How does a small sedan from 1981 go from a nomination for the most "trouble prone" car in Popular Mechanics during its time on the market to being a rare and somewhat coveted eBay lot with an asking price close to $20,000? We'll follow that up with another question - when was the last time that you saw a Fiat Brava (131) on the road? Fiat made 1.5 million of them, so scarcity has not always been a defining trait of the series - perhaps Popular Mechanics was right. What they failed to mention? The 131 isn't particularly difficult to repair.

We'll be upfront with the fact that this example falls short of the actual Fiat 131 Abarth Rally homologation car. Those cars were yanked off of the Fiat line in Mirafiori as bodyshells, shuttled to Bertone for fitment of the modified bodywork, and sent along to the Fiat Rivalta plant for installation of Abarth running gear and mechanicals. This car? It just has an aftermarket bodykit from Italy. No 138hp double Weber twin cam with a rally gearbox, and no independent rear suspension like on the homologation cars.

Year: 1981
Model: Fiat 131 Abarth Replica
Engine: 2.0L 4-cylinder
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage:  unknown
Price: $18,500
Location: La Canada Flintridge, CA

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1981 Fiat 131 Abarth Replica

got this 131 fiat with Abarth Body kit its 1981 I bought the body kit from Italy and and had the rims custom made from London. also had the original engine rebuild. brand new paint job car is almost ready to go just needs the final touches more then welcome to come see it anytime

Not a lot of effort from the seller of this machine, which is unsurprising. The more eccentric listings usually accompany eccentric sellers, and those guys seem to depend on mind reading to sell cars. We can't be too critical, as where are we going to find another? Needless to say, potential buyers will need to iron out some of the details of the car with the seller.

With bidding starting at $5,000, some semblance of sanity is preserved with this listing, though the overall attractiveness of the offering really depends on where the reserve is set. Finding a similar bodykit won't be easy, and the amount of bodywork required to install it on a standard car would be considerable. Does that increase the value of this example? We would say yes, unfortunately. And, if the rust is in control, the deal is even sweeter. With some good communication with the seller and careful bidding, we think that this Abarth replica could make for a very nice addition to someone's garage.

-Graham