1966 Fiat Cabriolet

1500 Convertible

4 - Cyl.

Manual

118k046595

Gasoline

1966 Fiat 1500 Cabriolet The car being offered is a complete running & operational 5 speed 1966 Fiat 1500 Cabriolet. The 1500 Cabriolet series was sold in North America from 1964-67. Most cars seem to have been built in Italy about a year before they were sold thru the USA Fiat dealers. The car is a Pinnafarina design, based upon the 1200 Cabriolet that it replaced. It uses the 1100's 103 chassis, modified to accept the driveline of the 1500 Sedan. The cars were built in the Pininfarina factory along side of other notable cars of the time. After assembly & testing they were shipped to North America before being delivered to the Fiat Dealers. You could special order one in Europe thru your local Fiat Sales Dealership, but most of the production of this very rare car came to North America. The "new" car usedd the 1300/1500 4 cylinder motor that is a cross flow design with a hemispherical combustion chamber. This motor is a spin off of Fiat's luxury car's engine of the late 50's and 60's, which was a 6 cylinder motor of either 1800, 2100, 0r 2300 ccs. It uses a single Weber 2 barrel carburetor, and put out a respecatble amount of power for it's size. The first year's cars used a 4 speed transmission that Fiat had been using for years in their cars. The last thre years they used a 5 speed transmission that was later used in the 124 series of cars. One of the milestones of this car is it's front disc brakes. Very few cars in the mid to late 1960's were offered with disc brakes, and they do an exceptional job of slowing the car down. The last three years the cars came with power boosted brakes. The 1500 Cabriolet was far superior to other sports cars offered at the same time, and it's beautiful Italian design makes it one of the outstandingly impressive cars of the era even today! This car was offered to me, as I also have a 1200 Cabriolet. I was originally told it was bast for a parts car, as it was partially disassembled in the back of an old restoration shop. When I first saw the car, I was impressed by it's seemingly new paint, and by it's excellant overall condition. Most all of of the parts were there, but the motor was completely disassembled, and I was told that the cylinder head had been lost somewhere along the way. I still have the original block, and can supply it, if requested. Because it's not stored where the car is, you would need to pay the shipping costs, if you want it. I trailered the car home and discovered it was in even better condition than I had originally thought, so over the next year, I redid the interior upholstery with new material, innstalled the best of all of all the chrome & stainless trim I had in my collection of spares, and even installed a new vinyl top that matched the interior colors perfectly. I had the car inspected before I started on it's restoration, and has a clean South Carolina title. Along the way, I was offered a 1500 Cabriolet engine that had been rebuilt for a project that was later converrted to accept a different motor. After this car had been fully prepared, I installed the engine, and since I felt the mechanical aspects of completing the car were beyond my skills, I had the car trailered to an expereinced & reputable Fiat shop in Charlotte, NC, that I had used for most of my previous Fiat service needs. The shop installed a new battery, completely serviced & rebuilt the braking system, replaced all of the fluids, made sure the cooling system was excellant, cleaned the entire fuel system, and got the car started & running for me. The tires are beyond service, but they hold air, and because the car currently has no plates, I have only driven it around my neighborhood. I fully detailed the car & trailered it to the 2010 National Fiat Club's annual meet that was held in Ashville, NC, where the car was shown and driven a short distance again, but where we discovered some carburetor issues. After the meet, the car has been in storage in my garage, and I have had that carburetor professionaly rebuilt. The engine starts right up & runs great, but because I currently am living over 3000 miles from where the car is stored, I realized I will never get back to this car & complete it as it so deserves. Even though the car runs great, you should plan on trailering it home because the tires are unsafe at any speed, and it has no plates yet. The Italian Roma plates seen in the pictures are not included. The horizontal exterior stainless trim is included, but is not yet installed. The car is in storage just outside of Charlotte, NC, and can be viewed with an appointment. I paid $500.00 for the car when I bought it, and I paid $1,000.00 for the motor. The upholstery work cost me about $400.00 in materials. The shop that completed the engine installation & got the car running, charged me almost $3,000.00. The carburetor service cost me $250.00. I would be really happy to just get my investment back, and in all reality, this is cheap compared to what you would pay a professional Fiat restoration shop to bring any car to this condition. The buyer of the car will be offered a chance to buy an original factory Pininfarina hardtop I have set aside for this car for an additinal $1,000.00 plus crating and shipping from California. It has the original glass rear window, but needs complete restoratiion with paint and rubber(available). If you have any questions, please ask! Please don't bid on this car unless you plan on following through & paying for it. The garage where the car is stored at, would like it picked up within three weeks of the completion of the sale, but longer storage may be possible, independent of this auction. A $2,000.00 deposit for the car must be paid within 48 hours after the end of the auction, and the car must be completely paid for within 7 days. If you have always wanted a 1500 Cabriolet for your collection this is an excellent car that, with a small additional investment, can be turned into a great driver for tours & general use. And in Royal Blue, it shows the Pininfarina lines better than any other shade!