1983 Fiat Pininfarina 124 Spider *Sold £8,000*

Description

• One UK owner
• Imported from Florida
• Original condition
• 2.0ltr DOHC engine
• Odometer shows 28,000 miles

Perfect for some summer fun, the stylish, lively Italian drop-top is the ideal tonic after a Winter of pandemic restrictions. It makes a chic alternative to the MGB and Alfa drop tops and is great value for money.

The Fiat 124 Sport Spider, to give the classic Fiat its full name, was conceived in the 60’s. It was designed by Pininfarina. It is a classic design of two door convertible, with a peppy engine at the front driving the rear wheels with drop dead gorgeous bodywork.

The classic Spider was launched in 1966. Immediate comparisons were made with the plucky MBG and the ultra-stylish Alfa. Initially the classic 124 Spider came equipped with a 1.4ltr engine. Fiat moved quickly and uprated that to 1.6 and 1.8, finally settling on the best version of  2.0ltr double overhead cam unit.

For an inexplicably reason, known only the mercurial Italians, Fiat abruptly stopped manufacturing the 124 Spider in 1981. Seeing the short-sightedness of this decision, up stepped Pininfarina, who switched production to their own manufacturing plant in San Giorgio Canavese is a town just outside Turin and carried on building the car. They made subtle changes and these much rarer models are the Fiat Pininfarina Spider we have here.

Outside

Interestingly, the US greedily gobbled-up 85% of these models, this one is one of those cars. It was originally a dry-state Texas car, but our vendor imported it from Florida in 2014 and has owned it ever since. There are thought to be around only 1,500 in the UK.

The red coachwork looks fresh and straight. Our vendor does advise us it had been repainted before he bought it. We would guess that was some years before, because the overall condition of the outside looks good, but if you get up close, you can detect small areas of deterioration in the previous paint work. Some surface corrosion on the boot lid closing panel, some small bubbles on the paint on the doors and one rear quarter. All appear to be small localised areas that could be tackled in a straight forward fashion. There is no heavy corrosion evident. The MOT tests going back several years do not detect any either.

To be honest, and our vendor has been with his photos – please see the gallery – areas like those described above are not at all unusual for a car that is almost 40 years old!l. He advised they have not become significantly worse in his time, so it’s a judgement call from the new owner. We’d be tempted to enjoy it for the summer and if we were minded to keep it long term, and why wouldn’t you, attend to any running rectification work in the winter. You decide.

The hood is a good colour and suits the car. It would benefit from a good, really good valet or amateur elbow grease. Our vendor just doesn’t have time now.

The chrome work on the bumpers, doors, door handles, petrol filler cap all look respectable condition. The wheels look original and in decent condition. A nice touch is the retention of the original “FIAT” centre caps.

The shut lines are all uniform, as you can see. The usual horrible water traps such as the inner kick plates and inner A post as you can see from the images are corrosion free.

The best bit has to the view over the bonnet from those beautiful twin power-bulges. The Italians do know how you make a car!

Inside

The interior follows the same theme as the outside. It is all in reasonably good condition. It is all complete and original but would benefit from a good clean and spruce up. We cannot see anything in the interior that couldn’t be improved with some hard work and effort.

The dash is complete and undamaged if a little sun damaged, we guess from the Florida weather.

The seats again, look original. No-one has buggered about and put crass after-market seats in it. The classic Spider is all as it was and much better for it. But just looks a bit care-worn. Don’t we all after 40 years!

The door cards are complete and in good condition, as is the carpet.

You could drive it like this and enjoy it. Many classic enthusiasts very much enjoy that mature look in a classic car rather than one that has had an overdose of botox injections and ends up looking, well.. just wrong! We tend to agree. If you want a new car, buy one!

As our vendor has owned and enjoyed this for a number of seasons, he is keen to stress, that he can confirm the hood is very much water-tight. However, on each side of the rear window, about an inch of stitching has come adrift but should be an easy fix.

Engine and Mechanicals

The 2.0 DOHC is a joy. Comparisons with the MGB are inevitable. The overall performance is roughly on par but the classic 2.0ltr Spider has a completely different character. It just wants to go, all the time. It loves to rev and when you get it signing through the gears it is great fun.

When it comes In terms of handling characteristics, it’s a similar story. The sophisticated Spider chassis displays classic rear wheel drive features with a more accessible grip level. Even more fun.

As a over-night tourer the classic 124 Spider stacks up well. The five-speed gearboxes helps for high speed cruising, but the cogs lower down in the box are aimed at speed and fun.

The twin-cam engines are fundamentally strong. As you can see from the images, the engine looks dry and all original. Cambelts aren’t known for early failure either, while the Bosch fuel-injection system is generally trouble-free.

When we asked, our vendor summed it up, “It drives excellent”. He also tells us it will come with a new MOT for peace of mind for the new owner.

To sum up

A good original LHD classic Italian sports car that needs some elbow grease to turn it quickly into a very good LHD Italian sports car. There is nothing not to like about this endearing, charming, honest classic. It is ready to use now. The mileage since arriving in the UK has been minimal. And although our vendor cannot warrant the current low mileage, having had it for a few years now he is convinced as he can be that the mileage is right.

Fiat stopped making these in 1981, when Pininfarina took over. These models are the most sought after ones now. They only continued to make them for a couple more years. Due to their relative rarity now, the value is only going one way. This one is priced to sell. And if the new owner is prepared to spend a few weekends enjoying and improving it, this is money in the bank.

Vehicle Location: Gloucestershire GL56– it’s the responsibility of the winning bidder to make collection / transportation arrangements directly with the vendor

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