Description
Fiat 500D ‘Trasformabile’ Classic 1962 LHD Italian / Concours Restored ‘Nut & Bolt’ Perfect & Better than new / Previously My Own Car @ £27, 495
This splendid concours restored example is the highly desirable ‘D’ model (the most sort after & collectable model in the classic Nuova 500 range) it has the very rare ‘suicide doors’, ‘trasformabile long sunshine roof’, ‘round speedo’ & original matching numbers 110D engine. In fact it has it all!
It’s an original LHD Italian example correctly registered as a UK historic vehicle with a nice 3 number & 3 letter plate. Included is a dating letter from Fiat confirming that the chassis number is correct & this 500D was built in the Fiat Mirafiori plant, Turin, Italy in 1962.
This was actually my own personal car & is the best your money could ever buy - Worldwide without exception!
I sold it to a collector in October 2021 for £29, 845 & it has been showroom stored & not driven in the interim period. I have just been able to purchase it back & am proud to offer it back to the market for the second time. If for any reason it doesn’t make the asking price, it will join my personal collection once more.
Its concourse restored here in the UK by leading experts, it’s 100% rust free & is better than when it rolled off the production line in 1962. If you want the best concours example & your budget will stretch to the asking price, don’t hesitate, & buy the car!
I purchased the car from the co-owner of the garage that Car SOS is filmed in. He (Dave) has been around classic vehicles for over 25 years & when he saw this example, he knew it was worth saving. Owning the Car SOS garage enabled him to work on his own projects between the filming of the TV shows cars. So you will see this little gem appearing in the background in a number of the earlier TV shows. A new business venture in classic car storage & relocation was the reason for the sale of this stunning Fiat to myself in a part restored state – More of this later.
Starting from the beginning, around 9 years ago Dave removed the little Fiat from a barn in France (St Denis Des Murs, which is bang in the middle of France half way between Paris & Toulouse) where it had been resting for over 30 years & bought back to the UK on his trailer. Indeed when he went to buy it, it had bullet holes in each side – Make of that what you will!
Dave decided that only a concourse restoration would suffice once safely back home & the body was stripped & sent away for a full chemical dip. Then the epic body restoration commenced once he could see what he was dealing with, so new floors, cills, outer & inner panels were supplied by are partners Ricambio International Ltd & fitted by one of the best panel guys in the business.
Once a test fit of the doors, boot & bonnet was done & tweaks made, the shell was then painted inside, outside & underneath in the original Fiat Scuro Blue while on a roll over jig to get the stunning results you can see today. Following that over 5 Litres of rustproofing was injected into every box section & cavity.
All of the suspension & braking components were then renewed, quality period tyres have been supplied by Longstone tyres & fitted to the refurbished wheels along with the original polished alloy hubcaps.
All of the brightwork on the car including the handles & alloy trim is original to the car & has been professionally polished back to as new condition.
All of the light lenses were replaced with new good quality Italian items, a brand new correct loom was loose laid, the original Speedo was refurbished along with the original steering wheel. New indicator & light switches were also fitted.
Dave had been collecting boxes & boxes of parts to complete the project (mostly two of everything) & all of these were handed to me on collection from Abberly, Worcestershire. There was the original 110D motor in a rather sorry state on a pallet with the gear box, along with the seat frames & all the glass excluding the front wind screen & new window rubbers.
So at this point as a rolling fully concourse restored shell, with the above items fitted, so it could be steered, I purchased this fantastic vehicle for a considerable sum. The finances didn’t really stack up to complete the project & retail, as there would be a considerable loss involved. But on seeing the car I knew it was one I could complete on a no expense spared basis for myself.
So when in my first possession in 2020, we were meticulous in completing the project to the same high professional standards that were set by Dave & his car SOS team.
We sent the original motor to our specialist Ricambio International Ltd for a complete 100% no expense spared rebuilt in Italy. It would have been cheaper & quicker to buy a new of the shelf motor from Ricambio, but I wanted the originality of the original. We also had the original gear box sent to Ricambio for a 100% rebuild in Italy. Believe it or not, the final invoice for the engine & box with all ancillaries amounted to over £5, 200. After both were fitted back to the vehicle, we set about putting the car back together on a concourse basis with our white cotton gloves on.
We fully rewired the loom, fitted all new switch gear, mechanical & electrical components, all new glass & rubbers including the new front windshield were fitted, as basically it turned out we couldn’t fit anything Dave had been collecting as it just looked inferior to the rest of the ‘as new’ car. We fitted the correct premium tan piped cream seat covers after painting the seat frames in our paint booth, fitted a complete tan matching door card set, a new OEM floor covering set. Fitted a new mohair full length convertible sunshine roof, made by our associated artisan trimmer. We purchased a new hood frame set from Ricambio International along with all the associated roof bars, hold back clips & leather strap.
We refitted all the engine ancillaries along with a new 2 bolt starter motor, correct exhaust, hangers, coil, plugs, hoses & pipes, filters plugs, liquids & heat shield pad etc.
We fitted a fully recon steering box, new petrol tank, new Varta battery along with leads & all associated wiring etc. We fitted the new wiper motor & all other ancillaries under the front bonnet.
Externally we refitted all the original alloy trims which Dave had had professionally polished, chrome wing mirrors & white wall spats etc.
We completed the brake installation & set up the steering geometry, supplied a fresh MOT (2021) & conducted a multipoint check on completion of our works & 1 hour test drive. We filled the new tank with £25 of new super unleaded, fitted a new leather key ring, ACI club sticker, we even fitted a period luggage rack & period picnic hamper for 4 persons.
Just a highlight of some of the premium Italian not Polish parts purchased for the epic restoration:
Motor & gear box original & fully rebuilt, drive shafts, couplings, exhaust, carb, starter motor, dynamo, wiring loom, fuel pump, distributor, leads, all brake components & new brass lines were run & tyres. All glass & rubbers, window mechanisms, regulators, gaskets, seals, runners & all fitments, Exhaust heat shield & bolts. Rear view mirror, washer bag, pipe kit & pump, washer jets, wiper motor, wiper linkage, wiper arms, wiper blades, wiper fitments & shrouds, Long roof set, soft top, brake reservoir, large air hose, choke cable, starter cable, accelerator pedal set & cable. Fuel tank, fuel tank sender unit, fuel tank cap. Tan door panel full 6 piece set, tan premium seat cover set, full original rubber floor covering set, new tan over mat set, door straps, door seal rubbers, door catches, shims & plates, interior cill plates. Cruise control system complete, all rigid ducting, spare wheel strap, jack straps, Fuse box, chrome premium bumper set, overiders set & chrome bolts fixing & spacer set, Correct ash tray, front & rear Italian number plate surrounds, Light lenses & new bulbs, boot rack, hamper, Varta battery & wiring set, battery fixing kit, coil etc etc…The list is endless & the parts bill alone epic!
This is the best & most correctly restored 500D we have ever offered & my own example – without exception, we believe it to be the best available worldwide.
As noted, after completion of all the above & a period of ownership, I sold it to a collector along with another car in October 2021 for £29, 845 for this car alone. It has sat in a showroom environment & not turned a wheel in the interim 4 year period.
Now just purchased back & put through our workshop for a full recommissioning service.
So the starter motor has been replaced, the petrol has been drained & refilled with £27 of premium unleaded, the carb stripped, cleaned & new gaskets fitted, fuel lines blown through, new fuel filter fitted, engine oil changed, brake fluid changed, a new premium Varta battery fitted, the electrics tested, wiper motor serviced, new white wall spats fitted. This incredible vehicle was then treated to the full Swissvax treatment & forensically detailed. Finally a test drive with my daughter for old times’ sake!
Dave was a 500 enthusiast & his knowledge & understanding of the correct parts & original detailing is exceptional. It took us a while to acquire this vehicle for the correct price, but it was well worth the wait & with our knowledge & also spending a lot of time & money on the vehicle have completed this worthy project.
This beautiful example is eminently usable as it has its original matching number’s rebuilt 110D 499cc engine with original rebuilt gearbox, it drives like new & as good as it looks!
In fact it looks’ as good underneath as it does on top in the body colour to concours standard.
This truly impressive example is just showing 74, 795KM’s from new, but only 25 test KM’s since the nut & bolt restoration which completed in 2021.
The vehicle comes with an impressive history file containing: UK V5C, Fiat dating letter, Past MOT certificate. Advert whilst in France with Bill of Sale to Dave from the owner in France. DVLA certification letter, DVLA V948 issuing the plate ‘ 936 UYU’, past certificate of insurance. Chassis stamp rubbing, HMRC NOVA, various DVLA correspondence & vehicle licensing, V11, copious invoices from Ricambio International Ltd. Copious restoration images before & after in the car SOS workshop. Memory stick of the epic restoration works conducted.
The car looks as new & is better than when it left the factory in 1962. We believe it to be the best example worldwide for the price asked. You could not replicate the quality for the asking price. The car previously owed me at trade cost, more than I am now asking for it. It has been correctly restored by people who know the marquee. This is a collector’s opportunity & a superb investment & hence this cheeky chappy is being offered for sale.
Fiat blue scuro period paintwork with a tan, piped cream interior, including matching door cards. A new grey sunshine roof finishes the package.
Keys on premium leather Fiat key ring, correct restored original Fiat jack. New spare wheel with new matching tyre, all accompanied by the original tool kit & factory bulb holder set.
Fiat steel wheels, with the correct aluminium hub caps & all shod with as new matching cinturato tyres & new white wall spats.
Period boot rack with new wicker picnic hamper set for 4.
MOT exempt in the UK, Free historic road tax in the UK & London ULEZ compliant! With circa £125 PA insurance 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 if required, 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.
