Description
Fiat 500D Trasformabile Classic / 1962 / LHD Italian– Fully Restored & Exceptional! £18, 995.
This highly desirable ‘D’ model (the most sort after & collectable model in the classic Nuova 500 range) has the very rare ‘suicide doors’, a full length convertible sunshine roof - ‘trasformabile’, ‘round speedo’ & the original matching numbers 110D motor & gear box ( both rebuilt) - In fact it has it all!
It’s an original LHD Italian example from the beautiful town of Castelnovo Monti in the province of Reggio Emilia, central Italy. Castelnovo is an approved area for the production of Parmesan cheese!
We imported this stunning vehicle in 2017 & duly sold it to a Wedding car company in the North of England. They didn’t get many bookings from brides for the 2018 wedding season, which is possibly not a surprise with the size of the car! So we had the pleasure to purchase it back & resold it to its next charming owner in March 2018. We then purchased it back from him in September 2023, so he could pay an unexpected tax bill! Again we resold this little gem to its current owner whom didn’t use the car, but kept it in a prestige auto storage facility, where we delivered it to & then just recently collected it from. The little chap had not even driven a mile. It was only the increasing cost of storage & lack of any use that prompted him to call us to see if we were interested in buying back. We certainly were & now this charming example is being offered to the market.
So for the last year not a wheel has been turned & for the previous 5 years, this splendid example has been used very sparingly, pottering around the Welsh hills in Liantrisant, South Wales. Indeed the owner was a car collector & unsurprisingly this little chap was his granddaughter’s favourite car & she enjoys outings in the Fiat, which she called her own.
This truly exceptional vehicle has only had a small number of Italian owners prior to our import from new & was manufactured in 1962 at the Fiat factory. It moved down from Milan where it was first registered to Castelnovo in 1966 & has remained in this region ever since. It was fully restored to near concours condition by its then current Italian owner Gabriele in 2016 whom then 44 years of age, always promised himself that he would restore an original 500D model, so he undertook the project as an item ticked off his bucket list.
We are told over 9, 000 Euros has been spent on the restoration at his local Italian sports car specialist. That does not include the price he paid for the car in the first place either! It is absolutely incredible & a testament to the quality & attention to detail that he craved & received on a no expense spared basis.
This is one of the best & most correctly restored 500D’s we have ever offered & better than my own example. It looks & feels as new & as Gabriele was a 500 enthusiast his knowledge & understanding of the correct parts & original detailing is exceptional. It took us time to acquire this vehicle, but it was well worth the wait!
Amusingly when we transported it to our workshop back in 2017, it arrived on a transporter with a couple of Ferraris & other assorted Italian cars, including a period Porsche tractor!
We completed this stunning vehicles first UK MOT in July 2017 & then UK registered the vehicle, which now has a fantastic 6 digit registration number!
This beautiful example is eminently usable as it has the original, but fully rebuilt Fiat 499cc engine with rebuilt gearbox, it drives like new & as good as it looks!
Gabriele entrusted this vehicle to the local specialist whom embarked on a full pain staking nut & bolt restoration to near concours standard in late 2016 under his watchful eye. Basically every thing has been reconditioned or replaced correctly. So in brief: Complete strip to bare metal shell, the structure was found to be excellent, so only new floor pans were required. The car was fully rewired. The engine was freshly rebuilt to factory standards & the gear box also. The handbrake cable was changed, clutch replaced, all pedals changed, the petrol tank was fully refurbished and flushed. The interior was also fully and expertly retrimmed in red / cream along with the complete door card set & all interior trim was renewed, including the sunroof & roof frame, all other items of interior trim were refurbished or replaced, A floor mat set was fitted along with a new full over mat set. The correct aluminium surrounds were machine polished, all new rubber items were replaced including the door seals, window & side window seals, new bushes, new struts, complete brake system replacement, recon starter motor and a new exhaust & brackets, in fact every mechanical item was either refurbished or replaced.
The bumpers & brackets were replaced, fully shot blasted & refurbished original Fiat steel wheels, The car was fully painted whilst stripped to bare shell (Inside & out) at this time in the beautiful shade of Fiat Celeste Chiaro- Light Sky Blue (461) that you see today. In fact it looks as good underneath as it does on the top, as the underside was also fully prepared & is well detailed.
This truly impressive example is just showing minimal mileage, since the nut & bolt restoration!
Since being in our possession first time around, we were meticulous in our further preparation prior to offering this exception example to the market by undertaking the following works: Fitting a new long sunroof in grey mohair, custom made by our associated trimmer, sunroof hood clips & correct strap, fitted the correct D engine decal set, adjusted the steering geometry, a new Varta battery, new hub caps, new heating ducts, new premium coil, heatshield pad, wing mirror, supplied a fresh MOT and conducted a multipoint check, replaced the fuel with £25 of new super unleaded, tuned the carb, set the timing, adjusted & cleaned the brakes & given the cheeky little chap a full service, just to be sure! Fitted white wall spats, 500 Key ring, ACI club sticker, it even has fitted a period luggage rack & period picnic hamper. Now back in our possession, the vehicle is being fully checked over & serviced, along with our usual full preparation service. The car is on the button & ready to go & show or just enjoy…
The vehicle comes with a Fiat UK dating letter, copy of original Italian log book, past UK past MOT certificate, Current UK V5C certificate, Specialist parts invoices from Ricambio International Ltd, Copious photos showing car on completion in Italy located at the garage Gabriele chose to undertake the works & now further images of this fantastic example decked out for weddings here in the UK.
The car looks ‘as new’ & is no doubt as good as when it left the factory in 1962. It’s probably one of the best examples in Europe for the price. It has been correctly restored by people who know the marquee. This is a collector’s opportunity and a superb investment and has only driven a minimal mileage since its full restoration & hence this cheeky chappy is UK registered & is being offered for sale for the fourth time on our shores.
Fiat Celeste Chiaro(461) paintwork with a new red / cream interior, including matching door cards & grey mohair full length convertible sunshine roof which has picked up a recent stain on its travels, with matching 500D belt to hold back & associated clips.
Please note we fitted premium red front & rear seat belts for the previous owner. So you can take your children or grandchildren out in safety along with your spouse.
Free historic road tax, MOT & ULEZ exempt.
Keys on Fiat key ring, correct original 500D jack, brace, spare wheel with tyre.
Fiat steel wheels finished in factory silver, with new hub caps & all shod with matching tyres & new white wall spats.
Period boot rack with wicker hamper basket for 4 persons.
These models are ever increasing in value & are a great investment. Our Fiats come recommended by a leading authority on Fiats & parts specialists – Ricambio International Ltd. I actually have a light blue 1965 500D that makes up part of my own private collection & everybody loves it! It always puts a smile on my face, plus you don’t need to worry about the rising petrol prices – Just enjoy!
As we are a Mercedes Pagoda and R107 specialist we are always happy to part exchange one of these type of cars or indeed any classic car of excellent quality, so please don’t miss this most fastidious example of the iconic Fiat 500D. This vehicle is exceptional value, try & find another as original & tax exempt – Please remember ‘you get what you pay for’. Our cars are handpicked by a marquee expert & we turn down 8 or 9 out of every 10 cars offered. The cars we sell, are we believe the best of their type & are here to be viewed & driven in the UK. This takes the gamble out of buying a car direct from Europe sight unseen. Our stock comes fully de-registered from the country of origin with the ACI fee paid, UK MOT’d at point of registration, test driven, serviced & detailed. Don’t confuse them with other cars on the internet which have had dubious restorations & are offered with a low asking price. We have had 2 clients bring such cars to us recently bought direct from Italy & both were severe MOT failures with a list of faults ranging from no reverse gear to an undercarriage that requires total replacement. You have been warned! There is always a reason why a car is being sold cheaply! Again ‘you get what you pay for’…
This vehicle is we believe the best in Europe don’t settle and ensure you view this stunning example…
More photos available upon request, PX always considered.
Can be viewed at any reasonable time by prior appointment.
We will always buy back cars we have previously sold…
All UK & International delivery options possible by arrangement at excellent rates, car is ready to drive away today or be delivered to your door…
We are always keen to purchase Mercedes Benz Pagoda’s (W113) or late 300SL (R107) models, so please give us a call for a friendly chat if you are considering selling, we would love to hear from you. We also hold many parts in stock for the above models & have our own restoration facilities, where we restore these glorious old Mercedes to Stuttgart factory standards.
Please contact us in the first instance via the yellow 'Message The Seller' tab.
