No Reserve: 1981 Fiat Spider 2000
Of all the Italian Sports cars, the Fiat 124 Spider is without a doubt the most underappreciated. The styling was handled by Pininfarina and the twin-cam engine was designed by Aurelio Lampredi. Fiat’s image here in the States likely held the 124 Spider back from being as appreciated as it should be, which is a real shame as these little cars are a blast to drive. The later examples are starting to become sought after by enthusiasts. Unfortunately, production began to wind down in ’81, so finding fuel-injected models is a bit of a challenge. This example needs work but could be made into a runner again with minimal effort. The seller has other Italian projects that currently require their attention and they don’t want to see this Spider deteriorate any further, so they are offering it here on Barn Finds as a no-reserve auction!
In the mid-1960s, sports cars and roadsters were all the rage, but the market was more or less dominated by affordable British cars. So Fiat needed a budget-friendly sports car that could compete with the likes of the MGB while offering some of the charms that only an Italian car could. To keep costs down, the 124 Spider shared components with the 124 Sedan. The Lampredi-designed 4-cylinder engine was offered in various states of tune and found its way into everything from the 124 Sedan all the way to the Lancia Delta Integrale. It’s a robust engine that makes wonderful sounds and offers enough power to be fun in a small car like this.
This example is technically a Spider 2000, so it’s the largest bore offered at 1995cc. Horsepower was on the decline, as emissions requirements continued to strangle engines. The addition of fuel injection helped to revive some of the engine performance, with horsepower being rated at 102 in ’81. That might not sound like much, but these cars only weigh a little over 2k pounds, so you don’t need a ton to be fun. There are lots of performance upgrades available, for those that want more grunt. Over the past decade, support has greatly improved for these, so parts and information are easy to come by these days. Speaking of parts, the seller is including a new fuel pump for the car, as the one that’s in has failed. They believe that’s all that’s keeping the car from running. They’ve already replaced the fuel injectors and done much of the required service to get it back on the road, but they haven’t had time to install the new pump and included new fuel filter. The engine bay looks tidy and is complete, so if nothing else, it would be a good parts donor.
The work that’s already been done includes: new radiator hoses, heater hoses from head to heater, and installed bleeder valve on heater hoses at the highest point by the firewall. New battery although 4 years ago. New ground from chassis to battery. New plugs and wires. New distributor cap and rotor. New injector seals.
A look at the inside reveals some interesting features. The door panels are covered in plaid, a feature we’ve never seen on a 124 Spider before. It would definitely require additional research to see if this was ever available as an option or is a custom touch, but it sure looks great in this car. The leather seat upholstery also has Fiat Sport embroidered in them, which is also something we’ve not seen before. The seats look to be leather though and are in decent shape. The rest of the interior appears to be complete and salvageable, with the biggest issue we’ve spotted being a cracked dash. All the parts to make this interior perfect again are available, but we would try cleaning and reusing as much of it as possible.
Underneath, we see what looks like some surface rust. We don’t see any of the typical issues in the fender lips, quarter panels, or door skins, so hopefully that means the floors are solid. These cars are prone to rust, so a closer inspection wouldn’t hurt (Supporting Members can access our database of inspectors here).
The seller used our professional photography options, so we have lots of high-quality photos of the car to study! And from what we can see, the body looks to be straight. It rained just before the photographer came, hence why the car is wet, but it gives us an idea of what the car could look like shined up. If you are going to have impact bumpers, black is one of the better paint colors to have, as it helps the rubber bumpers blend in with the car. They don’t look to bad on this car, but removing the bumpers isn’t a difficult task if you like and gives these cars a much sleeker look. Given the paint failure on the hood and trunk, some paintwork is going to be required to make this one really look its best.
These cars really are fun machines to drive, an easy-to-use convertible top mechanism, and the engine makes beautiful sounds. This example could prove to be a good restoration project or a parts car for anyone wanting to add fuel injection to their older example. The seller feels it’s too complete and solid to part out, so hopefully, its next owner will get it back on the road and enjoy it. There were just 4,747 of these in ’81, so it really would be a shame to see it get parted out. Be sure to take a closer look and cast your high bid below!
- Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Mileage: 107,785 Shown, TMU
- Engine: 2.0-liter DOHC Fuel-Injected 4-Cylinder
- Transmission: 5-Speed Manual
- VIN: ZFA124CS008181919
- Title Status: Clean
Bid On This Auction
Tim Osborne bid $3,850.00 2023-08-18 10:54:44
MGB bid $3,750.00 2023-08-18 10:17:54- Tim Osborne bid $3,600.00 2023-08-17 19:01:13
- MGB bid $3,500.00 2023-08-17 17:21:44
Karl bid $3,250.00 2023-08-17 13:50:02- Tim Osborne bid $3,100.00 2023-08-16 13:43:23
shane0319 bid $2,951.00 2023-08-15 16:47:36
Mark d w bid $2,851.00 2023-08-13 16:52:49
2manyvettes bid $2,750.00 2023-08-11 17:33:11- shane0319 bid $2,500.00 2023-08-11 16:00:14
- 2manyvettes bid $2,100.00 2023-08-11 15:49:45
- MGB bid $2,000.00 2023-08-11 14:35:02
- 2manyvettes bid $1,750.00 2023-08-11 13:37:15
Ghp3 bid $1,500.00 2023-08-11 11:17:37- shane0319 bid $1,000.00 2023-08-10 17:16:25
Norman T.Oplinger bid $600.00 2023-08-10 14:54:17
Krrush16 bid $500.00 2023-08-10 14:31:48
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Comments
So sad to see this car in this overall poor condition. I had the best year from new, the 1972 1608 cc 124 Spider in Colorado Yellow and black. One of the best and most favourite cars in my life. You could do any maintenance with a 10mm wrench and a #2 Philips screwdriver. At the Abarth had a location in Daytona Beach where you could but any performance mods you could afford. The trim bumpers, flat hood, and total package made it one of the best buys of the time.
I’d bid $100 but am afraid I’d win the auction. This is a good donor if you happen to have two of these cars. Given what I see in the photos there is way too much work to bring this one back to even occasional driver condition. The face hanging off the clock is only one discouraging aspect of a deep pocket interior restoration. I hope someone can use it. Best top mechanism ever designed. Truly could raise or lower at a traffic stop if you did not want to put the boot on. I still have all my factory manuals, parts books,some spare parts and an electric fan in the garage…just for the memories. Good luck with finding a compassionate new home, little Fiat.
Safari, I had a ’75 as a youngster. I could raise and lower the top with one hand sitting in the driver’s seat. I always got attention driving it, and anyone else with a Fiat would wave. The doors shut like a bank vault as well. These were truly underappreciated cars!!
Always proof twice…”At the time Abarth”, “where you could buy”
By 1980, Fiat’s reputation was down the drain, so much so they could hardly give the cars away. Fiat left the US market by 1983.
Yes Fiat suffered a bad rep mostly because dealerships didn’t grasp the concept of scheduled maintenance or factory trained mechanics. Timing belts need to be changed at specific intervals, for instance…Besides, there was more profit in fixing broken cars out of warranty. Fiat is one of the largest car manufacturers in the world and it’s not because Europeans are stoopid!
The first car my then girlfriend, soon to be wife, bought together was an 80 Spider. Fun car that we loved even though it tried our patience more than once. White with blue interior. Very sharp.
Not sure if it would make her laugh or scream if I brought one home.
I remember sitting in one at the dealership around 1980. Touched something in the interior and it broke. That seemed appropriate for a company that failed selling economy cars in 1970s America. Some 43 years later, I’ve owned several Spiders over the decades. You’d think the injected engine would be desirable, but I couldn’t stand it. I currently have a 1970 Spider with a 1.4L and it’s my favorite. I despise the jacked-up ride height that ruined the English and Italian roadsters after the early 70s.
So what was wrong with the 2 liter fuel injected , can you elaborate please.
these were the types I brought back from the 50s’n 60s as a kid. The cabriolets 1200, 1600, etc. Mom had the 124 about the time I switched to alfas. She had several 850s 1st tho. Dont believe she ever made it to this model (efi) but went to the lancias 1st.
124 wasa great cars, not so much for mericans tho. They liked (like) the ‘set um’n forget ums’. These make great retros too (DD to ‘parade car’ & everything in-between). In my mind not the ideal candidate for nets sales, any car can go to auction tho.
Dual overhead cam, 4 wheel power assisted disk brakes , BOSCH fuel injection, FIVE speed transmission, four wheel coil spring siuspension, Stock Alloy Wheels, full instrumentation, and Italian heritage design. The later 2000 cars even averted valve interferance if a neglected rubber band broke!
What went wrong here. No English car could hold a candel to its features and benefits. EVERYTHING is still available for it in spares! Go ahead and steal this car before anybody wakes up! Tune it to Abarth specifications. Have fun!
The interference engines continued into the Spyder 2000s. You still had to watch that cam belt. Fiat did however, make the X1/9 second gen engine a non interface engine so that one wouldn’t destroy the engine if the belt broke.
The American-market 2-liters had non-interference top ends (thx to lower compression pistons vs. the Euro spec), but the longer stroke meant the #2 conrod nut could strike the vestigial fuel pump drive lobe on the aux shaft — unlikely but possible, if it happens to hit squarely enough this can knock the aux shaft right out the side of the block, ruining it.
This is also why proper aux shaft timing is still critical when changing the timing belt, even tho’ it’s effectively just an idler shaft that isn’t driving the distributor anymore by this year. If you overlook this and get the aux shaft timing exactly wrong enough, it could ruin the engine as soon as you start it up after changing the belt!
FIAT = fix it again Tony ;-)
Wow…..so 1970.
Since we’re showing our geezer age….
Ford = found on road dead
On a quiet night you can hear the Fords rusting
VW Beetle – you might lose in a collision with a dog
GM = gigantic mess
Any others?
Mostly
Old
Parts
And
Rust
Since you asked..
A former MOPAR and Fiat owner.
Jeep= Just empty every pocket
The body looks solid enough. A 40 year old car that needs paint. Imagine that. Sounds like the owner started at the least expensive fix and went down the list trying to get it running. If you like to tinker with your cars this is the car for you. Nothing wrong with a Fiat. Do the maintenance when your supposed to they’re more reliable than most British cars of the same Era. That’s not saying alot but American cars weren’t that great during that time either. Pretty cars deserve a second chance I hope it goes to a good home with a patient owner.
I restored a 1975 124 Spider years ago, and I still have it. I drive it as often as possible, and a long drive with the top down really clears my head. It gets a lot of attention and has won quite a few trophies at our local cars shows. She’s fairly simple to work on, and it always helps to speak to her in Italian.
They were imported here into Australia with a 2.4litre V6. There is still the odd one around.
Fiat never made any 124 Spiders with a V6. You must be thinking of the Fiat Dino Spider, a completely different (and considerably more expensive!) car, which came with Ferrari-designed V6s in 2.0L and 2.4L displacements
I bought a black 82 Pinanfarina 2000 in 1985 with 6000 miles on it and owned it for 35 years! Sold it to an Italian collector in Australia in 2020 for #12000
First, never put this car and the word 124 in the same sentence. They aren’t.
Change the timing belt every 50,000 and you’re fine.
If you run out of gas, you fry the fuel pump so glad they have a new one ready There’s plenty of suppliers of new parts and plenty of parts cars out there. I spent 15 months restoring mine. Mine was black and I switched to Ferrari Rosa Corsa. Stunning and the black bumpers look fine especially sine I rechromed the tubes. Those door panels are crap and homemade. Mine never had ugly screws like that and you can see the outline of where the original handle assembly used to be. I’d insist on taking them off and see what’s hiding behind. Don’t let the aluminum engine overheat. I got tired of replacing the fan thermoswitch at the bottom of the radiator and hot-wired it to a toggle switch down near the hood latch inside. These are great cars, buy the shop manual, you can do your own work all over this car!
“never put this car and the word 124 in the same sentence.”
Uh.
OK.
With a VIN like ZFA124CS008181919 that comment makes perfect sense.
Under the skin they always nominally remained 124s in chassis designation and architecture, but the official model name changed to Spider 2000 as of ’79 to help promote the new 2-liter engine.
Then the name changed again after Fiat canceled production when they left the American market after the 1982 model year. Malcolm Bricklin then contracted Pininfarina to continue and assume production fully in-house, at which point it became the Pininfarina Spider Azzurra for the American market, or the Spidereuropa in Europe, through 1985.
FORD = fix or repair daily
I was maybe 19 in 1981 and started a job and wanted a new car, since a drunk killed my sweet 76 Grand Prix. My dad took me to a Fiat dealer in the next big town down the interstate, 60 miles away. They had a floor full of these and also X1/9’s. The sales guy said take your pick, they are all priced the same, except the Renault turbo LeCars sitting outside. I wanted the X1/9, my dad said “if it was me, I would get the spider”. I bought a silver X1/9, but now 40 years later I kinda wish I had bought the spider
The original124 Spyder always made my hear race (I’ve cleaned that up for public consumption)–but big bumpers took its soul away, as it did with many cars. Finally, it’s not really a FIAT (capitals because it’s an acronym), nor a Spyder.