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THE BEST FOREIGN VERSION

As told many times in this site, a successful car like the 124, she was built or simply assembled in several world’s countries. The most important and deep involved foreign company with Italy in the process, for many cultural aspect also, was the famous Seat, the Spanish-mate Fiat company. Seat stand for “Sociedad Espanola de Automoviles de Turismo” (Spanish Factory for Touring Cars).

From early ‘50s and forward, until 1982, when the two firms came to a break, the Seat licence-built almost all the important Fiat models of those years. Seat built some strange own hybrid also, only for local market.

Our favourite model, the 124, began to come off the factory lines in 1968, straightforward like the original one. Then followed the 1430 version with minimum aesthetic retouches and so-on, all very numerous Spanish versions, all developed for their needs. There were some odds versions however, like the 1430 Estate/SW in Abulance, Fire-Chief, pick-up and funeral fashion even so!

The last 1430s, as you can see in “FOREIGN DERIVATIVE” in this same chapter, were their top model, the one that – ever 124main body based – wanted to match the Italian bigger derivative, the 125, by including many items of this last. But the best goal in this game was achivied by Spaniards with the last local developed model, the so famous Seat 124D “Pamplona”, by the site of the building factory plant. This was the last scream of the entire range but was so much refined and improved to be the best of the bunch, conquering, in so doing a good deal of the market.

Their factory-codes ranged from “FA” (sedan), “FJ” (SW) and “FL renovado” for bodies. “FA” (1.2), “FD” (1.4), “FU” (1.6) and “FU10” (1.8 racing) stood for engine types, respectively. The “Pamplona” was at last a semplified version of the late Italian counterparts, featuring the same body, being engines and equipments the only changes.

This last model won the Country’s assent and the Spanish hearts literally and today many and many examples are rescued and rebuilded to a brand new status, especially by my Spanish friends of the following club: tp://www.clubseat124.com/web.htmLet’s get a close look to this little gem now; firstly we can observe that changes were as minimum as possible by the Italian master mould. She was modified with typical Latin good taste and was virtually identical to the Italy’s last 1200 versions. At this stage only front and rear lights were actually changed, being the first squared, with turn-ligths on their respective sides and with a black plastic grille to split them, all assembled on a genuine 124S Ist serie face. On the tail lights were enlangerd, with two true reverse lights added at very last. At the extreme edges were the turn-lights that overlapped a bitch of the sides; on the centre there was the plate place, in a quite large slot. All were embodied in a satin black orizontal line, side to side.

The bumpers were all the same of the Italian “Special T” model, fashioned in linear shape arrangement, with a rubber trim on all the edge. Unchanged all the other aspect, like sides, doors, handles, wheels, etc. Quite unchanged the cockpits and relate dashboards, resembling in so doing the respectively previous models one more time, and caused me very happy.

That was all about. We can observe a smart, essential and fine look. The “124” (1200 version) had the same squared clock, standardized switches and knobs, and – in the very last series – a new wheel resembling those of 125/132 desygn.

The 1430 version altogether had the same two rounded clock cockpit arrangement like the previous Italian counterpart but with the useful round-counter, as ever on all the Spanish versions. Optional were limited to the head-rests and defrosting rear window gear, due the essential philosophy of the car. These models were fitted with the same engines (1197 and 1438 cm3 rispectively) and all the same mechanic arrangement. The solo variants were the rear brakes, switched now from discs to drum items, of 131 fashion for some mind.

The Pamplona was much used in races and rallies of course, often driven by the famous Zanini and Canellas top runners, a duo very much famous in Spain. The car was a comfortable, fast, strong and reliable auto after her good parent models and was also quite cheap.

Between 1978-1982 years she was sold in Italy by Fiat network, she was cheaper than a Fiat “Ritmo” (Strada) and, in the “Passion – how is born” section of this site you can read my own mind, impressions, and reminder about. At that time I’was absolutely enthusiast for her after her strong resemblance with our own ones.

In my county the favourite colours were wine-red, white and yellow. There were some night-blue example also. I’didn’t buy one for me at that time mainly due my chronicle garage’s lack. That time I’purchased myself her service-book (Italian speaking ed.) that is carefully preserved and, at a time speaks:” …due to its comfort and safety the 124 offers today (1979 ed.) the best way of travelling ….”, a sentence that like me very much and I’ ever felt it in my hearth