1980 Fiat

Sedan

4 - Cyl.

Manual

ZFA131A0000689038

Gasoline

Some in the East Coast Fiat community may know this car. Its a 4 door 5 speed 2L carburated Brava, nicely restored and shown at the Freak Out in Niagara in 2001. Its picture number 17 of 56 in the Fiat Lancia Unlimited (FLU) cub photo gallery on the FLU.org website.  I have more photos posted on photobucket under the username "dnaj11" Email if you cant find them and I'll send you the link. I recently had it serviced and detailed since taking out of long term storage. So its ready to go.      I’ve had a long story with this Fiat. I discovered it in a classified add on the Car-Talk radio show website in the late 1990s. This was pre-ebay.  The Fiat was then owned by a woman in Silver Spring Maryland. I conversed with her on and off for a few weeks. I planned to go see her, but she reported the car developed problem and would not start. She took it to a BMW dealer and they quoted her a outrageous price to repair the car. Later, she donated it to charity. So the Fiat was gone.     I called the charity. I eventually found the Fiat actually listed at the DC auto-auction. I made arrangements to place an absentee bid on the car. (I’m three hours away in Eastern PA). Unfortunately, they held the auction a week early. So I missed out again     The auctioneer gave my name to the successful bidder, Mark who actually the tow truck driver who picked up the car and took it to the auction. Mark eventually called me and we spoke, but he did not want to sell me the car.     About a year or so later, Mark did contact me and I purchased the car. He’d done nothing with it, hadn’t even tried to start it. So I bought it.     Upon getting it home, I found it needed a pickup-coil and an ignition switch. Other than that, it ran like a champ. Although the paint was faded, the body was rust free and no goofy floor patches either. Virginia and Maryland gets much less snow then us in Pa and New York. That certainly helped.      I located a bunch of parts to restore the car at Paul Camplese & Son, a defunct Fiat/Studebaker dealer in Harrisburg, PA. Joe Camplese even had a full nearly NOS plush blue interior to replace my dingy standard blue vinyl.     Sometime later, Mark called me back. He wanted the car back and even picked up those parts I sourced away in Harrisburg. I sold the Fiat to him, and then he took to restore it.     I visited Mark as he worked. He had the body disassembled and stripped, inside and out, which is the correct way to paint a car. The interior was out, the taillights, everything was out to the bare shell. He then updated the car with Fiat sport wheels, even replaced the whether stripping, the trunk mat, even the small plastic screws for the tailglights, then sourced at C. Oberti. By then, we both became members of the Fiat/Lancia club FLU. He's more active but I'm more of a lurker.     Mark drove the car to the Fiat Freak Out show at Niagara Falls from DC. That was in 2001. I was there too with my modified Fiat 128SL.      I don’t remember exactly when, but some years later Mark offered to sell me the car again. He even delivered it. But it at sat in my pole barn til last  year. It was there at least six years, perhaps as many as eight.        Last fall I took the car out and had it serviced. Of course it needed some brake work from sitting, a few carburetor bits, fuel line and what not. Then I had it detailed and readied for a local show. I intended to celebrate Fiat’s return to the US via its shotgun merger with Chrysler. However, it rained that day, so. I did not go to the show. That may say something about the merger. I don’t know.     The car is bone stock save for the upgraded factory interior and wheels. It should be completely ready to go, but I have not driven it on any long trip. The clutch pedal is a tad high but nothing to worry about. The radio is missing, but I sourced a period factory Fiat brand radio to install, which goes with the car. You install it. And yes, the timing belt is new.     The mileage is original at 75K. It had about 70K when I first found it in DC. The tires were new in 2001. They still look new and no rot. Overall the amateur restoration is very good to near excellent. From even 5 feet away, it looks wow! But there is one fairly heavy paint run on the right rear pillar, a wet sand might do wonders there. Overall, this is likely the nicest Brava yet on the east coast.      The interior shows very little, if any, wear. The Fiat badges faded little. And the body remains one of the most solid on the east coast. I would call it rust  free. And of course, it has all books, a car cover, even a matching Fiat matchbox and unused Alitalia bumper sticker.     I have a few cars like this that I never drive. (Anyone want a Eurpspec 505 5-speed Peugeot?) My cars mostly sit indoors but eventually deteriorate from sitting.  I then have to fix things. I plan not to do that anymore, hence this Fiat is now for sale. It needs to go to someone who will give it daylight.     Its offered here with a reasonable reserve, set in accordance with Old Car published price guides. I am not greedy. The car is for sale, so bid accordingly. If the high bid is close, I may even waive the reserve. I've also offered the car locally, so do not wait to place your bid. Email your questions or for an appointment to see the car.    $500 deposit due at close of auction. Balance due in 10 days. No hurry to come for the car so long as it paid for. In the interim, it will be stored indoors. All funds must clear before car or title leaves. Thank you for looking. On May-11-10 at 18:19:05 PDT, seller added the following information:All, I've removed the reserve. The reserve will be met upon the next bid, if not met already. This car will be sold to the highest bidder.