Chassis No. 501152

Inexpensive and robust, the Fiat 500 democratized car ownership in Italy during wartime and played a pivotal role in the nation's post-war economic recovery. Fiat's initial A series, introduced in 1936, featured a front-mounted, water-cooled 569 cc inline-four side-valve engine and was available in a two-door passenger car body style ideal for mobilizing Italian families. The B series, introduced in 1948 broadened the 500's utilitarian appeal, adding a new station wagon model called the Giardiniera Belvedere as well as a 30 percent increase in power. Only produced for a single model year, the B-series 500 marked the final year of the original aerodynamic and tapered front-end design.

Beneath its trademark sloped hood rested the familiar 569 cc four-cylinder engine mated to a four-speed manual transmission. Like its predecessor, the 500 B offered a two-door Furgoncino (little van in Italian) body style, featuring blank rear panels and hinged “ambulance style” doors at the back. As versatile as it was practical, the 500 B Furgoncino was used for countless types of work from artisans to bakers, providing businesses and local enterprises with a practical and affordable vehicle for transporting goods across cities and rural areas.

The wonderful Fiat 500 B Furgoncino offered here was treated to an exacting restoration by Georgio Castello in Turin, Italy, and now wears a handsome two-tone beige exterior over a brown vinyl and ivory cloth-upholstered interior. Nicely detailed, the Fiat features 15 inch body-color steel wheels, rear-hinged passenger doors, chrome bumpers, and A-pillar-mounted traffic indicators. This charming and unique variant of Italy's “people's car” has been carefully preserved in storage since its restoration and is offered with its spare wheel, jack, and rare original Fiat 500 B maintenance manual and parts catalog featuring wonderful illustrations and diagrams.