Here’s something you don’t see every day, and likely won’t again any time soon: a RHD 1969 Fiat Samantha Coupe, designed by coachbuilder Vignale. This is one of 200 or so cars earmarked for the British market, which came about following a chance conversation between a gambling tycoon and the higher-ups at Fiat. While beautiful in its own, special way, the Samantha is based on the humble Fiat 125, engine and all. It’s not fast, or even particularly sporting, but it is a rarity and a must-have for a UK-based Vignale or Fiat enthusiast. Find it here on eBay where bidding is approaching $7,000 US and there’s just 5 hours left in the auction.

Frixos Demetriou was a Green casino kingpin who began to fear his days as a tycoon were threatened, with looming changes in policy regarding casino licensing. About the same time, he spotted this pretty Fiat coupe, and in addition to his personal interest in the car, he felt it would be wise to pivot to a new money-making enterprise: importing Fiats that hadn’t been allocated to the British market. Quick translation: there were Fiats and dealers in the UK, but Demetriou decided to create his own brand with models not sold by established dealers. As you might expect, this would lead to a variety of issues with existing dealers who Demetriou expected to service and warranty his Fiats, while essentially competing with the established network.

Regardless, he would go on to spend about $7 million in today’s dollars bringing in a variety of forbidden Fiats, including the Samantha coupe. Given this one is a RHD example, it’s one of the 200 cars he was responsible for bringing into the country. The Samantha is an perplexing proposition in some ways, as its 125 underpinnings mean it doesn’t drive like a sports car and the engine is quite underwhelming, with the 1608cc twin-cam producing an underwhelming 90 b.h.p. Now, that number isn’t unusual for the era, but Vignale and Fiat were expecting shoppers of genuine GT and sports cars to consider the Samantha an alternative, and it simply wasn’t going to convince a buyer of an Alfa to look elsewhere.

All told, the venture was not long for this world. As the sole importer of Vignale-Fiats, the venture earned plenty of media coverage in the motoring press, but the Brits weren’t convinced, nor were they interested in buying a stylish Fiat. In addition, Vignale was suffering significant financial pains as it attempted to ramp up to full-scale production but found orders slipping and bills going unpaid. To add insult to literal injury, the ambitious casino magnate-turned vehicle importer Demetriou was crushed by a runaway British tank while sitting in one of his pretty Vignale-Fiats while on a trip to Cyprus. You literally cannot make this stuff up. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Mitchell G. for the tip.