1963 Fiat 500 Trasformabile – Classified of the Week
October 4, 2022
If your heart doesn’t melt a little every time you see a Fiat 500 then are you even a classic car fan? Are you even a human being with feelings and emotions for that matter? Whenever we lay our eyes on one we get much the same pangs of joyous affection that we do when we see a particularly cute puppy or a kitten. It is such an adorable little car, even more so in “Trasformabile” guise like this 1963 model.
The first Fiat 500, known as the Topolino, or “Little Mouse”, actually debuted in 1936 and was Fiat’s first attempt at producing a small and economical city runabout. It was a decent offering too and with over half a million sold it was a successful endeavour for the Italians. It was only natural, then, that a successor to the Topolino should take over in 1957 and so the Fiat 500 Nuova grabbed the torch and continued to light the way for small city cars.
Designed by Dante Giacosa, who subsequently won an award for his efforts, the Nuova was a rear-engined, rear wheel-drive supermini with a two-cylinder, air-cooled engine. With 479cc (hence the nomenclature) it produced a whopping 13bhp but this car isn’t about performance, it’s about scooting around narrow Italian city streets and the surprisingly practical Fiat 500 Nuova proved to be even more popular than the original.
The 500D came along in 1960 with a larger 499cc engine and a shorter sunroof. The Trasformabile model,such as we have here (a name which to us at least evokes the alien planet in Kurt Vonnegut’s seminal Slaughterhouse-Five novel), was also offered and featured the same full-length folding roof of the original Nuova.
This particular right-hand drive Fiat 500D has been carefully restored before being imported from New Zealand in 2021 and is absolutely stunning. Originally imported directly from Turin to New Zealand where it was fully assembled the car remained there until last year. The restoration work was carried out between 2013 and 2014 and included the body, interior, engine gearbox and wiring.
Specifically the car was completely stripped and the metalwork was tended to to remove any imperfections and then it was professionally repainted in a beautiful shade of Fiat Celeste Chiaro 461, or light sky blue if you prefer. The bumpers and their corresponding brackets were refinished and the original steel wheels were blasted and refurbished then clad with new matching tyres. The electrics were rewired and the engine and gearbox were overhauled including a reconditioned starter & dynamo as well as a new exhaust system. The brakes were also refreshed and a new hand brake cable was fitted. The suspension received some love too with all of the struts and bushes having been replaced.
The interior was professionally retrimmed in ivory and all of the rubber trim parts were replaced. The aim of the game was to keep as much of this matching numbers car’s originality as possible and so the restoration work was carried out sympathetically and with an eye for detail and we’re sure you’ll agree that the results are dazzling.
Along with myriad other works since being in the UK (which are detailed in the advert) the car has been fully machine polished and treated and a brand new soft top, roof frame and tie down have been fitted. This 500D has also received another complete engine and gearbox rebuild and full mechanical service so is now tip top and ready to be driven and enjoyed. And isn’t that period luggage rack and picnic hamper just the most perfect addition?
The Fiat 500 is a motoring icon and this Trasformabile is up there with the best and most desirable of the bunch. Not only that but being tax and MOT exempt it’s cheap to own and run – a boon in today’s climate of rising energy bills and fuel prices. Equally at home at car shows as it is performing its intended function of nipping around town, this Fiat 500D Trasformabile is as charming as it is beautiful and would make a wonderful addition to anyone’s garage.
