The SEAT 133 was a small rear-engine car designed and sold by SEAT in Spain from 1974 to 1979. The car used the chassis and engine of the by then defunct Fiat/SEAT 850 and featured a new body in the style of the contemporary, somewhat smaller and only indirectly related Fiat 126.
The car was first exhibited at the Barcelona Motor Show in May 1974[2]. Noteworthy at that time was the compression ratio of only 8:1, which permitted the car to run on 85 octane patrol/gasoline[2]. This was still appropriate in Spain, but elsewhere in western Europe even "regular" fuel grades by now generally guaranteed a higher minimum octane rating[2].
The 133 effectively replaced the SEAT 600 which had been produced in considerable numbers with around 800,000 built - almost exclusively for the domestic market - by 1974.[1]Initially the 133 was only sold in Spain and did not enjoy great success, since it suffered from frequent overheating problems. However, it enjoyed success in other parts of the world, like Egypt for example, where the car is still in service. It is popular because of its small size and cheap price.
Reflecting the rear engine lay-out, there was just a small well for parcels behind the back seats, with more room for luggage under the 'bonnet/hood' at the front of the car.
Up to 200,000 SEAT 133s had been produced by 1979 in Spain. A further 15,821 were made in the Fiat Plant at Cordoba in Argentina between 1977 and 1982.[3]
The SEAT 133 was exported to Germany from the Autumn/Fall of 1974:[1] here it found some success among rear wheel drive-loyalists in the mid-seventies It was also sold in Britain from June 1975.[4] These countries had no SEAT dealership network at the time, and the cars were branded as Fiat 133s, to be marketed alongside the Fiats 126 and 127.
Technical data SEAT 133-1979
