BF Auction: 1968 Fiat 850 Spider
- Seller: Hight F
- Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
- Mileage: 0 Shown
- Chassis #: 100 GS 0021799
- Title Status: Missing
- Engine: 1500 cc
- Transmission: Manual
“Frugal fun wrapped in beautiful Italian styling” is how the Lane Museum describes the Fiat 850 Spider and that description seems to fit pretty well. Entering the market in 1965, a year after the introduction of the 850 models, the convertible, or Spider was a stylish droptop and it was styled by Bertone. This example is well on its way to being completed and is listed here as a Barn Finds Auction!
A stylish two-seater convertible with a crisp steel tonneau cover keeping things neat the clean, these cars were rear-wheel drive and rear-engine convertibles. This example has been under restoration, with many upgrades for safety and driving pleasure having been fitted. There’s a bit of work left, and then the fun part: finishing the bodywork, interior, and paint.
Yes, the seller has the original and unique covered headlight units, which are said to be the same units used in the early Lamborghini Miuras. The seller refers to this as one of the last of the covered headlight cars, as U.S. regulations would require vertical, uncovered headlights just after the time when this car was made. The VIN decodes to this as being a 1968 model, which is when things were changing, so this is the one to have. The addition of rear disc brakes is a nice touch, and the seller says the “front suspension has been changed to an Abarth-inspired lower arm unit with coil-over shocks.” There is also a new aluminum radiator with twin fans for the front to keep things cool.
They mention this car had the usual Fiat rust and it has all been cut out with new panels welded in. He says, “new panels fabricated with additional strengthening inside the rocker panels and a new front to rear tubular reinforcement of the chassis.” Please check out the photos in the Auction, they show a lot of the extra bracing and all of the work that has gone into creating this upgraded 850 Spider. The rear suspension has coilovers, too, just for the record.
This isn’t the typical Fiat 850 engine, this one is out of a Fiat X1/9, a 1,500-cc four that was rebuilt by a Fiat expert in Scottsdale, Arizona where this car is located. It’s wearing dual Weber carbs and is connected to a VW-sourced “Highway Cruiser” transaxle, rebuilt by Arizona Transaxle. A rack-and-pinion steering system has been installed, and the seller says they’re getting to the age where it’s hard to work on vehicles, so that’s why it’s listed here as a Barn Finds Auction. The seller purchased the car from Tennessee, which doesn’t require titles for cars over 30 years old, so it comes with a bill of sale.
Bid On This Auction
J.J. bid $500.00 2024-10-08 10:00:28
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Comments
Nice work on this one. Finished these are great looking cars. That engine is sure to have an impact on the fun factor.
I was thinking that the bigger engine might encourage its tail-happiness, but the X1/9 motor’s all alloy and the 850’s might be an iron block. Keep the skinny tyres and make life interesting! (I used to autotest a Skoda 120).
1968 850 here- the 840cc version or thereabouts, when cornering picking up the inside rear wheel was always entertaining. Nice little car, fun for a 17 year old. I learned how to jump start, push start, park on a hill rolling start. Blew the head gasket twice and milled the head, likely a bit more than an 850 at the end. Hod to replace a windshield wiper motor, broke the welds on the seat getting in once.
It did have a manual cable speed control – worked on the flat, going up hills not so much.
Excellent for parking at the beach, although if you wanted to go two people skiing, you had to get the top down to fit the skis in easily.
close to 40 mpg on the road.
I had a blast in that car and learned much.
Amazingly I could get everything I owned in that car …once upon a time.
Why isn’t anyone pulling the trigger on this project? What am I missing?
Do the interior and roof parts come with the car, there are a lot of things not shown in the pictures?
I have the top and frame but no seats.
I’m thinking the owner was making his version of the Fiat Abarth OT (Omologato Turismo) 1300, but in a spider version. The company I would recommend for help with this project is PBS Engineering.
PBS Engineering
11602 Anabel Street
Garden Grove, CA 92643
(714) 534-6700
Hello, Is there a convertible top to this Fiat?
I have the top and frame.
One small thing. If that floor is as flat as it appears, the FIAT seats will need jury rigging to install. The factory floor has wells so the seats lower as they are moved back, and the mounting tracks are welded in with the proper angle. It’s not an issue if you are custom designing the mounting, or installing aftermarket seats, but the seat will sit higher without the well underneath it.
I had a red 72 Fiat 850 when I was in high school (1979) and it was a blast to drive. I think a school bus could out accelerate it, but the engine revved to 7000 rpm and it sounded like an italian classic while doing so. It also leaked more oil than all the cars I have owned since!
A friend of mine decided to enter the passenger seat ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ style. He lept over the door and into the seat and after that the door on the passenger side never opened right. The frame wasn’t up to a 220 lb football player applying that much force so quickly! I still drove it for another year and then a friend of mine used the engine to power a homebuilt version of a Bobcat. 40+ years later, that same engine is still powering it.
I know Hight personally and can say this is a great project. I ran his motor in my Fiat 850 Standard Sedan for years. I decided to run a 1600 turbo motor and sold him the Weber carb. motor. Buy with confidence on this project because the parts and pieces are a bargain.
Might be a good start
abarth sold some goodies for it in the day. We hada blue
then a red. I was justa bout to rally the red when an X 1 / 9
entered the garage. Lots of fun fora kid.
This is quite an interesting build on the motor! It will be a different experience from the diminutive stock motor. My 850 story was back in high school (senior year 1970). One of the girls I knew just got her new lime green 850. She was a fun person and a drama queen. She was so excited to show everyone her new car however she was not very adept at driving a stick (manual transmission for those that don’t know old lingo). She got stuck in an intersection that had an incline and she could not work the clutch without rolling back! Her drama personality showed up to the boys present, that someone was needed to get in her car and move it out of the intersection. She was quite cute! Needless to say, she got her suitor…. problem solved!! I still know her today… same personality, still cute for her age (70’s) and we can laugh about our high school days!!