It’s time for a survey of some interesting Fiats available for sale. The first is this 1976 Fiat Spider for sale for $1850 in Long Beach, CA. There’s nothing fun like a classic car with a wacky paint job, and this is a great example. Was the painter going for patriotic Italian-American? Beach umbrella style? Curiously, there are auxiliary lights on the rear fenders, and the top frame needs adjustment or repair. It’s said to run and drive well, but not much more is provided in the way of details. Stripes mean nobody will run into you when you’re waiting for a tow.
Looking for something more, uh, conventional? How about this lightly kustomized 1980 Fiat X1/9 for sale for $1695 in Salem, OR? Someone did a reasonably clean job of de-bumpering the car, and for some reason went one step further and converted from pop-up lights to sealed beams mounted on either side of the grill. The kustom paint will not please everyone, but it looks in decent shape, and the Libre wheels look nice. This X1/9 also has a 1500 engine, 5-speed transmission, mild PBS cam, a 34 carb, and tires, brakes and shocks with 200 miles on them. Brakes are said to need bleeding, so it would be interesting to know how old the repair is. It’s said to run and shift fairly well, but has noisy valves and a leaking pan gasket. A spare block and head are included, though it’s not clear what displacement they are. This looks like the easiest of today’s assortment.
Always wanted one of Fiat’s smallest, but your budget doesn’t reach to the low five figures? Check out this 1960 Fiat 500 for sale for $2500 in Canutillo, TX. Yes, it’s rough, but the hot desert climate in El Paso means you won’t be fighting too much rust, and the car comes with a title, running engine, trim, bumpers, lights, and new floor pans. Beyond that, this is a rare federalized 500 with bug-eyed headlights and the early suicide doors, prized among some collectors, and quite costly judging by the price Fiat Plus was asking for theirs.
Finally, if you’re into wheels, check out this 1971 Fiat 850 Spider for sale for $600 in Wichita, KS. Rusty Fiat 850s are pretty common, so that’s not really what you’re after here, especially showing things like a top that’s been down for the last 30 years. But it wears a sweet set of Melber wheels, more often seen on larger displacement cars like Alfa Spiders. So if you’re looking to add a rare upgrade to your own 850, pick up this car for the wheels and part the rest out on eBay – you’d probably make your money back with the engine, top frame, and a couple other bits.
Tags: 124, 500, 850, Feature, Fiat, italian, spider, sports car, x1/9
Rusty But Trusty 
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