2016 FIAT 124 Spider 50th Anniversary Edition

This car is an example of the Fiat 124 Spider Anniversary edition which was marketed in 2016 to commemorate 50 years since the original 124 Sport Spider. Limited to 124 units in the UK, the Anniversary cars were painted Passione Red, had silvered mirrors, windscreen surround and rollover bar, a red 124 badge on the front grille, a numbered plaque inside and 17-inch alloy wheels. Inside, they were black leather as standard and also were generously equipped for infotainment, comfort and convenience (based on the Lusso Plus trim level).

First registered on 30 September 2016, this example is number 120 of 124 UK Anniversary edition cars - as designated on the plaque between the seats - and is being sold by its first and only owner, a gentleman from London.

He’d previously owned a Fiat Coupe for many years but had never had a convertible, so when the 124 Spider came out, and he saw the Anniversary edition, he had what he described as “a rush of blood to the head - it’s now or never” moment and ordered the car.

Not being a big fan of the all black leather interior look, he asked for his car to have tan leather seats and accents. The car was fitted with the full tan interior, by the supplying dealer, at a cost of £1,500.

Living in central London, he’s used the car for occasional weekend trips out of town but has only covered 3,288 miles since new, and the car has been carefully garaged when not in use. The vendor has been working abroad since last summer and is in the process of relocating. The Spider is therefore no longer needed in London, nor is it suited to his new home country, so it is looking for a new home.

The Passione Red paint is in a marvellous condition, with a real lustre to the finish. It’s true that the car is only four and a bit years old, but you see cars younger than this in worse condition when they’ve not been garaged and cared for as well as this one obviously has. All we could see was a pair of small chips in the raised area of the bonnet on the driver’s side.

The black fabric hood appears unmarked and operates as it should, folding away neatly behind the seats.

The Spider sits on well-presented silver 17-inch 12-spoke alloy wheels which are fitted with matching Bridgestone Potenza tyres dated 2016 - presumably its factory-fit rubber - which are in good condition.

You don’t have to take our word for how well turned out this 124 Spider is. We’re looking after it at our HQ near Abingdon, so why not use the ‘Contact Seller’ feature to arrange an inspection visit - subject to Government guidelines - or a video call where we can take you around the car in real time.

The interior is the same story as the outside and is in a beautifully kept condition, with barely a blemish. The combination of black vinyl and leather trims with the gorgeous tan soft leather seats and trim accents on the dash and doors looks amazing.

The tan leather appears a little baggy in places, but to us this merely reinforces the softness and authenticity of the hide rather than the artificial-looking leather that some of its rivals trim their interiors in.

The dashboard is stacked with toys, mostly accessed by its touchscreen infotainment system, and includes air con, sat nav and a DAB radio pumping through a nine-speaker Bose Audio system. Quite how they fit so many speakers into such a compact interior is a mystery to us.

As far as we’ve been able to test, all of the electricals and interior equipment are working as they should. The black carpets look in very good order and are covered by fitted over mats bearing the 124 Spider branding.

Under the bonnet is almost as clean as the inside of the car. It’s quite a busy engine bay, with the motor itself hidden away under a plastic cover and surrounded by an intricate maze of cables, ducts and pipework running between the ancillaries. Needless to say, there’s not a speck of rust to be found.

Much of the undersides of the car are hidden by undertrays and cover plates but what is visible appears clean and intact. There is a good underseal coating on the floor pans and the stainless steel Mopar exhaust system looks undamaged. The only corrosion we can see is the light surface rust on some of the fixing bolts and brackets, everything important looks immaculate.

Inside the boot, the linings and carpet appear very clean and intact and the boot is deep so there is more space available than you might at first imagine. Stowed inside are the spare wheel nuts (replaced by the locking nuts), full dealership valeting kit (unused), compressor and tool roll.

The Spider has a current MOT valid until January 2022 which it passed with no advisories, as it did on the previous MOT which was the first it required.

The car comes with two keys and its original wallet containing the owner's handbooks and service booklet. There are also the MOT reports and a few invoices for servicing from Fiat main dealer Motor Village Marylebone as follows:

Feb 2018 - 1,409 - Motor Village Fiat (9,000 mile service)

Jan 2019 - 2,250 - Motor Village Fiat (18,000 mile service)

Sep 2019 - 2,671 - Motor Village Fiat (MOT and 27,000 mile service)

We include an online HPI report run at the auction start which shows no finance outstanding and no insurance markers for theft or damage.

The Fiat 124 Spider is perhaps a classier and more collectable alternative to its step-sibling MX-5 and the limited edition Anniversary model even more so. This one has been very well looked after and used sparingly, and it runs and drives exactly as it should. It is also possibly the only one to have a tan interior.

Whilst asking prices for these limited edition cars haven’t held anywhere near their original purchase prices, they are sitting just atop the higher-end Lusso spec models of equivalent age and mileage. We expect that this very low mileage example, in super condition, will fetch between £12,500 and £15,000.

The reborn 124 Spiders are still essentially new cars and in the short term there could still be depreciation to bear. So the new owner will have to decide whether this is a true collector’s classic for the long term to be tucked away and used occasionally, or something to be driven and enjoyed when hopefully late spring and summer brings an increased freedom.

Inspection is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.