’68-’72 Fiat 850 Sport Spider

At first glace I was not sure what it is; could have been anything, an obscure Frenchman or Briton living on an empty lot in Long Island. Admittedly, even upon closer look I still did not know what it was until I saw the badges.

Every once in a while I see a rare and/or unique car on the street and I am immediately intrigued by it. This is the first in a series of such vehicles that I will feature on CarGuyDad.com. I will try to get all the background information on such cars, but if I am stumped, please feel free to comment on it.

With Fiat returning to the U.S. shores very soon, this is a good idea to look at the Fiats of the past. Quick research shows that this Fiat 850 Spider Sport is from the 1968-1972 era. This Spider features a more powerful52-horsepower, SOHC 903cc engine, 8-valve engine than its 1965-’67 49-horsepower predecessor (hence it’s the “sport” version). Yes, it was still extremely slow.

64% of the Spider’s 1620lbs resides over the rear wheels, behind which the water-cooled engine is positioned. To allow easier access to the engine, the whole rear valence comes off after a removal of six bolts… and that’s a good thing too, as the Fiats of that era had an appetite for head gaskets and cooling system components.

This 850 appears to have been restored and repainted, with its bumpers off, probably being chromed. The interior was complete and in mint-looking condition. A screw driver a pair of pliers appeared to have a permanent hope in the center console, and probably with good reasons.