1966 FIAT 500 F

This left-hand-drive car was first registered in March 1966 in Cosenza, South Italy. The current owner bought it last year and immediately had it refurbished by Mr Bartolotta, an Italian car restoration expert based in Limina, Sicily, before importing it here in December 2016.

White, with a black interior, the car benefits from an upgraded 650cc engine, a modern four-speed gearbox, and uprated suspension, turning this classic car into a very usable, everyday city car.

Finished in its original colour scheme of White (Bianco 233), the paint and bodywork are both in very good condition and are nicely offset by a new folding black fabric roof, which allows the car’s occupants to enjoy the best of all worlds no matter what the weather throws at them.

The owner has added Italian flag pinstripes over the bonnet, roof, and boot, and an Abarth scorpion on the bonnet. The result, along with the new ‘Mille Milgia’ alloy wheels and some of the nicest door mirrors we’ve ever seen, endows the little Fiat 500 with level of cool that is completely disproportionate to its Lilliputian dimensions.

Work to be done includes sourcing and fitting the correct right-hand-drive headlamps.

The minimalistic interior wears its patina lightly, and benefits from new black vinyl trim, red carpet and Abarth over-mats. 

These small updates have transformed the interior, although a fussy owner might want to splash out on having the steering wheel refurbished.

It has been upgraded with a rebuilt 650cc engine (30,000kms/19,000 miles ago), a modern 4-speed Fiat 126 gearbox, and sports suspension and exhaust (which sounds lovely as you can in the video attached to the listing!), all of which help turn it into a car that can take 21st century driving conditions in its stride.

With the hard work done, the new owner might want to invest a little time bringing the engine bay and front boot up to the same condition as the rest of the vehicle. This wouldn’t be a hard or protracted job and would help fulfil this car’s full potential.

The owner has the historic Italian registration book with proof of ownership and details of its service history. It is also fully road registered in the United Kingdom and comes with an MOT until mid-December 2017.

Mileage is shown as just under 31,000 KM, although we assume this was reset when the new engine was installed.

Cars like the Fiat 500 are starting to come into their own with canny car enthusiasts who want something small and nippy to get around town in but resent paying big bucks in depreciation to run something new. 

This example - described by its owner, an Italian classic car enthusiast of the first order, as “one of the best cars I have ever had the pleasure to drive“ - is a brilliant example of a car that has been sympathetically upgraded to help it better cope with modern roads and driving conditions without distracting one iota from its retro-charm.

We would strongly urge you to view the car for yourself to fully appreciate the quality of the work that has been undertaken. We expect it to sell for between £10-12,000, but don’t forget that the reserve, as with all our auctions, is set below this figure.

The car can be viewed in Barnes, London, to arrange please use the 'Contact Seller' button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments or view our frequently asked questions below.