1958 Fiat 500 Bianchina - Sold at $11,400

Fiat 500 Autobianchi Bianchina

This is a rare 1958 series one Bianchina imported a few years ago and is a factory right hand drive car. It uses all Fiat 500 mechanicals so parts are plentiful and reasonably priced. It is essentially an upmarket Fiat 500, being more costly than the standard Fiat 500 in its day. Fiat 500 floor pans and mechanical components were shipped to Autobianchi, and the cars were assembled using the Bianchina bodies. Production was limited in comparison to the standard Fiat 500 with approximately 17,000 produced in 1958.

The car has been extensively rebuilt over two years with many hours and thousands of dollars spent. It has taken a lot of time to source and restore the car as far as possible to its original condition though the car has been modernised slightly. Its not a show car or trailer sailor but rather a daily driver. Here is what has been done,

Brake system Completely overhauled all new wheel and master cylinders, shoes, drums turned, new flex hoses, replaced some steel lines, pedal box overhauled

Tyres Four brand new tyres and tubes , wheels sand blasted. Spare useable. White wall inserts are removable.

Suspension All bushes replaced front and rear, new shocks, all new ball joints, components sand blasted and sealed with POR 15 where needed

Steering Steering box professionally overhauled with new bearings and seals

Electrical Complete rewire with atleast 4mm, upgrade to fuse box, all new bulbs, professional rebuild of starter, generator checked, new coil,regulator and ignition parts. All lights and switches etc fully operational. Brand new turn signal/lights assembly on steering column. Even the interior mirror light works. Brand new battery.

Body Stripped to bare metal. Repaired small rust holes in sills and behind wheel wells. The car has been repainted in PPG acyrilic lacquer to keep it close to original. The finish is shiny and very presentable though there is some more colour sanding to do. Some very slight defects in bodywork can be seen. The previous owner has repaired a section under the battery tray in the front panel where it looks as though someone has attempted to jack the car and crushed the metal. The front panel looks fine but should be replaced in the future. I found minor rust there which I treated. A new front panel is available in Germany. A new battery tray is fitted. The floors are solid and have been heavily rust proofed. There is an brand new exterior mirror included.

Soft Top Top is brand new, top mechanism works perfectly



Rubber All replaced with original Bianchina seals as far as possible. New windscreen seal


Interior Seats sand blasted and professionally rebuilt with new straps and new upholstery from Germany. Upholstery is from later model 500. I really don’t like the original style Bianchina upholstery but it is still available. Carpet is new. The fuel gauge is not working and looks to be a tank sender problem rather than the gauge.

The doors were stripped and new regulator fitted on one side new rubber channel and weather strips fitted to both doors. Hinge pins replaced as needed. New soft top fitted. Windscreen glass is in good condition with a few wiper scratches that should be able to be polished out.

Engine/transmission The engine appears in excellent condition with compressions of 100 and 97. Oil pressure is 2.5kpa on the gauge. There are no oil leaks. The clutch and gears operate smoothly and the car stops well . All hoses and belts have been renewed.

Extras Two cans of touch up paint, a few spanners are in the toolbox with some missing. The steering wheel in the picture is the original one and could be restored so I am including it in the sale. The ignition key is the ORIGINAL key. There is no door key but one could be easily made.

Specs & Details:

Auction Date: 19 Apr 2008
Sold For: $11,400
# Bids: 12
Engine: 2
Transmission: manual
Exterior Color: red
Interior Color: tan