Description
This lot will be auctioned via Iconic Auctioneers, The Iconic Sale at the NEC Classic Motor Show 2024 - Cars on Saturday the 9th of November, NEC, Birmingham, B40 1NT. Apart from a Ferrari, no car is more recognisable as classically Italian than the FIAT 500. Replacement for FIAT's much-loved 500 'Topolino', the ‘Nuova’ 500 debuted in 1957. A radical departure from its predecessor's essentially pre-war design, FIAT's new baby featured unitary construction, an opening fabric roof and all-independent suspension while carrying its engine at the rear. The 479cc power unit was an air-cooled, overhead-valve twin and the gearbox a four-speeder.
The austerity of the basic 500, known as the 'Economica', was not well received initially, prompting the swift introduction of a revised and better-equipped model which first appeared towards the end of 1957 at the Turin Show. Refinements incorporated in this less spartan version included wind-down windows, an upholstered rear seat, column-mounted switch-gear stalks, and hubcaps. Introduced in 1960, the succeeding 500D used the 499. 5cc engine of the 500 Sport in de-tuned form whilst, in 1965, that was superseded by the 500F, the latter's altered bodywork incorporating front-hinged doors and a shortened sunroof, whilst mechanical improvements included a strengthened transmission. Maximum power increased to 22bhp and the top speed to within a whisker of 60mph. An immense success for FIAT, almost 3, 000, 000 of these adorable little cars had been sold when production ceased in 1975. The 500 remains as popular today as it ever was, and only a few years ago was voted 'Sexiest Car' by the readers of Top Gear magazine.
The car presented here is a 1965 FIAT 500F, arguably the pick of that year/ model with the body-coloured dashboard, round binnacle, older-style (more charming) steering wheel, and not encumbered with the ‘heavy’ bumper over-riders found on the Lusso model. Originally registered in Palermo, Italy and as such, is currently unregistered in the UK as it has only been used here to ‘run around’ a private estate. According to our vendor, the story goes that the car was originally purchased new, in 1965, by a FIAT employee for his mother; she sadly passed away just two months later and the son kept the car at his home and cherished it in her memory. The little 500 was only used for a few months over the course of the next 50 years, but kept serviced and in running order. The indicated mileage is just 18, 596.
In 2017, the car benefitted from work done by FIAT specialists R Proietti Ltd of London, being bodily, electronically and mechanically fully restored to excellent working order and subsequently additional work has been carried out by FIAT restoration specialists ‘Bella 500’ of Yorkshire.
This super little 500 presents in fantastic, restored condition but is believed to be a genuine very low-mileage example. With just a single owner in Italy before its arrival in the UK, this car would happily grace any Collection, however its sheer mechanical fitness means it deserves to be road-registered and fully enjoyed and shown off to admirers, no other car raises as many smiles. Not to be missed, this really is a special classic 500.
