After admiring the fantastic Fiat Nuova 500 Camioncino, here we are for the second but not the last article with the 500 Fuori Serie collection, owned by our friend Enrico. It is said, the first love is never forgotten, especially when we are talking about cars! And there are no better words to describe this true love story.
The first car of Enrico, like many of his age, was in fact a Fiat Nuova 500 and, at its fiftieth birthday, the desire to own a new one was so strong that he began his research. There are many cars that pass before his eyes. Thanks to internet and specialized magazines infact he saw various models F, L and R but no one was able to remind him those lost youth emotions, of bravery, of live lived beautifully.
One day his attention, however, falls on an advertisement. A company of Turin, Navetta 2000 by Giovanni Vernagallo, transforms historical models of 500 in Spyder and convertible, customizable in any way and homologated for the road. How to resist the temptation of being able to realize a Fiat Nuova 500 in total freedom? Enrico brought therefore a 500 L for a low price, that was not perfect but suited to the deep transformation it would have undergone. Vernagallo moved the car from Perugia to Turin to start working on. But how Enrico has imagined his 500? The first thoughts in his head concerned the possibility of producing a replica of the Jolly Ghia, with removal of the branches, but then his decision was to create a true convertible. Colour? Interiors? A thousand and one possibilities were available to him … In the end he chose a small Inglesina, green, and a very niche shade biscuit color for the interior. Cream for the roof! A tasty choice in name and in practice!
Enrico followed up the work on his favourite, both going to Turin and observing the photos that regularly came in his mail box. The first steps involve the removal of the roof and the creation of the convertible top anchors above the engine, reinforcing the chassis and the platform to ensure structural rigidity. After the painting and the creation of bespoke interior, more complex was the creation of the soft top with its structure. It was not easy in fact, he tells us, make the car’s lines harmonics without giving to the Fiat Nuova 500 an awkward appearance.
Equally difficult was designing the front and the closing of the soft top itself. After months of waiting, finally the Enrico’s 500 Cabrio was ready and equipped for the road. But the work has just begun, because not satisfied with having a car tailor-made for him, Enrico decided to further enhance its gem. He decides to equip its new Fiat 500 Cabrio with a wooden steering wheel by Nardi design and he replaced the standard wheels with the Borrani’s ones.
But the top on the cake came some years later with the discovery of a fantastic caravan Graziella Levante of 1965 and a cart with wooden shores born precisely for the 500, which we will show you in another article. This fantastic little car is a real piece of jewellery to Enrico, success at rallies is guaranteed for a unique model and a customized product!
Text: Edoardo Mascalchi
Photos: Edoardo Mascalchi, Francesco Giovannini
