The Fiorino on this Fiat 127 pickup name caught us up for a minute, as we confused it with the Fiorano test track at the Ferrari manufacturing center in Maranello. Look, if you owned over 50% of Ferrari, wouldn't you be tempted to borrow just a handful of names? How about an Alfa Romeo 75 GTO? Or a Fiat 130 Coupe Lusso? Again, we were confused by a vowel and this never actually happened, but the idea is pretty amusing.
The Fiat 127 would be analogous to a Volkswagen Polo, but since the Polo was never offered in a pickup truck version, we'll compare it to the slightly larger Golf Caddy. In this comparison, the Giugiaro-bodied Golf takes the prize on design. Really, no compact from the car stands a chance against the German Golf. They squeezed the very best from Giugiaro on that design, that's for sure.
The Fiat Ritmo Abarth range started out with a relatively tame offering, the Fiat Ritmo Abarth 105TC. It aped the famous VW Golf GTI's performance, producing 104bhp from its 1.6L mill. As time went on, the Ritmo Abarths continued to see more powerful engine options, and by 1984, Fiat had installed a 128bhp 2.0L twin cam 4-cylinder in the Ritmo Abarth 130TC. In contrast to the fuel-injected GTI, the Ritmo Abarth sucked down fuel through twin carbs - more exciting, if not as livable in day-to-day driving. The Fiat also featured a more favorable cylinder head design, with a cross-flow twin cam architecture sure to breath better than VW's single cam reverse-flow design.
Unique trim separated the Abarth models from the standard Ritmos. Inside, optional Recaro seats were available. Exterior improvements included Abarth-specific wheel arch trim, spoilers, bumpers, as well as upgraded alloy wheels.
As we touched on yesterday, the North American automotive players struggled in the 1970s to adapt to changing consumer demands. The Japanese automakers ultimately succeeded in taking on the domestics, but Italian car companies had a similar advantage - rather than shrinking down their offerings and downsizing their powertrains, they were simply loading their current products onto ships and delivering them to the North American market.
The Fiat 128 Coupe is a reasonably sized vehicle for personal use in Italy, where a contemporary Mustang would have met difficulty in navigating narrow and crowded streets. And its 1100cc SOHC 4-cylinder was a continuation of Fiat engineering success, rather than a rework of something from the European division, as was the Mustang's Lima 4-cylinder. Though less appreciated among enthusiasts today, the 128 brought front wheel drive to the market back in 1969, when American cars were roasting their rear tires with power from 800cfm double pumper carbs.
Fiat 500s aren't so common today, but the original model sold to the tune of nearly 4 million units from introduction to end of production. Of the units produced, about 650 received the Jolly - Joker in Italian - conversion at Ghia. It is said that of those 650 examples, a mere 100 or so survive to this day.
Original units trade for shockingly high sums these days, with 6-figure sales becoming the norm at the auction houses. We understand that these are truly rare and unique vehicles, so as stunning as the price tag may be, it does make sense. Now, were the original units accompanied by years of design and development work, or do they resemble something more along the lines of hasty decapitation? We'd say the truth lies much closer to the later. The service advertised here basically takes a standard 500 and replicates the original Jolly body style. In our eyes, you get 99% of the Jolly experience for a quarter of the price.
The Dino Coupe sits in goldilocks region of the 1960s Italian 2+2 spectrum. Focusing on engine offerings, the spectrum runs from the 4-cylinder Alfas, to the V6 Dino Coupe, to the V8 Maseratis, to the V12 Ferraris and Lamborghinis. The body aspires to a Ferrari shape, missing only with the large greenhouse, and the small-displacement, revvy engine could be described as a scaled-down Ferrari unit.
But these Fiat Dinos stand on their own, Ferrari association or not. The shape is near-perfect, almost like an Italian take on the Mopar fastbacks from the same time period. It concedes some drama to its Fiat Dino Spider sibling, resorting to a more subtle approach to the front-end treatment. The design doesn't make a big splash at first glance, instead making a case for itself with each subsequent examination.
Sometimes we see stripped-out track cars and can't help but to cringe at the thought of yet another rare classic sacrificing its interior, trim, and dignity for yet another fruitless attempt at track day glory. We would shed a tear for today's Polski Fiat 126P, were it not for the fact that their production eclipsed 3.5 million units - and that's excluding the Fiat-branded units produced elsewhere to the tune of another couple million.
No, we celebrate this track machine, and the car on which it's based. We never lived in communist Poland, so we wonder how Poles would have viewed such a little beast in the 1980s. These were 'coupon cars', after all - families waited years for their 126P in a country were the pickings were slim and individuality was discouraged. Perhaps there is something of a sentimental connection to the 126P, like in the case of East Germans and the Trabant. Whatever the case, we really dig this build.
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Year: 1986 Model: Polski Fiat 126P Engine: 650cc 2-cylinder Transmission: 4-speed manual Mileage: N/A Price: $6,500 Location: Garfield, NJ
Rally Build VIN: SUF126A0008887165 Air cooled 650 cc rear engine 2 cylinder RWD 4 speed manual
The car was imported from the EU in 2017, and has received a clean New Jersey Tittle. The chassis and engine where purchased as a bare package, and the car was assembled at a shop, with some work being done at a Fiat Dealership in Poland. The car has never been registered and driven on roads in the US. I have had it up for sale once in 2018 but buyer fell through.During this time the car has spent half its life in a climate controlled garage, and the rest parked at New Jersey Motorsport Park. Buyer can see the car in 07026, and I may ship the car for free to the tristate, and work with you on shipping the car nationwide.
Suspension overview: Front Coilover conversion, rear abarth springs cut Brake overview: Front and rear Disk brake conversion from Fiat 125 (no handbrake) Engine overview: Power about 40km, built in May 2012 (June 2015 Shaft grinding and new crank and main bearings) -camshaft w111 -head -5.5mm extended duct outlet and cut guides + copper seal -fly wheel 4kg (balanced) -Connecting rods 350g -machined pistons (valve undercut) - belt wheel aluminum divided 1:1 - muffler with strong aluminum plate and removable mute(cut off) -aluminum pushers guards -RC funnel inlet made of fiberglass. -lightly modified serial carburetor -electronic ignition ignition from elegant a ignition cutoff at 7k rpm. Transmission -serial after inspection without leaks
Walk Around Video: https://youtu.be/hmR1pgRXHKI
COLD START VIDEO: https://youtu.be/JzcUTBcwWes
Video of the car racing in 2014 before the bodywork/white paint: https://youtu.be/zx0LnZkVNg0
This price does not include shipping from EU to USA, customs fees, import duties, and NJ tittle, tax & tag fees
Asking Price is $6500
The Good: Custom, metal wide body flares Roll cage Built Motor New Tires New brakes, New wheel bearings, new clutch, basically all wear parts are NEW
The Bad: Car needs a heavy polish or even a wetsand, the bare chassis was at a fabrication shop for several months and sparks landed on the paint, and thus you can see tiny slag points in the clear coat Car is EXTREMELY loud, I wouldn't recommend daily driving it with current exhaust setup. Car has zero catalytic converters, currently and in original/stock form, please check with your state for passing emissions on a cat less 1986 vehicle. Car was never driven on a track, thus may need a shakedown. Car has to have doors closed very hard, it's common for these chassis with the age. Hood latches have surface rust A few spots of paint chips, see pictures Rear of car is pretty low, it will come with new rear springs one may replace or cut to size for required racing requirements
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The sellers has clearly invested some real cash into upgrades and maintenance items for this little runt. The total spending on those items actually exceeds the asking price of the car, which is nice to see as a potential buyer. Judging by the photos, it looks like the work done was performed neatly, and the modifications look like sturdy aftermarket units. We particularly like the front subframe reinforcement, adjustable lower control arms, and seat frame brackets on the interior. We're not roll cage experts, but judging by the thoroughness of the seller, we would imagine that it's been designed and installed with due care.
At one time, $6,500 would have seemed like an astronomical ask for a lowly Polkski 126P. Today, it seems far from unreasonable. Autocrossers and track rats are known to spend far more for a similar setup, so as a track toy, this thing starts to make sense.
633cc to move 6 passengers; 105.5cc and not even 4hp per passenger. Good for a top speed of 57mph. The problem is, steady state motoring requires substantially less power than getting up to speed. Yes, the Multipla will cruise along at 57mph, but expect to invest ~45 seconds to reach that speed.
We're open to the adventure. Cars today provide a surplus of power that is useful for getting up to speed on an onramp or making a quick turn in front of traffic. It's fun to drive a car with some extra power, and the horsepower rating surely helps move cars from the dealer lots. But, postwar cars in Italy used just enough raw material to meet the performance requirements. We are trying to avoid looking at a difficult economic period with rose-tinted glasses, as we imagine many folks from this time period didn't romanticize the austerity, but here we are, marveling at how little power it really takes to move a car down the road.
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Year: 1957 Model: Fiat 600 Multipla Engine: 633cc 4-cylinder Transmission: 4-speed manual Mileage: 22,432 mi Price: $26,500 Location: Glendale, CA
This vehicle has a clear Arizona title. If you need to get a CA title for this vehicle, I can help you with that for an additional fee.
1957 FIAT 600 MULTIPLA
The Fiat 600 (Italian: Seicento, pronounced [sitnto]) is a rear-engine, water-cooled city car, manufactured and marketed by Fiat from 1955 to 1969 - offered in two-door sedan and four-door mini-MPV body styles. The Fiat 600 Multipla was a four-door MPV based on the Fiat 600's drivetrain and Fiat 1100 front suspensions, that sat up to six people in a footprint just 50 cm (19.7 in) longer than the original Mini Cooper and on the same 2 m (78.7 in) wheelbase as the 600 saloon.
HERE WE HAVE A VERY CLEAN AND ORIGINAL FIAT 600 MULTIPLA WITH 22,432 ORIGINAL MILES. THIS MULTIPLA IS A NUMBERS MATCHING CAR AND EVERYTHING IS ORIGINAL EXCEPT FOR THE EXTERIOR PAINT THAT WAS DONE A FEW YEARS AGO. BODY IS VERY SOLID AND STRAIGHT WITH NO RUST OR BONDO. UNDERCARRIAGE IS DRY AND CLEAN. ORIGINAL GLASS AND CHROME ARE GREAT. THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION, ARE VERY HEALTHY AND UNTOUCHED. THIS FIAT MULTIPLA RUNS STRONG, SHIFTS AND STOPS GREAT. THE INTERIOR IS COMPLETE AND LOOKS GREAT. IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A FIAT 600 MULTIPLA THAT HAS NOT BEEN MESSED WITH HERE IS YOUR CHANCE
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This sure seems to be a dry and straight survivor, with low mileage to boot. Mechanically basic, it shouldn't be a challenge to maintain either. While the smaller Fiats utilized air to cool their engines, the water-cooled 4-cylinder in this Multipla shouldn't struggle too much to shed heat under load, lack of airflow to the rear-mounted radiator notwithstanding.
We'd love to see someone buy this thing and drive the wheels off of it. Load it up with passengers and putt around town. Shuttle to the junkyard and load up on Italian spares. Drop the kids off at school. The simplicity and lack of frills juxtapose nicely with the funky color palette, oddball styling, and classic Italian attitude. Quite the sweet spot, if you ask us.
Despite the Giardiniera's considerable production numbers - almost 327,000 in total - the elongated 500 is a rare sight on US soil. Interestingly, giardiniera itself is a relish commonly found at delis across the US. How the model got its name will remain a mystery to us.
Stylistically, the Giardiniera is put to shame by the classic shape of its standard 500 sibling, but makes up for it handily in the utility department. The flat load floor in the rear covers the engine compartment, and is accessed with a swinging door that creates a large opening for the loading of cargo. In addition to the large cargo space, the rear bench provides more leg room than in the standard model, creating quite the usable little runabout.
Up for sale is a real nice & rare 1973 Fiat Giardiniera ragtop! and suicide doors! Painted in white pastel with red interior. Many hours and money has been invested in this nice sport Italian car. This is a true collector's car.
Based on the standard version of the Fiat 500, the Giardiniera benefited from front quarter lights, winding windows in the doors and sliding windows at the rear. The Giardiniera retained its suicide doors throughout production even when the later saloon cars were built with front-hinged doors. In addition, the sunroof folded back three-quarters of the roof length, providing ample opportunity for all passengers to enjoy both fresh air and exposure to the elements.
In order to provide the Giardiniera with a useful flat-loading platform, an innovative engineering solution was used: a 499.5-cc motor was turned on its side and laid under the rear floor. Engine cooling relied on air collected from grilles on the body sides, which were mounted as high as possible to reduce road dust being drawn into the engine compartment and to keep engine noise down.
This car drives exceptionally well, you can take it to the car shows & for weekend cruises. Definitely gets a lot of attention & questions at the cars and coffee.It has a 4 speed manual transmission. Engine Bay is well detailed. Has a nice exhaust that sounds really nice. Mechanically the car is sound! See the video.
The car did receive a full restoration a couple years ago. The Body is straight as an arrow. All doors, trunk, hood are all aligned like they should. It has always been garage kept and well taken care. All the exterior chromes, trim, latches, bumperettes are in like new. Underneath the floor pans are in great shape, everything was properly redone.
The Interior is splendid and contrast well to the exterior paint, Red Italian upholstery has been fitted, and tastefully done, and overall condition looks new. Black roll-up top!
I'm located in Miami about 30 minutes away from the airport. Feel free to come see the car in person. Any inquires email me. $500 non-refundable deposit required within 24hrs of buying. Sold As-is. Thanks for looking. For those interested you can call me at 305 five four two 5662. If I don't answer just leave me a voicemail.
If you're looking to finance I would recommend JJ Best. They can finance your classic car or hot rod and are very pleasant to work with.
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The engine was mounted on its side in order to achieve such a low load floor. A highway speed of 65mph is possible, owing to the 21bhp on tap, but if that were possible at high ambient temps, then color us surprised. The meager power rating is sufficient for maintaining speeds, though any sort of ambitious acceleration attempts will likely result in disappointment.
If the long-wheelbase 500 was produced for so long, then why does this one command such a premium over the typical 500 on the market? Part of that is due to the overall condition of this example. Prospective buyers should check photos of the restoration and understand if there was rust and how it was addressed. But, we are optimistic on this one; it really does come across as a tidy restoration. More space is not always the answer when it comes to weekend (or weekday) cars. That said, we'll make an exception for this Giardiniera.
Peter Egan's project car cardinal rules begin with a firm warning: never buy any car that was disassembled by someone else. Today's Dino was disassembled by someone else.
An earlier Dino, this example is (was?) powered by the first iteration of Lampredi's Dino V6. That means 2.0L of displacement and an aluminum block, compared to 2.4L and a cast iron block on the later cars. The sleek body and the 158bhp output were good for a top speed of around 130mph.
This FIAT DINO COUPE is a solid project car. ALL THE METAL WORK IS DONE this one is ready to be assembled. It comes with a plethora of new old stock parts, several components have already been restored, way too many items to list!! Comes with all of its original components (engine, transmisssion, differential, suspension, brakes, body harness, dashboard, door panels, seats, everything!!!
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The teardown on this example reveals a clean body, no doubt. How much metal work was required to achieve this state, we can't say. And how well the metal work was performed is another mystery. No fans of bodywork ourselves, we can see the appeal of buying one with the metal all taken care of and ready for assembly.
With this car, you must choose between trusting the seller's work, or redo the work yourself. Take for example the exhaust - was rust removed fully, and will the new paint or coating stand up to heat? It certainly looks nice on the surface, but this and all similar work must be verified. That said, if the work tends to be of high quality, and the car is complete, original, and without accident history, we can see this as a relative bargain, should the buyer assemble the car at home.
We're part of the problem, if you agree that the Fiat 500 departing the US market after an eight-year run is problematic to begin with. See, we bought our 2013 Abarth in 2017, once the value had dwindled to 30% of the MSRP. At around $24,000 new, we didn't see the sense in springing for a new model.
Our reservations with purchasing new had little to do with the vehicle itself. Our Abarth been delightfully reliable, requiring only a reseal of the transmission case under warranty (admittedly likely due to porosity in the casting, so we'll be doing that on our own dime next time). And, as a commuter, we love our traffic scalpel, whether slicing through traffic in sport mode or sitting in the right lane on cruise.
Fiat 500 Abarth 1-Yr SiriusXM Radio Service, Abarth Premium Hatchback, ATC Air Conditioning w/Micron Filter, Beats Premium Audio System, Black Trimmed Lights, For More Info, Call 440-319-3743, GPS Navigation, Heated Front Seats, Power Sunroof, Quick Order Package 2HX, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, Wheels: 17" x 7.0" Forged Aluminum Hyper Black.
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Were we to option a new Abarth to buy today, it would be identical to this other than the inclusion of bronze wheels. The leather on our car has held up very well, but the cloth seats on this example are much more to our taste. And, the updated information screen and the U Connect are substantial improvements over the serviceable-but-basic units in our Abarth.
With the departure of the 500 from North American shores, we may be past the point of being able to order from the factory in Mexico. But, if our instincts are to be trusted, there should be no shortage of 500s on dealership lots for the next few years. And those examples that continue to languish on the lot should be ripe for some aggressive discounts.
