Photos provided by the seller
Highlights
- Originally from Italy
- Recent recommissioning work
- A fun little car to drive
- Always puts a smile on your face
The Appeal
The 500 is an icon in itself that has been able to live on into the 21st century garnering many new fans of the beautiful Italian city car. This 500 started its life out in Italy and has since found its way to the UK and has recently had a lot of recommissioning work to make sure that it is in tip-top condition for you to enjoy the joys of a proper Fiat 500.
This is one great little find that will be a perfect addition to your collection for sure. With its charming looks and picnic hamper on the rear deck, it encapsulates everything from the post-war era.
The History and Paperwork
- This car, like so many, started its life in the glamorous setting of Italy, and it would stay there for the majority of its life.
- The paperwork/history for this chapter is a little thin on the ground.
- But it is believed that the car has spent a lot of its latter life in Italy under a cover in a private collection
- In 2017 this little 500 would leave the sun kissed climate of Italy and enter the UK
- Upon arrival, it would go through a light recommissioning process that made sure it ran and drove as it should.
- The current owner acquired this car last year and they then completed a more thorough recommissioning which included the following items.
- A completely new braking system including all brake pipes, hoses, wheel cylinders, master cylinder, brake shoes hubs, and handbrake cables.
- New wheels and hubcaps, new rear, front, indicator, and number plate lamps.
- New front and rear bumpers with Lusso bars fitted, a new boot rack and picnic hamper.
- New window seals and window mechanisms were greased and serviced.
- Complete retrim in tan including seats, door cards, and carpets.
- New thermostat, engine cooling flap and linkage, new carburettor, new points and condenser, and finally new flexible axle drive joints.
- It would appear that a lot of time, money, and effort has been poured into this car recently
- The good news is that you now get to benefit from all of this work, it will be a wonderful car to tour around the world.
- With character in buckets, you will love every moment spent inside of this Italian classic.
The Interior
- Recently re-trimmed
- New window seals and mechanisms
- Lusso specification
The ‘Lusso’ model was trimmed in richer materials than a normal Fiat 500. To start with the dash is now an anti-glare plastic instead of bare/painted metal, the instrument binnacle is now a trapezoid shape providing a retro look. The door cards are covered in a pleated material which is the same as the front seats and the floor is covered in carpet instead of rubber mats.
Over the past year or so the interior has received a lot of love, it is now trimmed in a lovely tan colour with black piping around the edges to match the plastic details. As these seats have recently been re-trimmed the condition is very good and you will enjoy every second spent in them. Along with the seats, the door cards, and seats have also been re-trimmed in the same matching material and it now looked excellent.
You won’t be surprised to hear that the rest of the interior is presented in very good condition as well. The Lusso specific black plastic dashboard has no cracks in it at all, further emphasising the story that it has been stored under a cover in a collection. Sitting in front of the driver is a beautifully retro looking speedometer that only shows 63,000km.
Now, this is a perfect car for the summer indeed. Simply roll back the fabric roof section (which is presented in great condition inside and out) and you will get the wind in your hair with a feeling that you are on the Italian rivière.
Overall, the interior is in great condition. It will evoke many different joyous emotions whenever you get in and turn it on.
The Exterior
- Charming exterior
- Quintessential picnic hamper fitted
- Beautiful paintwork
You cannot help but smile whenever you set eyes on a Fiat 500, the original tiny design was more for function due to a lack of materials after the Second World War, but it does look beautiful from every angle.
It is believed that the paint was renewed during its restoration in 2017 and it still looks amazing indeed. The more orangey paint works well and went set against the new chrome Lusso bumpers and black fabric roof section. Possibly the best addition to the exterior of this 500 is the wonderful picnic rack on the rear deck. It just sets off the whole exterior look and adds tons of character to this beautiful classic.
Much like the bodywork, the wheels are believed to have been painted as well and when capped with the chrome hubcaps they look resplendent in the sun indeed. Looking at the smaller details on the exterior, like the chrome surrounded headlights, wiper blades and even the door handles we can see that these are presented in very good condition for sure.
Overall, the exterior of this 500 is much like the interior and is in great condition. Wherever you wish to take or display this car it will look beautiful, everyone loves the look of the original Fiat 500 and it is no surprise when they look this good.
The Mechanics
- Lots of mechanical work recently
- Pure joy to drive
- Perfectly simple engineering
You cannot get much more simplistic than the running gear of an original Fiat 500, making them incredibly easy to live with in a modern world. The namesake of the 500 is of course the displacement of its engine, unsurprisingly 500cc.
The mechanical elements match the condition of the rest of the car, very good indeed, starting quickly and shifting between gears nicely without any problems. The mechanical parts have also received quite a lot of love during its time with the current owner to make sure that it is running as good, if not better, then when it left the factory.
There has been a new thermostat fitted, along with a new engine cooling flap with the corresponding linkage, a new carburetor has been fitted along with new points, and a new condenser unit to make sure all the cylinders are firing properly. It has also received new flexible axle drive joints to allow the power to be delivered to the wheels smoothly.
Due to the car's size and weight, it feels pretty nippy out on the road and is a little hoot to get behind the wheel of. It is one of those cars that will put a smile on your face no matter how fast you are driving.
With all the mechanical work that has just been carried out on this example, you will have an excellent little car that will be fun to drive for many years to come.
Summary
What an incredible proposition this car is for you, it has bucket loads of charm, a great interior, and a beautiful exterior finish. All of these ingredients make a car that is loved the world over by almost everyone who sets eyes upon it.
Why not buy this car for some amazing memories made this summertime with the roof rolled back and picnic strapped to the boot. It will be at the heart of so many happy memories for you in the future.
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