So you’re looking for a classic that’s small enough to squeeze into even the most cramped of modern garages, will be welcomed into just about any show imaginable and is exempt from tax and annual MoT tests? If I were in that boat, I think this Fiat 500, being hammered away in Barons’ sale next week, would take some beating.
Like many Nuova-gen 500s at UK classic shows this one’s originally an Italian market car, as it’s in its home country where you’re most likely to find survivors in good nick. While that means left-hand-drive, for any half-decent driver it’s unlikely you’ll notice unless you frequently patronise drive-thru restaurants at the helm of your classics.
What makes this 1972 Lusso stand out is how much attention has already been lavished on it by its former owner. The engine and gearbox have been completely rebuilt, it’s been treated to a sports exhaust, the bodywork has stripped back, restored and repainted in its original dark blue hue, and the cabin has new carpets, seats and seat belts. Tot up all of the old receipts chronicling its two-year restoration and you end up at £12,000 – which is more than £2k over this charming Italian city slicker’s upper estimate.
Barons describes it as one of the best Fiat 500s in the country, and we reckon you’ll struggle to find one which has had this much spent on it for this sort of money – and if its new owner snaps it up within estimate, they’ll have done well.