In these very modern times we already know that “vintage” is in style. And that is why Seat is celebrating 50 years of the legendary 1430 engine, and they have not thought of a better way than to bring together past and present when comparing it with the 1.5 TSI, one of its best engines today.
The 1430 was a technical evolution in the 124 range in particular and in Seat in general
In 1969 man landed on the Moon –although many deny it–, Richard Nixon became president of the United States –we already know what happened four years later with “Watergate”–, Led Zeppelin was born, at the same time as the Beatles give their last concert, on the roof of their office building in the heart of London, the Concorde takes off for the first time… and Seat mounts the 1,438 cubic centimeter Fiat engine for the first time in a 124, giving rise to the Seat 1430 –called “fourteen thirty”–. Later, this engine also lived in the bowels of the 124 Special and 131 (1975), Sport 1430 and 128 (1977), Ritmo (1979), Fura (1982) and Ronda (1983).
Next, we see a unique No-Do document in which we see the television star of the time, Laura Valenzuela, gloss the wonders of the new Seat 1430.
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The evolution of the 1430 engine, up to the current 1.5 TSI, makes us evoke the last decades of Seat’s history, which in some positive aspect has changed little since 1969. As we can imagine, in those last years of the dictatorship Francoist, Seat was one of the crown jewels of the regime, and by far the best-selling brand in the nascent Spanish market, with its three flagships: the 600, the 850 and the 124. Today, Seat continues… in the highest. After a few years of difficult crisis, the Spanish brand, today part of the Volkswagen Group, has been the one that has shown the best “recovery”, and thus in 2018 it was not only the brand that sold the most cars, but also did “double” in top of the sales charts with the Leon and the Ibiza. And today, in 2019, it continues to beat its own sales figures in the first five months of the year.
The range of models that mounted the 1430 together with the modern Seat models that in turn mount the 1.5 TSI engine
To celebrate these first 50 years of the 1430, those responsible for Seat have had the great idea of comparing that legendary 1,438 cubic centimeter engine with its current main engine: the 1.5 TSI. Obviously, the figures are not comparable, 50 years is a long time, but it is certainly curious to check the evolution digit by digit in the technical characteristics of cars from half a century ago and those of today.
In this way, some of these figures remain the same, or very similar: both engines, the 1430 from Fiat and the 1.5 TSI from the Volkswagen Group, have four cylinders in line; the first account, as we have said, with 1,438 cubic centimeters, while the second reaches 1,498; the first delivered a power of 70 horsepower, while the second reaches 150 hp; and in terms of torque, the 1430 yielded 105 Nm at 3,400 rpm, while the 1.5 reaches 250 Nm between 1,500 and 3,500 rpm. Today, the 1.5 TSI engine is mounted on the Ibiza, the Arona, the León and the Tarraco, almost the entire current Seat range. Another of the big differences between both engines is that the 1.5 TSI is compatible with the use of CNG (Compressed Natural Gas). A touch to the future.
The legendary 1,438 cubic centimeter Fiat engine that powered several generations of Seat models
That long-awaited Seat 1430, today one of the most demanded classics, made the leap to the market starting at 136,600 pesetas, 821 euros today, almost 20,000 pesetas more (120 euros), than the successful 124, and it was double what that the “ball” cost, the 600, which cost 63,000 pesetas. In its 15 years of life, the 1430, in its different models, powered more than half a million vehicles in Spain.
The 1430 was so popular that it even had its single-seater version, called the Seat Formula 1430 The Seat 124 Special received the 1430 engine in 1975, six years after its launch The 131 was the first model beyond the 124 that mounted the 1,438 cc Fiat The Seat Sport 1430 Bocanegra, one of the most valued vehicles in the history of the Spanish firm The Seat 128 with the 1430 engine, in one of the typical advertising images of the time A model as groundbreaking as the Seat Ritmo too had its 1430 version, in 1979 the Fura, the most “racing” version of another myth, the 127, also had access to the 1430 engine The Seat Ronda was the last model that had the honor of having the 1430 engine The Arona is one of the models in the current range of Seat that mount the 1.5 TSI engine The Seat Ateca also has the 1.5 TSI engine, the most recognized of the firm’s current range The youngest Seat model, the Tarraco, also has a version 1.5 TSI
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