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‘They love it, but some are unsure of what it is as they’ve never seen one before.’ Such a public reaction to Anna’s Fiat 132 Bellini is quite understandable, for it was an unusual sight even when it was new 41 years ago. ‘Beautiful, si?’ read the original advertisements; for here was transport for those whose sartorial role model was “Lewis Collins in Lounge Lizard Mode”.

The 132 succeeded the very enjoyable 125 in May 1972, but it struggled to find a niche with British motorists; ‘the handling is weird’ moaned Car magazine in June 1973. By April 1977, the 132 2000 GLS boasted a 1,995cc engine, PAS and even electric front windows at a time when such fittings were still a talking point in the nation’s car parks.

The British press remained lukewarm, with Motor finding the handling, ride and road-holding not ‘better than normal for class’ and ‘still too noisy when driven hard’.  Bill Boddy of Motor Sport thought the latest 132 a ‘very well equipped car with many individualities, or should I say peculiarities, of its own’. However, many potential buyers were very taken with the Fiat’s value for money, for at £3,950, it cost less than the Ford Cortina 2.0 Ghia Mk. IV

And 1979 saw the launch of the Bellini, with its sliding roof, remote control driver’s door mirror, Cromodora alloy wheels, check upholstery and a radio. The paint finish was any shade the driver craved, so long as it was black. In December 1980 the price was £5,490.39 instead of £5,289.80 for the standard model. This was value indeed for the Fiat aimed at ‘the discerning motorist’.

In 1981 the range received a facelifted as the Argenta, a stop-gap model before the Croma’s launch in 1985. By the end of the decade, the 132 was about as forgotten as Alvin Stardust records by many Britons. Fortunately, enthusiasts of Italian cars such as Anna remembered the Fiat once sold as a ‘Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing’.  The Bellini is a local car that she first attempted to purchase back in 2004 on being informed of a 132 in a nearby garage.

On knocking on the owner’s door, Anna was informed that the Fiat ‘was not for sale as it was her husband’s car and his pride and joy. I left my number and asked that if for any reason the vehicle was to be sold etc. to please get in touch’. She heard nothing for the next 16 years when her husband saw an advertisement offering that same Bellini for sale.

On dialling the number, it turned out that ‘the owner had passed away’ and that his wife was selling the vehicle. Ms. Hughes-Morris viewed the Fiat that same night, paid the asking price ‘and brought her home the following day’. Today, she finds her two-owners-from new Bellini to be ‘smooth and responsive’ as well as possessing a ‘lovely sound of the engine’.

Today, any 132 is a rare machine - and the Bellini is as exclusive as it is charming. Anna’s car is a reminder of the Fiat’s distinctive charisma – a vehicle you can imagine being used by sun-shaded villains in an early edition of Bergerac.

With Thanks To: Anna Hughes-Morris and The Fiat Motor Club GB.

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