Description
Fiat 500D ‘Trasformabile’ Classic / 1965 / LHD Italian / Low KM’s & Owners / Sympathetically Restored & Truly Exceptional!
This example is truly one for the collector or true enthusiast, knowing these cars as we do; this one of the best I have ever come across in all respects. It is the 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’ & original matching numbers 110D engine - In fact it has it all!
It’s an original 1965 LHD Italian example from Napoli. Fist registered in January 1965 & there it has resided with its 4 Italian owners, the last being Nicoletta until September 2013 when it was hand picked & purchased for export to our shores. In fact the new owner travelled down through Italy checking local cars out as he went until this vehicle was located in central Napoli. A test drive & deal was hastily struck, as it was the most original & factory correct example that he had seen.
Once back safely in the UK, the owner, set about full UK registration & gaining a UK MOT which it got first time. Once registered the car was then sold to its second UK owner residing in Worcestershire.
The new owner of senior years purchased it as an unmolested ‘time warp’ example & on its arrival, it was wearing mostly the original factory paint, original factory stickers, interior & motor etc. All the structure & floors were original & everything seemed factory correct. It started & drove, but felt tired along with the sun faded paint commensurate with its age & authenticity let the side down somewhat in his view.
Being a member of the Fiat 500 Enthusiasts club he embarked on a painstaking restoration to UK standards, as this little car had all the original panels & motor & was just lacking some love to make perfect. One job however lead to another & the car ended up having a complete restoration.
Copious photos were taken on arrival, which are now colour printed for the history file. The cars paintwork had naturally faded somewhat over the last 53 years so it was decided to return this example to its former glory on a no expense spared basis due to its outstanding pedigree & honesty.
So in brief: Complete strip & bare metaling as required prior to priming the external surfaces, the structure & floors were found to be excellent, so virtually no new metal was required. The engine was removed, stripped, rebuilt with new pistons & barrels, tested & reassembled with new gaskets etc & a new premium clutch set as required. The engine covers were also painted whilst removed from the motor. The gear box was fully rebuilt by Ricambio. The petrol tank was fully flushed, refurbished & painted. The interior was also replaced along with part of the door card set. A new sunroof was fitted, all other items of interior trim were refurbished or professionally cleaned. All lights were refurbished & the correct aluminium surrounds were retained & machine polished, rubber items were replaced as required. The complete brake system was checked & tested, any parts that were showing age were replaced. The drive shafts were replaced, mounts, bushes, shroud’s, wheel bearings & cylinders, cables, voltage regulator, drive belt, inner tubes, tyres, trims, clips, bulbs & consumables.
The bumpers & brackets were also machine polished, a new wing mirror fitted, the original steel wheels were sent away for shot blasting & fully refurbished & the tyres replaced with new premium ones. The car was fully primed & painted whilst stripped to shell. The car was painted to match the original colour & the engine bay was also painted to match, whilst the motor was out along with the front boot area.
The works were completed to a high standard. In fact it looks as good underneath as it does on the top, as the underside was also fully under sealed using Wurth spray gun applied under seal.
Most parts were supplied by our partners at Ricambio International totalling £2, 302. 00 (Receipted on file dated 2013 > 2018) along with copious other invoices & a large bill for the repaint.
After only a short period of time enjoying the car the owner unfortunately had to sell due to health reasons & we were lucky enough to purchase his cherished vehicle.
We were not particularly struck by the colour however (medium Fiat Grey) so once in our possession in the summer of 2018, we were meticulous in our further preparation prior to offering this exceptional example to the market by undertaking the following works: Conducted a full external, glass out repaint to show standards of the complete vehicle, including the externals, cockpit, engine bay & boot void. We have conducted this work to our usual high standards & the car presents better than new in the correct Fiat Celeste Chiaro 461 - light sky blue shade for the year.
Fitted a new grey mohair long sunroof & frame to complement the new colour scheme along with a beautiful premium complete interior set, including seat covers & all door card’s etc. So the new colour combination works perfectly & is most desirable. New white wall spats are fitted along with 4 new hub caps, nuts & washers to the refinished wheels. Fitted a new Varta battery, new exhaust system, brackets & gaskets. Fitted the correct D engine decal set, Italian number plate holders, spare tyre strap, jack straps, engine cover plate, boot mat, correct washer bag, chrome wing mirror, windscreen wiper blades, sun visors, heat shield pad, gear stick gaiter& supplied a fresh MOT and conducted a multipoint check, added £25 of new super unleaded, fitted a premium coil & given the cheeky little chap a full service (plugs, fuel filter, air filter, oil etc.) just to be sure! Fitted a 500 Key ring. ACI club sticker, it even has fitted a period luggage rack & period picnic hamper. We also fitted red front & rear seat belts for the new owner’s young children to travel safely in her.
We then sold it to its current loving lady owner in November 2018, based in Henley on Thames, a most beautiful part of the world for the little Fiat to pootle around in.
After 7 years of happy ownership a decision was taken after much thought to sell the car back to us, after we contacted her.
In that period the car was always garaged & never used in the rain. She also had the car MOT’d on a regular basis & also had the brakes fully replaced at a cost of £693. 27 in May 2021. This consisted of replacement brake master cylinder, all brake flexi hoses, wheel cylinders, brake shoes & fluid.
We have again just put this charming little chap though the workshop & given it a full service, replacing both plugs, oil change, air filter, fuel filter. We have also done an electrical volt check & replaced the Generator/ Alternator, an engine out job along with the voltage regulator. When charging correctly we gave it a full tune up & check over.
We have also fitted a new brake light switch, steering idler bush set, front number plate holder, aluminium lower side trims, 2 side mirrors, new white wall spats, heat shield pad, full decal set, air filter pipe clips & fittings, new premium coil, engine bay top rubber, cream sun visors, a full red over mat set along with a new premium Varta battery.
We have also conducted a full forensic valet & full Swizzvax treatment & now this splendid little chap is ready to show & enjoy.
This is the best & most correctly ‘sympathetically’ restored 500D’s we have offered & better than my own example. It looks fantastic! Our knowledge & understanding of the correct parts & original detailing is clear to see. It took 48 years for this vehicle to come to the UK market, but it was well worth the wait!
This vehicle is fully UK registered.
MOT exempt in the UK, Free historic road tax, but Road Tax except in the UK & London ULEZ compliant! Running cost don’t come any cheaper!
This beautiful example is eminently usable as it has its original matching numbers 499cc engine with original gearbox, it drives & as good as it looks & is showing just 19, 889KM, but only nominal mileage since restoration.
The vehicle comes with a lovely weighty history file & contains: Copy of original Italian log book, Original Certificato Di Proprieta, Italian Taxation booklet, Original owners Italian assistance papers, UK V5C, 7 Past UK MOTs, Old tax discs, Fresh current UK MOT, DVLA registration papers & Fiat UK dating letter, Invoices along with Specialist parts invoices from Ricambio International Ltd, Copious photos showing car as purchased & circa 100 small images of restoration, owners note’s & workshop manual. Pictures of before, during & after & works here in our workshop…
Fiat Celeste Chiaro 461 – Light Sky Blue paintwork with a as new red & cream interior, including matching door cards & a new grey full length mohair convertible sunshine roof made by our trimmer, with strap to hold back & associated belt & clips.
Keys on Fiat key ring, correct original 500D jack, wheel brace & spare wheel.
Fiat steel wheels refinished, with hub caps & all shod with matching tyres & new white wall spats.
Period boot rack with new wicker hamper basket for 4 persons.
MOT exempt in the UK, Free historic road tax, but Road Tax except in the UK & London ULEZ compliant! Running cost don’t come any cheaper!
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, 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…
Delivery by road, or packed and shipped, or air freight all 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 'Email' box or call the number shown for a chat.
