1964 FIAT 500 D

This car was registered new in Italy on 12.2.64. We don’t know much about its life in Italy except for the fact that it was alive and well and living in Pescara, in the Abruzzo region, in the mid-1970s.

It was first registered in the UK in 2016. Its mileage then was 43,229 km.

Today, the mileage is 43,510 km.

The following is taken from the Stacey’s auction notes accompanying the car on the occasion of its 2017 auction.

“Built in 1964 and restored approximately 10 years ago by an Italian coachbuilder in Italy who rebuilt the engine, the interior and painted the body.

Today the paint work is still very presentable with only minor imperfections. All the original glass is still in place and is clear with only very fine hairline marks. All exterior trim is present, correct and in good condition and complemented by new chrome bumpers. The interior is still in great condition and even the original over mats are present with only light marks. The engine starts with no hesitation, settles down to a nice even tick over and when on the road pulls cleanly.

All the electrics work correctly and the overall mechanics are described as very good.”

This car is being sold by Speedmaster Cars (highly respected specialists in historic, racing and Formula 1 cars) on behalf of the vendor, who is a friend of the business.

James at Speedmaster Cars thinks this car is pretty much as described in the auction notes from five years ago and tells us that the car starts and runs very nicely indeed.

The car comes with the full-length ‘Trasformabile’ roof and a separate, part-hard-top, part-fabric roof.

This is a very pretty and attractive car from every angle.

The bodywork is free of any dinks, dents, scratches, scuffs, creases or folds of any significance.

The pale blue paintwork has an impressive shine and lustre to it and is devoid of all but a few tiny stone chips here and there.

The chrome is good all round, as are the wheels and tyres.

The lights, lenses and badging are all as they should be.

The full-length roof is in excellent condition and the simple but effective mechanism makes deploying it a quick and easy job.

The only slightly scruffy part of the car is out of sight on the edge of the lower front valance.

The good news continues unabated on the inside, where the simple, minimalist interior is presented to impressive aesthetic effect in a charming blue and white colour palette.

The front seats are basic but comfortable and supportive. The rear seats, ditto.

The only obvious sign of damage anywhere in the interior is the short split in the vinyl on the passenger seat cushion.

We imagine a decent vinyl-whisperer would be able to rectify that without too much trouble or expense.

The door cards are fine, as is the roof lining.

The mats are in good condition.

The steering wheel, gear lever and dashboard are all excellent.

Apparently, all knobs, dials, switches, levers, buttons and toggles do what they’re supposed to do.

The ‘boot’, which contains a spare wheel and a relatively new fuel tank and fuel lines, looks pretty much pristine.

We’re told that the undersides of the car have a great deal of structural integrity and are seemingly untroubled by time, use or any oxidisation that’s more than superficial.

The engine bay is pretty much immaculate. Everything seems to be clean and dry and in its right and proper place.

The car doesn’t have a current MoT certificate.

It comes with an assortment of bills, receipts and invoices, some old MoT certificates, and various notes and documents of both UK and Italian provenance.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

A 1964 500D with the ‘suicide’ doors and the ‘trasformabile’ roof is an uncommon beast.

One in this condition is as rare as teeth on a particularly endangered breed of hen.

We’re confident that this is a very good example of an utterly charming model.

That confidence stems, at least in part, from the fact that these are very simple cars and there’s really nowhere for any seriously bad news to hide.

We like what we’ve seen. We think you will, too.

We’re happy to offer £11,000 - £16,000

Viewing is always encouraged. This particular car is located with the vendor in Wakefield, Yorkshire, United Kingdom. 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’.