1975 FIAT 500 R

There's not much known about this car's early life, or indeed about which restorer finessed it into the fine specimen you see before you today, but we do know that the work was carried out in Italy before its import into the UK in 2016.

Its first British owner (who bought it in 2017) unfortunately lost his garage space, forcing him to put the Fiat into storage. He drove the car on an occasional basis to keep it supple and prevent automotive artery-hardening. Just 440 miles had been covered since the restoration when, figuring that it would be best to sell it while it was still in its first flush of youth, he consigned the Fiat to an auction, where current owner James picked it up on a 'last lot of the day' whim.

James is not a small person. When his equally beefy mate sat in the car with him they found it useful to open the side windows. No problem for tall types of course thanks to the 500's sunshine roof.

Although no documentation exists for the fitment of a new engine and interior, there's plenty of visual evidence to support both.

We would describe the car as being in excellent shape, starting easily and thrumming happily around our Abingdon facility like an eager puppy. The non-factory colour makes it a little different to the usual red examples you see and, we think, gives it a more modern and useable air.

Fiat never made a silver 500, but looking at this one it's a shame they didn't as that colour really suits the little fella's shape. Before you ask, we don't know what shade of metallic silver it is, but it certainly takes a good shine as do the bumpers and the other few small splashes of chrome that Fiat's purse-grasping accountants allowed.

There are a couple of scratches on the passenger door, and some remedial works are evident on the shell above the front bumper, but apart from that and the odd high spot on the paint is holding up as well as you would hope for on a recent low-miles restoration.  

The interior is really smart. The seats have been retrimmed in the correctly utilitarian vinyl with a luxury touch of black piping. Any older reader who ends up bagging this 500 can therefore look forward with relish to that evocative aroma of burning leg-flesh that only vinyl-seated cars can generate. If and when summer comes around, they'll be taken straight back in time to those stiflingly hot outings in Dad's Morris Minor.

Back in the considerably more sanitary environment of the Fiat, both seats and floormats are in cherry red, contrasting in a very Italian (Alfa-ish?) fashion with the silver sheet metal.

The woodrim'n'rivets steering wheel is a nice touch, but it's not the main point of focus in the largely feature-free 500 cabin. That would be the golf ball on the gearstick. Shame they chose a TopFlite though. Anyone who likes to spoil a good walk with a game of golf will know that these are perceived as bottom-rung balls. Setting all brand snobbery aside though, a TopFlite may be cheap but it works perfectly well. You could say that makes it a perfect choice for something with as few airs and graces as a Fiat 500.

A 500's boot is of course up at the (relatively) pointy end. Your luggage needs to be more 'carry-on' than 'hold', however, as it will have to share space with the petrol tank and the full-size spare wheel and tyre.

There isn't much underside on a Fiat 500, but what there is appears to be solid. The last MOT, which expired in October 2018, was clean and advisory-free. Obviously there's no requirement for a test on a car of this vintage. 

As noted earlier, this car's paperwork file is as sparse as its specification, but you will find a letter confirming its 1975 build at Termine Imerese, along with that aforementioned MOT.  

The list of cars so universally loved that manufacturers have gone on to 're-imagine' them is very short. The Fiat 500 is a member of that very exclusive club. World Wrestling Federation members might not have one at the top of their want list, but averagely-proportioned humans living in urban conurbations will be pleasantly shocked by how easily they will fit inside one, and by how skilfully the tiny Fiat will negotiate city traffic. Parking is a breeze, and the running costs are piffling. For a car from yesteryear, the 500 has a very modern range of abilities.

It's hard to get your head around the idea of (for example) a new Ford Focus coming out and sharing showroom space with the previous model for a full two years. That would be a marketing nightmare – but that's exactly what happened with the Fiat 500 between 1973 and 1975. The 500's demise may have been undignified, but most of us who were around at the time would happily trade our own dignity now for the chance to go back in time and buy up all the unwanted 500s that were going for buttons in those last two years. Today, restored 500s rarely drop below £10,000. That makes the £6000-£8000 estimate on our one look like quite a snip.

If you're fed up with never being let out at junctions, or you simply want to generate lots more smiles per day, not just inside the Fiat but outside of it, all we can say is that you should look very hard at the idea of putting in a bid.

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’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Footman James for classic car insurance Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car and AnyVan for transporting it.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.