Fiat 850 Spiders aren’t particularly hard to find. It seems we have one or two at any time in the local classifieds (which means Craigslist, these days). What’s remarkable here is claimed extremely low mileage and what appears to be perfect condition. Rustbucket 850s are a lot easier to find than nice ones.
As noted, this car has claimed uber-low mileage, in this case under 10K. Condition is original, including the awesomely wacky lime green paint.
In other good news, values on these have a very low ceiling. This is an opportunity to buy the best of something for a little under $16,000. You can hardly buy a new car for that. Of course, even the new cars priced under $16K can outrun this Fiat. The rear-mounted, water-cooled, 0.843-liter engine in this car produced about 49 horsepower when new.
Click for Craigslist ad
Costa Mesa, CA
$15,990
Nothing else quite looks like an 850 Spider.
The top has spent a lot of time folded on this one.
This looks pretty cool from this angle, too.
Interior looks great in the pics and is a sports place to drive slowly.
Front trunk can hold a couple bags. The spare is under the vinyl cover.
Here’s the tiny, longitudinal, rear-mounted engine. Note the radiator – no air cooling here!
Ad text:
1971 Fiat 850 Sport Spider
Very Original Survivor Condition
9,500 Original Miles
Stock #0586
VIN # 100GBS10105787
ENG# 2313923
9,500 Original Miles
Veridian Green (326) on Original Black Vinyl
4-Speed Manual
Clean and Clear Title
Built in April of 1971
Delivered New in December of 1971
Original Paint
No Accidents
Numbers Matching
Offered at $15,990
The Fiat 850 Sport Spider was unveiled in 1965 at the Geneva Motor Show. The first production model was 1967 and they continued to build these cars all the way to 1973. They were widely successful due to their low cost point. They were one of the most economical open sports cars on the market. Their Bertone design is timeless. Unfortunately, U.S. emission/safety regulations saw an end to these elegant little roadsters.
Although over 2 million coupes, sedans, and spiders were built, very few survived due to their propensity to rust. That’s what makes this example so rare and unusual. Not only was it hardly driven, but also it was obviously stored and cared for extremely well to survive all these years.
Based on the user ID card from Fiat, this 850 was delivered new to a Ford engineer named James R Clinton of Crawfordsville, Indiana on December 10th, 1971. Reportedly, he drove the car only 7,200 miles over the next 17 years. He passed the car onto his daughter and her husband in 1988. They put on another 2,200 miles up until 2012 when they sold the car to a professional detailer. The current owner just recently purchased the car because he fell in love with the originality, miles, and of course, the color. However, after this years Monterey vintage auto activities, he has filled his garage with several new toys and really doesn’t have the time or space to enjoy this car.
As he does with all his cars, as soon as this 850 arrived, it went right to his mechanic to make sure it was in good running condition. He installed a brand new soft top, redid the brake system with new lines, an oil service, and a few other misc. items to make sure it was ready to drive. Just before purchasing the car, the following services were performed as well:
Oil services every 6 months (with previous owner)
Coolant system flush
New door hinge bushings
Although about 10-years ago (less than 300 miles ago), the fuel tank was flushed and new fuel lines, fuel filter, and fuel pump were installed. The master cylinder was also replaced.
The condition of this Sport Spider is remarkable. It does have some patina, but it is commensurate with the age and miles. These cars were not the sturdiest of cars and usually wore out pretty quickly. It is clear that this car was cherished. Everything fits great and looks good. The interior is equally as nice. It is all-original except for the new soft top. Everything appears to work properly. The underside is original and dry. No signs of rot or any other mishaps. I can’t imagine how many dry, straight, low-mile 850s are even left in the world.
This Spider drives very nice. It shifts smooth and accelerates faster than I thought it would. The soft top is a nice edition but not the best design. The brakes feel very strong with great pedal feel. This is a much more affordable and fun head tuner than it’s older Fiat Jolly sibling.
This 850 comes with a new soft top, new custom car cover, original owner’s service book, original Fiat owner’s ID card, original sales brochure, original owners manuals/books, new master cylinder in box, original spare wheel/tire, original factory tool kit, and some service records.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Paul at 714-335-4911
For tons of pictures, go to: http://www.AutoKennel.com
This vehicle is sold “as-is” with no warranty, written or implied. In some cases, the vehicle does have the remaining factory warranty still in place and will be described above if that is the case. All taxes and fees are the responsibility of the buyer and are not included in the listed price. All vehicle sales will require a $65 document fee. The vehicle listed is described to the best of our ability. The information is based on our own research and statements made to us by the previous owner(s). To the best of our knowledge, the above information is accurate. We are not responsible for errors in our description of options or any other details. The above-mentioned vehicle is used and can be expected to show some wear and tear. It is not a brand new vehicle. We do welcome all local pre-purchase inspections on vehicles in order to verify condition.