My other half has never been a big fan of "pimped" cars - you know the sort - aftermarket body kits, excessively large wheels and exhausts, neon kits, need I go on?
Well, I think there has been a slight change of heart. About three months ago, as my little car was having the last few bits of work completed, he went up to check on progress and whilst wondering around the yard by the garage, spotted a rather lovely 500 in Red; Racing Red (Rosso Corsa - the unmistakable Ferrari Red) to be precise. On the interior side, the seats were covered in cream vinyl, on the outside there was extra chrome on the windows, over-riders - if it could be chrome, it was. On his return home, he had various pictures of my car and one picture of this red one, citing the fact that it was "quite nice". A couple of days later after some negotiation, it was announced that we had a second 500 in the household (third if you count my 2008 one).
The car is a 1969 500L, Left hand drive. It spent the past few years travelling along the French Riviera (oh la la!) and the body work is pretty tidy as a result. Originally the bodywork was orange but had been resprayed to its current shade of red by its previous owner. He had a Ferrari and bought the 500 for his wife and had it kitted out to match his car, hence the Rosso Corsa and cream interior.
It has a 650cc engine, but unlike mine has been fitted with a Abarth sump and exhaust. It had a set of Lesmo Campagnola style alloys fitted - nice wheels on the right car and original on some Abarth models, but neither of us were particularly fond of them. Luckily Stef knew someone who was looking for a set, so these have been swapped for a standard set of wheels.
The main change was the dashboard. The L has the rectangular speedometer and moulded plastic dash, which isn't as pretty as the painted dash of the F or R. This bothered my other half and his suggestion was strip back the majority of the plastic, trim it down, build up the metalwork round the speedo. As you can see from the picture, the outcome is actually rather good. In addition to this, the inside now sports cream door liners and sun shades to match the seats and an original steering wheel. Just to keep the amount of chromework up, it also has chrome running plates on this inside step of the doors.
The car was dropped off on Friday - Stef brought it down and combined it with a quick look at mine (carb/fuel issues - I'll get to that later). Interesting fact of the day - trailers designed for Caterham racing cars are just the right size to fit a Fiat 500. This may not seem much of a fact, but the wheelbase of a 500 is often too narrow for trailers and trucks which have separate ramps for the wheels. I've seen 500s being moved on some massive transporters because they have a solid ramp - the only way they can get the car on the back!
Back to the little red car - it sounds amazing. For all his "bean can for an exhaust" comments about other cars, it has a fantastic sound. Not too loud, but a really nice deep burble. From the back, it looks pretty much like standard and unless anyone is familiar with the usual pinched 500 exhaust, it doesn't look that big. One giveaway to what is lurking under the bonnet is the base of the engine which can be seen - with the magic word ABARTH written on it.
For all the pimping and bling, it's still retained a lot of its original character, and has gained a little more. Yes, there is a bit more chorme and trim, but it's not too over the top. It is pretty nippy and drives really well - maybe a shade faster than mine, but only just. As for mine - it is really still running in, so it's just a case of adjustment, nothing too serious. Stef has taken it back to tinker and fix the one or two things on the snagging list and tighten everything up now it's had time to bed in. It means I'm without my car for the moment, but it should only be for a week or so.
For now, I'll have to seek solace in a Little Red Fiat instead of a Blue one.
