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Afterthought - Fiat 132 GL/GLS in (historical) test

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Created on March 23, 1974

Text:

Paul Simsa

Photos:

Archiv

36

Archiv

36

Fiat 132 (1974) - GLS and GL version

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Fiat 132 (1974) - GLS version with lower rear window and larger rear lights

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Fiat 132 (1974) - GLS version for men with nice ties

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Fiat 132 (1974) - GLS version in everyday traffic

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Fiat 132 (1974) - GLS version on the road in Geneva

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Fiat 132 (1974) - GLS version

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Fiat 132 (1974) - GLS version

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Fiat 132 (1974) - Interior of the GL version

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Fiat 132 (1974) - Interior of the GL version

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Fiat 132 (1974) - silhouette of the GLS version

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Fiat 132 (1974) - revised interior of the GL version

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Fiat 132 (1974) - exterior dimensions of the GLS version

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Fiat 132 (1974) - Advertising - the most sensible and the most beautiful

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Fiat 132 (1974) - Advertising - particularly good and particularly good-looking

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Fiat 132 (1973) - on show for the first time in Geneva - at the 1973 Geneva Motor Show

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Fiat 132 - completely revised, with a lower waistline and modified front/rear end - at the 1974 Geneva Motor Show

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Fiat 132 (1972) - tidy and elegant cockpit in the "Special" variant

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Fiat 132 (1972) - the first version

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Fiat 132 (1972) - in the "Special" version

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Fiat 132 (1972) - standard and special version side by side

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Fiat 132 (1973) - Front axle

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Fiat 132 (1973) - engine longitudinal section

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Fiat 132 (1973) - Engine cross-section

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Fiat 132 (1973) - View of the five-speed gearbox

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Fiat 132 (1973) - Rear axle

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Fiat 132 (1973) - Front suspension

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Fiat 132 (1973) - Rear suspension

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Fiat 132 (1973) - cross section

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Fiat 132 (1973) - always with twin headlights

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Fiat 132 (1973) - standard version with giraffes

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Fiat 132 (1973) - Special version during cornering

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Fiat 132 (1973) - Special version with additional decorative elements

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Fiat 132 (1973) - Special version

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Fiat 132 (1973) - Special version

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Fiat 132 (1973) - delicate rear lights, high-mounted rear window

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Fiat 132 (1974) - GLS version

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Summary

The introduction of the Fiat 132 was met with criticism. Fiat did not give up, however, but tried to take this criticism to heart. The result was the revised Fiat 132 GL/GLS in 1974, which was closely scrutinized in the 1974 test report. Did it convince the editors?

This article contains the following chapters

New style
Two engines
Better road holding
Plus points
Minus points
mot overall verdict
Technical data

Estimated reading time: 12min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The Fiat 132 was launched in April 1972 (delivery in Germany from October 1972) and came up against a wall of criticism. Fiat's regular customers didn't like it, and it didn't appeal to those switching from the mid-range competition. It was supposed to be a European car, Opel in Italian. But the style was too indefinite, the waistline too high, some details clumsy; the soft response of the suspension was at the expense of road holding. Only around 10,000 cars were sold in Germany between the fall of 1972 and today. In percentage terms, it attracted more people who switched from the Fiat 124 than its predecessors, but fewer interested parties. The fact that it was not a successful model was already known at the German launch. The major advertising campaign, during which any reasonably reliable-looking citizen could borrow a Fiat 132 for a test drive, was used to research public opinion for necessary changes; tests and dealer surveys were analyzed. The result was the heavily revised GL/GLS, on the German market from the beginning of March 1974.

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