Fiat · 1966–1974

Fiat 124

The Fiat 124 is a small family car manufactured and marketed by Italian company Fiat between 1966 and 1974. The saloon superseded the Fiat 1300 and spawned station wagon, four-seater coupé (124 Sport Coupé), and two-seater convertible (124 Sport Spider) variants. Fiat licensed numerous variants of the 124 for worldwide manufacture, including the Russian-built VAZ-2101 "Zhiguli" and its many derivatives. Known as the Lada outside the Soviet Union, these Russian variants constituted the vast majority of 124 derived production, making it the fifth best selling automotive platform in history. The 124 was superseded in its home market by the Fiat 131, launched in 1974.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Fiat 1300/1500 · Successor: Fiat 131

All Fiat 124 data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

History

As a clean-sheet design by Oscar Montabone, the chief engineer responsible for its development, the 124 used only the all-synchromesh gear box from the Fiat 1500. The 124 featured a spacious interior, advanced coil spring rear suspension, disc brakes on all wheels and lightweight construction. A 5-door station wagon variant (named 124 Familiare on its home market) as well as the 124 Sport Spider variants debuted at the 48th Turin Motor show in November 1966. A few months later, at the March 1967 Geneva Motor Show, the 124 Sport Coupé completed the range. The two Sport models were powered by an all-new 1.4-litre dual overhead camshaft engine producing 90 DIN-rated PS (66 kW; 89 hp) at 6,500 rpm. Following its introduction in 1966 with a publicity stunt, where a 124 was dropped by parachute from a plane, the 124 won the 1967 European Car of the Year award. The 124 Special. In October 1968, Fiat launched the 124 Special. Like Fiat's first Special version, the 850 Special that was introduced in spring that year, it was an upmarket, better appointed and higher performance variant of the standard saloon. A month after, in November, it was displayed at the 50th Turin Motor Show alongside its larger sibling, the also new 125 Special. In addition to a 1.4-litre overhead valve engine, the 124 Special notably introduced all-new 5-link (four longitudinal, one transverse) solid axle rear suspension in place of the original 3-link design. Starting from late 1968 the same improved rear axle was adopted by both Sport models. In detail the Special's 1,438 cc type 124 A2 engine had the same bore and stroke of the Sport Coupé and Sport Spider engines (80 × 71.5 mm), but eschewed the dual overhead camshafts of the two sportscars in favour of the more conventional overhead valve setup from

Engines

Power came from a 1.2 L (1,197 cc) Fiat OHV inline-four engine. Also, there were the 124 Special with a 1,438 cc OHV engine and the 124 Special T with 1,438 cc and 1,592 cc twin cam OHC engines. The twin cams are connected to a four-speed and five-speed gearbox. 1200 (1,197 cc) – 60–65 PS (44–48 kW; 59–64 hp) (1966–1974) 1400 (1,438 cc) – 70–75 PS (51–55 kW; 69–74 hp) (1968–1974) 1400 Special T (1,438 cc) Twin cam – 80 PS (59 kW; 79 hp) (1970–1972) 1600 Special T (1,592 cc) Twin cam – 95 PS (70 kW; 94 hp) (1973–1974)

Foreign production

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Fiat sought to extend its worldwide reach by licensing the 124 design following its discontinuation in mainstream Western European markets, including the widely known and most produced derivative, the Soviet-built Lada, which sold over 15 million units. Soviet Union/Russia. In 1966, Fiat entered into a collaborative agreement with the Soviet government to establish car manufacture in the Samara region of Russia. Fiat was contracted to take part in the creation of the massive VAZ plant in the newly created town of Togliatti, named after the Italian communist leader of the same name. The factory produced an adapted version 124R of the 124, known as the VAZ-2101 "Zhiguli" (sold as the Lada 1200/1300 in export markets), until 1982, and 1200s until 1987. Based on the 124, they were modified at more than 800 points, the major modifications having an entirely different OHC engine, hydraulic clutch, drum brakes at the rear, modified suspensions, etc. Early modifications include the VAZ-2102 (station wagon), 2103 (Lada 1500), 2106 (Lada 1600) and 21011 (Lada 1300). The updated and restyled versions of the 124-based design were produced until September 2012, as the VAZ-2104, 2105 and 2107 – marketed as the Lada Riva in UK markets. Production of this line reached 17,332,954 cars, this being the third largest production volume for a car in automotive history. Spain. In the frame of the licence agreement between Fiat and SEAT, it was produced and sold in Spain with the name SEAT 124 from 1968 to 1975. Also a clone from the 124 Special with some elements from Fiat 125 was produced from 1969 to 1975 with the 1438 cc engine along with the twin-cams known as the "FUs" 1,600 cc (1970–72), and 1,800 cc (1972–75) branded as SEAT 1430. In 1975 when Fiat stop

Related models

=== Fiat 124 Sport Coupé === A two-door, four-seater notchback coupé based on the Fiat 124 was produced in three generations between 1967 and 1975. Fiat 124 Sport Spider. A convertible sports car based on the Fiat 124 was produced for model years 1966–1982 and by Pininfarina for 1982–1985 model years. Fiat 124 Cabriolet. At Salone dell'Automobile of Torino in 1966, Carrozzeria Touring presented a convertible version of Fiat 124 saloon. It was the last car built by Touring. Only one example was made. Reactions were positive, but the Fiat CEO terminated this project in favour of the Pininfarina-styled 124 Sport Spider. Fiat ESV 2500. The ESV 2500 is an Experimental Safety Vehicle that Fiat developed in 1972 based on its 124 model. It had a totally new 5-door three-box design, with an extra strong passenger cell, but used the mechanicals of the standard 124 with 1438 cm3 engine. The ESV 2500's weight was 43 % higher than that of the original 124. Moretti Fiat 124 Coupé. The Moretti Motor Company presented at the Turin Motor Show in March 1967 a coupé based on the Fiat 124. Moretti updated the coupe in 1968 by fitting the 1.4-litre engine of the 124S. The 2 versions of the Moretti Coupé (± 60 units) were marketed by the Fiat network in Italy.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Fiat 124
Manufacturer: Fiat
aka: SEAT 124, Tofaş Murat 124
Production: 1966–1974
Assembly: Italy: Turin, Bulgaria: Lovech (Pirin-Fiat), Malaysia: Johor Bahru (KPKK), Morocco: Casablanca (Somaca), South Korea: Hwaseong (Kia Motors)
Class: Small family car
Body style: 4-door saloon, 5-door station wagon, 2-door coupé (124 Sport Coupé), 2-door spider (124 Sport Spider)
Layout: FR layout
Related: Fiat 125, SEAT 124, VAZ-2101 (Lada 1200), VAZ-2103 (Lada 1500), VAZ-2105 / VAZ-2107 (Lada Riva), Murat 124/Tofaş Serçe, Premier 118NE
Engine: 1,197 cc OHV I4, 1,438 cc OHV I4, 1,438 cc DOHC I4, 1,592 cc DOHC I4, 1,756 cc DOHC I4
Transmission: 4-speed manual, 5-speed manual (Special T)
Wheelbase: 2420 mm
Length: 4030 – (saloon), 4045 mm (station wagon)
Width: 1625 mm
Height: 1420 mm (saloon), 1440 mm (station wagon)
Kerb weight: 855 –
Predecessor: Fiat 1300 and 1500
Successor: Fiat 131
sp: uk

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q494744CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_124CC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1374769834 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fiat_124-Sedan_Front-view.JPGPublic domain · Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Luc106 assumed (based on copyright claims). · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.