My 131 Abarth

[abarth131]

Hi everyone,

I own a red 1976 FIAT Abarth 131 Rally Stradale, which I bought back in August 2004 from a guy in Italy. I have a few questions and perhaps the readers of this forum can help me out.

The chassis number of my car starts with an 'E' and ends with an 'E', and does not start 131AR as I suspected. Does anyone know why this is?

How can I tell where in the original batch of 400 my car was built?

Before any of you ask there is absolutely no doubt that this car is a genuine Abarth. The back axle is correct, as are the bonnet catches (i.e. there are two!), the front suspension set up, the interior, the trim items, etc etc etc etc. I have four 131s in my current fleet (2 1976 1600 131 Specials, a 1982 1600CL automatic and the Abarth) and have had in excess of 40 of the beasts over the years so I know 131s! :lol:

The headlights have been converted to H4, and have had relays wired in, but when I turn the lights on the rev counter dies. Has anyone got any bright ideas?

Cheers

Abarth131

[guy moerenhout]

many ch no where different on the abarth 131.Whits papers are with car and what is complete ch no ?  Via Fiat belgio whe can now if this a good ch no price 100 €   Place new direct lines to your rpm meter and tray   :roll:  :roll:

[abarth131]

Thanks for your reply Guy.

I'm not up for posting my cars chassis on this open forum, nor am I up for paying 100 euros at this stage. As I said before I am happy that the car is a genuine Abarth Stradale, but would have liked to have known a little more about it. I shall explore other cheaper avenues first.

Thanks again.

[guy moerenhout]

first off all  I DONT ASK MONNY TO YOU ? I say only that Fiat Belgio and I think also Fiat GB iff the what  follow the way your car was turning and its normale that the ask monny for it. Iff you are working  you need also your monny.   Iff it was my car and  I must proof that it is a real 131 Abarth than I pay more than that  ,for you its easy,but when the moment is there that you wish to buy our sale at that moment it count that you can proof what your are saying.Its a different form 8000 to 20000 (+) I dont see why you dont whent to say what ch no you have ,our is there something behind.Its  like this :you whis to have help but it come form one side  ;SORRY FOR BEAD WORTHS BUT I WISH TO SAY THIS     GUY :twisted:  :twisted:  :twisted:

[abarth131]

Guy,

I don't really inderstand why you are getting so upset  :( At no point have I asked anyone to help me find out whether the car is a genuine Abarth. I have a full Italian report, carried out some years ago, that proves that it is a genuine car. What I have asked is whether anyone knows WHY the chassis number starts and finishes with an 'E'.

I am extremely insulted by your comments regarding whether there is something behind my not giving you the numbers! I have no problem sending details of the ch no to your personal email address, but as this forum is a public place, the opportunity for someone to take my chassis number and stamp it onto their own car is extremely high.  :roll: Car crime is every where!

Forgive me if I have misunderstood the point of this forum. I believed that it was correct to ask questions and get a reply for free. I must have misunderstood.  :oops: I have been a FIAT enthusiast for a very long time, and am heavily involved in the FIAT Motor Club GB, where I have been giving FREE advice for over 20 years. In this case I am certainly NOT looking for something for nothing, merely hoping that someone would be able to help me.

My apologies once again.

Abarth 131

[Manuel de MIGUEL]

Hello, Abarth 131,

I know Guy for more than 20 years and I must say that if there's someone always ready to give (free!!) advise and share part of his enormous experience with Abarth cars, This is Guy!!
You asked about info on your car serial number. Guy gave you a trick for to get it. He asked your car s/n because with it , he can probably be of more help to you.
If you find 100 Euro too expensive, you must complain to Fiat. For getting such an information, I'd not only pay 100 Euro, but I'd say: thank you, Fiat!
Just two remarks:
-I respect your opinion, but I wouldn't have any problem for indicating my car s/n. If some crook wants to duplicate a s/n he doesn't need this forum. He can get plenty on Abarth s/n in lots of places.

-I've always felt a bit suspicious about people coming to open places (this forum is an open place) hiding their identity behind a pseudonym. In your case, you also hide your car identity. Nothing bad. Only a remark.

I think you misunderstood Guy. Try not to misunderstand this forum. I'm sure it can be of more help to you than you can suspect.

Best regards to all from Spain,
Manuel de MIGUEL
IRESA S.L.
www.iresa-web.com

[fiatfactory]

If the car is infact a genuine 131 Abarth, the chassis number should start with 131AR.... nothing else.

There should also be an alloy ID plate (RHF corner under the bonnet) that should state its a chassis type (131AR*chassis number*) and also shows the engine type as 131AR.000.

A serial number means nothing.... without this ID plate, the car is probably a copy.

How do I know all this, well my father owns two of the original 400 cars! (one Grp 4 and a stradale) I have no fear about people copying the chassis niumber, as he has the original bills of sale, handbooks and warranty book, all with this number.....

People can go ahead and copy numbers all they want..... but if they dont have this plate, its a fake!!

[abarth131]

My car IS NOT A COPY!!! My car does have this alloy ID plate and the number on it does start 131 AR :lol:

The thing is that the number on the top of the chassis leg starts with an E and ends with an E - can you explain this? The number is however the same as the number given after 131 AR on the ID plate looking like E300*chassis number*E. Does anyone know why this is the case?

Thanks

[fiatfactory]

The only explination that I could offer is that the car was wrecked and then reshelled?  I have seen this on Lancia Stratos, and it is well documented that wrecked Statos' were rebuilt.... and then resold with new chassis numbers!

So perhaps your car was reshelled, and the chassis number was restamped..... but that would make your car a copy still, as the original 131AR chassis is quite different in minor details to a regular 131 2 door shell... like how many spot welds are in critical areas. (eg the front strut tower)

There were quite a few 131 ex rally cars for sale in europe in the early 80's, and lots of spares being offered....from written off ex rally cars, so someone with a desire to make a very good copy back then, would have had access to the necessary parts.

As I said before, my dad has two real 131AR's from the original 400, and the chassis numbers are just over 1000 numbers apart, but the spares numbers are only about 100 apart.....

What are the first four digits of your chassis number..... as from my research this the same across the 131AR's, they seem to been taken from the same batch of production...

The alloy ID plates can be faked too.....quite easily too in this age of computer technology...... but there are still ways to tell a real 131AR from a copy

SteveC

[abarth131]

Hi everyone,

I have now had time to get the numbers from my Stradale which are listed below -

Chassis number 131 AR 2039284

Spare number   0000211

Colour 171

Any more ideas or thoughts?

Thanks

Simon.