Description
Pavilion Gardens | Buxton, Derbyshire
Viewing: Tues 28th April 2026 from 12pm
Auction: Wed 29th April 2026 from 9am
Location: St John's Rd, Buxton SK17 6BE
1969 Fiat Gamine Vignale
1 of just c. 200 British RHD examples
Estimate
£9, 000 - £11, 000
Registration No: AUC 749H
Chassis No: 1897424
MOT: Exempt
1 of just c. 200 examples produced in right-hand drive for sale in the United Kingdom
In current registered ownership since 2005 and just two previous keepers shown on HPI
Tremendous fun and very scarcely seen!
Frixos Demetriou was a successful casino owner in Cyprus and the owner of the Olympic Gaming Club in London. While in Milan his flight to Athens was diverted, he spotted an unusual looking car by the airport and on enquiry discovered that it was a Fiat 500 Gamine Vignale. The Gamine was a small two-seater roadster produced by Carozzeria Vignale from 1967 to 1971, based on the Fiat 500 platform using the two-cylinder air-cooled engine from the 500 Sport. Demetriou was looking to diversify his business interests and sensing an opportunity he returned viâ Turin, securing the rights to sell Vignale products in Britain. He bought 200 cars upfront, paying with cash and committed to buy the next six months production if Vignale would manufacture the car in right hand drive form. The Gamine two-seater was well received, becoming trendy with the Chelsea set; even nightclub magnate Peter Stringfellow owned one.
While figures are difficult to verify, the Vignale Gamine is a rare beast, but this one is especially so as an original RHD example sold new in Britain. Total Gamine production reached around 2, 000 units from 1967 to 1971, and it is understood that 800 RHD models were sold by Demetriou, but only 200 of those reached Britain. Our vendor reckons there to be 119 RHD examples on the road worldwide, with ninety-one in Britain. Our example was registered new on December 15th, 1969, and has been in the present registered ownership since 2005, intriguingly showing just two previous registered keepers.
Evidently the subject of a past restoration, it has been treated as a collector’s piece while in the present ownership and has not been on the road. A marvellously fun car for summer motoring, especially if you live near a resort town, we think Motor’s words of 1969 still hold true: “No one would pretend, least of all Mr. Demetriou, that the Gamine is anything but a rather flamboyant little toy for marginal motorists. Yet it has several undeniable attractions. It's cheap to run (you couldn't get less than 40mpg on cheap petrol and would probably get nearer 50), it's easy to drive, garage, park, service, clean – and fun to be in, if you like that sort of thing. Just think, girls [and boys!], shopping in a sunsuit in a topless car.”
