Road and Track tests the new Fiat 131 Mirafiore (“Brava”), which replaced the 124. Although the 131 was very successful in Europe and other locales, it failed to make serious inroads in the US and led to the decline and eventual withdrawal of Fiat from the US market. Why? The Japanese had made huge inroads, and their cars were inevitably more reliable. It was the death-knell for an otherwise quite competent car.
