You know them, and somehow not. We're not talking about our own neighbours, but about cars that remained so inconspicuous that only die-hard fans still know them today. Such models were not necessarily flops, but they fell under the radar of the average car buyer.
At irregular intervals, we bring such classic and modern classic cars out of the fog of oblivion under the title "Do you remember?" . Gallery: Seat 133 (1974-1981) This car is a bit like a fruit salad - many different ingredients make a colourful mixture. Die-hard Fiat fans will recognise a large 126 in the format of the 850 and 127 , but with a rear engine.
The solution to the riddle can be found at the former Fiat offshoot in Spain...
The Seat 133, known as the Fiat 133 in Germany, is a four-seater, two-door small car with rear engine and drive from the Spanish manufacturer. The car was first presented at the motor show in Barcelona in May 1974. A successor for two The premise behind the development of the 133 is that it must be cost-effective both in terms of development and production.
The end product therefore adopted most of the components, such as the floor assembly and engine, from the Seat 850 (or the very closely related Fiat 850). Seat 133 (1974-1981) The 133 replaced the 850 and the Seat 600 in Spain, both of which had been produced in considerable numbers. By 1974, around 800,000 units of the more venerable 600 had been built - almost exclusively for the domestic market.
Initially, Seat only sold the 133 in Spain - without much success, as it often suffered from overheating problems at the beginning. At the same time, however, it was also intended to open up new markets and compensate for the loss of sales in Spain following the abolition of import restrictions on cars in the 1970s. The export quotas are higher than for the predecessors of the 133 (as well as for the rest of the Seat product range) and reach 36.
7 per cent in 1976. Up to 200,000 Seat 133s are produced in Spain by 1980. Seat model programme of the 1970s The 133 is known as the Fiat 133 in certain export markets where the Seat brand is unknown.
Around 127,000 units were exported, and from June 1975 it was also sold in Great Britain . In Germany and other countries, the model manufactured in Spain was launched on the market in 1975 as the Fiat 133 and was only offered in the 34 PS version. The press photos show Ursula Andress , former Bond girl.
As Seat was affiliated with the Fiat Group at this time and did not yet have its own sales network, other Seat models could also be ordered from a Fiat dealer in Germany. At the same time, Fiat probably also wanted to avoid phonetic confusion with Seat. Rear engine and little storage space The body of the 133 corresponds to the style of the Fiat 126, but is around 40 centimetres taller and, unlike the 126 developed from the Fiat Nuova 500 , has a water-cooled engine.
Although space is better than in the Fiat 126, the boot capacity of the 133 is also quite limited at 180 litres, especially as, unlike the Seat 850, the rear seat backrest can no longer be folded down. Seat 133 with Ursula Andress Like the 850, the 133 is a rear-engined, rear-wheel drive car - a design that was gradually replaced in 1974 by front-engined, front-wheel drive models such as the Renault 5 or the Audi 50 . In line with the rear-engine layout, there is only a small storage space for parcels behind the rear seats, while there is more space for luggage in the front boot.
The most important technical data of the 133: 2,027 mm wheelbase, 3,451 mm length, 1,421 mm width, 1,355 mm kerb weight, only 690 kilograms kerb weight with a payload of 320 kilograms. Tank capacity? 30 litres. At the front, the Seat 133 has wishbones and transverse leaf springs with a transverse stabiliser, while the rear has semi-trailing arms, coil springs and also a transverse stabiliser.
The worm steering has a very direct ratio with 2.8 turns of the steering wheel from stop to stop. Engine compartment of the Seat 133 The four-cylinder in-line engine with a displacement of 843 cc installed longitudinally in the rear is combined with a four-speed manual gearbox and offered in three power variants, as "Normal" with an output of 34 PS or as "Super" with 37 PS and increased compression.
Both models have drum brakes at the front and rear. Another version with twin carburettors and front disc brakes is offered for the Spanish market. This model, called "Especial", has 43 PS and a top speed of 84 mph.
There are also two equipment variants for the Spanish market, the Normal and Especial with normal bodywork and the Lujo and Especial Lujo with enlarged front and rear bumpers and plastic trim at the front and rear. Seat 133 Special, Luxury und Special Luxury The engine's compression ratio of just 8:1, which allowed it to run on 85 octane petrol, was remarkable at the time. This is still appropriate in Spain, but elsewhere in Western Europe even normal petrol grades now usually guarantee a higher minimum octane rating.
In mid-1980, Seat discontinues the 133 in favour of the Seat Panda . From 1977 to 1980, the 133 also rolled off the production line at the Argentinian Fiat subsidiary Industria Argentina Vehículos de Avanzada (IAVA), also under the Fiat name, and from 1981 to 1982 at Sevel Argentina. Around 15,821 Fiat 133s were produced at the Fiat/Sevel plant in Córdoba, Argentina, between 1977 and 1982.
More from the history of Seat: The little Spaniard even makes it to Egypt: in April 1977, it is announced that Egypt is about to become the 32nd car-producing country in the world. This comes after the signing of an agreement to supply CKD kits from the Seat plant in Barcelona for assembly at the Nasr Automotive Manufacturing Company site in Helwan to supply the Egyptian market and export to Iraq. Fun fact at the end: The 133 has long been popular in the Finnish low-budget motorsport "Jokamiesluokka", a local popular racing series in which at times over 30 per cent of the drivers drive Fiat 133s.
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