When Fiat finally went to a front-wheel-drive design with transverse-mounted engine for the new 128, it proved to be a massive success in most parts of the car-buying world. More than three million were sold from 1969 through 2008 (that latter year only works if you count the Zastava-built version as a true 128, which I do). Americans weren't quite as impressed by this car, though my parents bought two new '72 128 two-door sedans when they needed cheap wheels in a hurry. One of the rarest of all the American-market 128s was the 3P hatchback, and that's what we've got for today's Junkyard Treasure.
I know something about this car's recent history, since I encountered it at the Aspen Import Auto storage-yard-clearing auction back in 2019.
I did my best to get somebody to buy this car, either for street use or to make a race car out of it. Because more than two years elapsed between going up for sale and appearing in a Denver-area boneyard, I think it must have found some precarious home in a yard somewhere… for a while.
Not many are brave enough to take on an obscure Fiat hatchback with body rust on the outside and mouse nests on the inside, however. The 128 3P was available during the middle 1970s and did its best to convince American car shoppers to shun simple Detroit machines (such as the Chevy Chevette or Ford Pinto) and tedious Japanese appliances (e.g., the Honda Civic or Datsun B210). Few felt convinced.
The 1.3-liter SOHC engine in this car made 62 horsepower, which was all right for a car that scaled in at a mere 1,915 pounds.
I'm sure there are many more Ferrari 308s in the United States than Fiat 128 3Ps, but rare often doesn't mean valuable. Next stop: the crusher.
Feel like racing Niki Lauda to Monaco in your 3P?
