There’s always a handful of classic cars that fly below the radar, and the Fiat 124 Spider is a perfect example of this phenomenon. In a world where Italian roadsters tend to be among the more expensive models to buy – especially ones with a Pininfarina connection – the Fiat 124 remains attainable, even in restored condition. This 1980 model listed here on eBay is a limited production variant built to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the storied design house, with special features including badges, Cromodora wheels, unique Champagne Metallic paint, and more. The seller’s car is being sold with some restoration work underway for $3,000 or best offer.
The 124 Spider is one of those cars that has some unfair assumptions made about it. First, the obvious one: it’s Italian and not particularly valuable, so it’s a silly car to spend money on. Well, yes and no: are the values somewhat flat? Yes, they made a lot of them, and the U.S. was one of its most popular markets. However, the reliability is better than the masses might expect, and I’ve heard from a few owners who stumbled backwards into 124 ownership about how much they love their cars. In addition, parts supply is far better than you’d expect, again due to the generous production volume which makes it fairly easy to find a parts car.
As a special edition model celebrating the 50th anniversary of Pininfarina, this 124 has a helpful dose of rarity about it, which helps to contest the high production volume. It’s purely cosmetic in nature, but the color and wheels alone make this Spider a looker. Supposedly, a heater and power windows also came standard, but we don’t get enough interior photos to confirm either the equipment levels or condition. The seller claims the interior was removed for a full-scale restoration project that never quite commenced, but that it won’t be too much work to re-assemble. The new rear fender wells were installed and the car was prepped for paint.
It was also said to be running and driving before the attempted restoration, so hopefully it won’t take too much effort to get the 2.0L 4-cylinder to fir up again. Fuel injection helped boost horsepower to a healthy 102, which was a nice upgrade from the carb’d engine’s 86 BHP. The seller believes that of the original 1,000 special commemorative editions built, the total remaining is down to a measly 372 and this is car number 305. Hard to tell if that number is still accurate, but I’m sure plenty of these Fiats have been retired permanently by owners who didn’t want to deal with upkeep or simply due to rust. This looks like a worthwhile project to me – anyone agree?
Based on the visible rust on the cowl and what is likely unseen this looks to be more of a parts car than viable project.
Steve R
Another half-started project with uncertain completeness. Often enough the owner ages out and admits reality, as hard as that may be. BUT – – – this thing’s a pig in a poke, it’d sell yesterday if it was running. And gray primer can hide a lot.
Hard pass. I am not sure I see a single panel that fits straight.
Maybe a Fiat guy can bring her back to life. Inexperienced dreamers should run…