Lot Ended
Description
Ex-Peter Marshall Collection; rock-solid American import; converted to
RHD; rare factory hardtop plus soft top; much recent expenditure including new
tyres, brakes, exhaust and full service; very pretty indeed
Launched at the
1966 Turin Motor Show, the Fiat 124 Sport Spider became such a runaway success
that it remained in production right up until 1985, with over 170,000 made in
total. It sold so well in left-hand drive markets that Fiat never thought the
expense of a right-hand drive version was justified, hence why it was never
officially available in Britain, although many have since been
imported.
The classically Italianate bodywork was
designed and manufactured by Pininfarina and had more than a whiff of Ferrari
about it, looking like a scaled down 330GTE with a roof chop. More masculine
than the rival offering from Alfa Romeo, it had a chunky stubbiness which made
it a solid daily driver rather than a high-strung weekend
mistress.
Based on the Fiat 124 Coupe but with a
shorter wheelbase, suspension was by coil springs all round (independent
double-wishbone front / Panhard rod live axle rear) with four-wheel disc brakes
and worm-and-roller steering.
Power came from
Fiat’s sweet, free-revving 90bhp 1.5-litre twin-cam with an aluminium cylinder
head designed by ex-Ferrari chief engineer, Aurelio Lampredi. Mated to a 5-speed
gearbox it could sprint to 60mph in 12 seconds with a top speed of
107mph.
With a roomy cabin and a hood that could
be raised in under twenty seconds, the Spider was a thoroughly practical and
usable car that took many sales from the likes of MG and Triumph in America,
where 75% of all Spiders were sold.
This super
124 Sport Spider was originally one of those American cars and was imported to
the UK about 15 years ago by Italian car collector and renowned Alfa Romeo
historian, Peter Marshall of Billingshurst. Peter converted the car to RHD and
kept it on display as part of his collection but barely ever drove
it.
When Peter died in 2024, his collection was
dispersed and our vendor acquired the Fiat at which point it was in
need of recommissioning due to lack of use. He has since gone right through the car to bring it back to life with
invoices for many new parts fitted. These include:
Five new tyres
New rear and
centre exhaust sections
New timing
belt
New fuel tank, fuel pump and filler
hoses
New plugs, points, HT leads and
condenser
Fresh engine oil and
filter
Fresh oil in the gearbox and back
axle
Brake overhaul with new pads all
round, front calipers rebuilt, new rear calipers, new pipes and master cylinder
New coolant hoses
New battery
As you can see in the
photos, this Fiat looks very pretty indeed with striking Giallo Positano
paintwork and a very original interior. Fitted with a removable factory hardtop,
it also has a soft top which raises the glass rear quarter lights
when deployed and is in good condition although the hood cover is missing (these
are readily available online).
There are still a few little jobs that
our vendor was planning to carry out to get the car in tip-top order but he was
seduced by another car in our last auction and does not have space to store both
of them.
He advises that the Weber carb needs a
tune-up; there is a scratch on the rear left wing and a dent on the front left
sill; the interior could do with some detailing; the chrome front grille
surround needs fitting; the rear fixings for the rare Pininfarina hardtop need
adjusting and the roof lining needs replacing; the gear linkage needs adjustment
as it takes a bit of fiddling to get it into reverse. The right rear hubcap is
present, by the way, but we forgot to put it on for the photos.
Doh...
Starting promptly and running well
as we have driven it around on site, with healthy 40psi oil pressure, this
Spider looks great as it is, both above and below, and could be turned into a
real show-stopper with very little effort. It also comes with a 1:18 scale model
by Laudor Racing in the same striking yellow, a Haynes manual and a 124 Spider
buyer’s guide.
Very few of these Spiders have
been converted to RHD and this freshly rejuvenated little
beauty, previously hand-picked by a renowned Italian car authority for
his own collection, looks mighty appealing at the guide price suggested. It
will certainly be a stylish way to cruise around - shades on, top
down, Matt Monro on the radio - during the long hot summer
that is already upon us.
Consigned
by James Dennison – 07970 309907 – james.dennison@brightwells.com