1971 FIAT 500 'Abarth L'

Whilst at heart this car is a left-hand-drive 1971 Fiat 500 L (Lusso), it neither sounds nor goes anything like one. If you are searching for a cute, classic supermini for quietly puttering around town, stop reading now and look elsewhere.

If, however, you fancy a ridiculously cool, Italian, Abarth-inspired restomod “race car for the road” then this should be right up your strada!

The Italian owner is a discerning collector and gentleman racer who divides his time - and vehicles - between Italy and the UK. He is passionate about all things automotive and has connections with the Lamborghini family and the Mille Miglia organisation. He also delights in trailering his racing E Type down to Italy and beating local opposition in their Italian cars - Dio mio!

He commissioned this high quality restomod - part restoration, part modification - in around 2016, using his connections to some of the best carrozzieri and garagisti in Italy. People who really know what they are doing when it comes to Italian classic cars.

Since owning the car, he’s taken it around the show circuit where - unsurprisingly given the awesome noise it makes - it has attracted some serious attention. Recently registered with the DVLA in the UK and given an MoT, it is now ready for someone else to enjoy.

Although the general shape is unmistakably classic cinquecento - the treatment to the front valance and the bottom edge around the car has been beautifully done to complement and enhance the look.

When you see those curves in the front lip and the flares around the wheel arches and side skirts you might be forgiven for imagining that fibreglass or plastic was used. But we can tell you that it is all made from steel - the restoration coachbuilders using their skills to fashion the metal and integrate those compound shapes into the existing body of the car.

Despite being repainted several years ago now, and the car having been used (but not abused) in between, the rosso corsa paintwork is still very strong. It isn’t perfect of course, there are a few small scratches as you’d expect, but the bodywork looks in good condition with no substantial damage that we could see and some nice, even shut lines.

Like all Abarth 500s, the rear engine cover is permanently propped open to give additional cooling and also a degree of aero stability. If you want a bit more aero - and a bucket-load more street cool - the car comes with a matching roof wing. It isn’t fitted currently but could easily be remounted through the holes currently plugged with rivets using just a few hand tools. Please see the gallery for an image of it fitted.

The Fiat sits on 10-inch silver-painted Cromodora-style alloy wheels, which present in a good condition with red scorpion centre caps. All are fitted with sporty Falken FK-07E tyres dating from 2016, although they still have the pimples on the shoulders suggesting limited mileage.

Although spartan in design, the Fiat’s interior has been trimmed in leather - including a black hide across the dashboard, instrument binnacle and steering wheel rim. The front bucket seats, rear bench and the simple door cards are upholstered in a cream leather.

The leather on the bucket seats is wearing a little and has something of a patina developing on the driver’s seat in particular, which is not uncommon and rather to be expected with such a light coloured hide.

It isn’t an especially well-equipped interior - and much of the bodywork is on show rather than hidden behind trims - but everything electrical we were able to test appears to work, there is no damage that we could see and there is at least a good, clean carpet if not a fabric headlining.

Above the rear seats, the rivets plugging the roof spoiler mounting holes can be seen through the lining sheet. An easy - and cool - way to remedy this would be to get that awesome wing fitted!

Luggage space is almost non-existent in the front compartment, with the space largely being taken up by the battery, fuel tank and fluid reservoirs. You’d be better off using the back seat for anything more than a small gym bag.

The undersides of the car have a liberal coating of Waxoyl or similar across most surfaces, with just a few areas where it has perhaps been worn away. The tester at the recent MOT found nothing of any structural concern underneath, just a bit of moisture in the steering rack.

The full suspension kit has been installed, lowering the car and providing a more rigid and grippy base on which to explore the full performance. To keep things in check, the original drum brakes have been replaced at the front with discs.

We understand that the air-cooled Abarth 695cc 57 bhp engine has been restricted to 99 mph, but when it is fired up, the sound from the stainless exhaust is like the very fabric of time being torn apart. Whilst it starts on the button and drives well - with an all synchro gearbox - the vendor advises that the motor should be treated like a highly-tuned race engine (essentially what it is) and left to warm up properly before being driven.

The Fiat has a current MoT valid until April 2024, which it passed with advisories on a little seepage from the steering box (common with 500s) and a slightly noisy nearside front wheel bearing - quite how the tester could hear it with the engine running remains a mystery!

There is no history file to speak of, all the restoration work done was through private arrangements with personal connections of the owner so no invoices ever existed. However, we know the vendor well and can vouch for his integrity when it comes to the quality of workmanship and materials used. He has also provided a couple of photographs, which can be seen in the gallery below, of the car in its racing days in the 1970s and 80s.

At our HQ in Oxfordshire, we regularly fire up European thoroughbreds from Ferrari and Aston Martin as well as American muscle cars like Corvettes and Chargers, but none of them have turned heads quite like this tiny Italian firecracker did when we started it up. It doesn’t so much attract attention, as demand it.

The Fiat 500 ‘Abarth L’ isn’t in perfect concours condition - the restoration is now several years old and it has been used since - but it is in excellent shape and the work was so well done to such a high quality, that it should give the next owner cause to show it off and - given the right competition class - to pull in some rosettes.

It isn’t easy to come up with a value for something of this nature, so we’re guiding it between £12,000 and £18,000.

However, there is every possibility that we are being hugely conservative with those figures and it could go for much more - attracting interest from serious collectors, Abarth enthusiasts or just anyone who fancies owning something unique.

Viewing is always encouraged, 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’.