1974 Fiat 128 SL review from North America

Clutch cable.

I purchased the car new in 1974 from Roma imports in Patchogue, NY. I had originally wanted the navy blue with tan interior, but the only one available was red and tan.

I loved this car from day one. Very comfortable for hours on end. I could fit three of my friends in it easily (we're all 6' tall or more.) I remember pulling up in front of a girlfriend's office, and her boss watched three of us get out, and he said it looked like the little car in the circus that 20 clowns get out of. I think he meant it as a compliment.

I drove that car in all kinds of weather and it never got stuck. It was one of the first cars in the USA that was front wheel drive, and had an electric cooling fan that would sometimes run for a few minutes after shutdown. Invariably, a passerby would catch my attention to tell me that I'd left my car running.

The only problem was the clutch cable, which broke about every 12k miles.

All in all, I loved it. It got great mileage, handled well, looked good, and when I sold it, it was because I needed money. About six years later I saw it parked on a street on the south side of Long Island. I knew it was mine because of the unique Lexan mudflaps I'd installed when I first brought her home. I sometimes wish now I'd rung the doorbell to see if the owner wanted to part with it, but at the time I had one son, another on the way, and was trying to buy a house. Money.