thotos
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Maximum Mirafiori Mobilisation again

Post by Thotos »

Following on from the unprecedented success of this year's 3ma meeting in Ireland, planning has started for 3ma08, next year's meeting for all versions of the Fiat 131.

Friday 16th to Monday 19th of May 2008 are the dates to mark in your diaries and head to Scotland for 3ma08. Plans are progressing steadily and we expect to stretch from our chosen base in Inveraray, the Argyll region's former Royal Burgh in Western Scotland, to the mountainous Highlands discovering a land of lochs, mountains, history and much more.

We look forward to testing cars and drivers on roads like the Inverfarigaig Corkscrew, the aptly named road built in 1815, which twists up deep into the wild by the side of Loch Less and is more difficult to drive than to say!

We¢ž¢ll be able to drive the tightest and steepest set of hairpins you can imagine where most have to do three-point turns while the rear wheel drive 131s will simply use power oversteer!

We are looking forward to meeting all our friends from the last 3ma and also looking forward to making lots of new 3ma friends at 3ma08.

For more information please visit our dedicated website at http://www.131mirafiori.com
nassim131
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Re: Fiat 131 meeting

Post by nassim131 »

Hi Guys,

its very nice to have these greate cars and their owners to have a club , to share the excitments and trade benefits to keep the Fiat 131 Racing G4 alive and healthy ever.

i'm asking your kindness to join your club as i have a Fiat 131 G4 replica that i made it my self from a Fiat 131 sport brava, igot the fiber kit from Marko in finland , fitted with 2L TC engine with Vx supercharger , HC pistons , Head ported ,5 speed gearbox with Abarth link, just looking for Headers to fit with(include a picture).

i hope to find my work as gook as deserving the membership.

i live in Amman - JORDAN (i know it is far away from your country ) but i'll be more than glad to be with you.

my best regards to all of you.
hope to hear from you soon.

Nassim bakir
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Last edited by nassim131 on March 6th, 2009, 6:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Nassim (Book#327)
Kev131
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Joined: February 24th, 2009, 8:06 pm

Re: Fiat 131 meeting

Post by Kev131 »

Greetings all

I would like to revive this thread and state that 3MA08 has come and gone and a very nice event it was too.

3MA09 is now less than 3 months away and is the big one - The 35th anniversary of the Fiat 131 and it is being held in Turin. See separate posting.
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