1969 Fiat 850 Fastback Coupe

　　The Fiat 850 was squarely aimed at a youthful market. The sales

　　brochure for the maker in '69 included a page featuring the coupe

　　parked on the beach with a young surfer couple resting on the sand

　　nearby. The following year, the entire brochure is replete with

　　Partridge Family style models, guitars and all, to demonstrate that

　　Fiat was no stodgy brand, man. If you want to be hip, the Fiat 850

　　was the way to go.

　　For consignment, a fully restored 1969 Fiat 850 that the consignor

　　found quite by chance in a Penny Saver magazine. For the benefit of

　　today's youth, that was our Facebook Marketplace or Americanlisted back

　　in the day. After restoration, it was featured by another prominent

　　magazine publisher, Hemmings, where the incredible story of its

　　restoration and features are outlined.

　　Exterior

　　While it was available in several colors, Fiat routinely used a

　　green 850 in ads and dealer documentation. The car here is bathed

　　in English Green, a stunning choice that offsets the chrome pieces,

　　marker lights, and taillights beautifully. All of the chrome and

　　metal exterior pieces are in excellent condition and it's

　　immediately obvious this is going to make an incredible show car

　　for someone. The sporty tail lights consist of two equally sized

　　round lenses, a pattern Americans have come to love in their

　　Corvette. The profile of the car is decidedly European and compact,

　　and fits the post-traditional desires of the era's youth. 13-inch

　　steelies with hubcaps carry the little load. We were hard pressed

　　to find any flaws on the exterior and did not document any.

　　Interior

　　The consignor states the interior is original and wow does it look

　　good! Nicely fitted saddle colored door panels have crisp lines and

　　the panels including a lower map pocket. The tall bucket seats are

　　immaculate and have tuck and roll style inserts. The back bench

　　repeats the pattern and was the feature used by Fiat to tell buyers

　　to "bring your friends!". The two spoke steering wheel is sporty in

　　design and we note some chipped paint here. no foul. The simple

　　dash uses wood-like inlays between gauges and in a midline ribbon.

　　Basic, European toggle switches control various features on the car

　　and the padded dash topper contrasts the wood with a glossy black

　　texture. The floor mounted shifter in the center console is

　　appropriate for an economy car and the hand brake is polished to a

　　shine. The light brown loop style carpet shows some wear not only

　　by the gas pedal where the foot would rub but also on the passenger

　　side. The stitched cloth headliner is in great shape and the frunk,

　　the front trunk, is so clean you could store your picnic basket in

　　there without worry. There is a spare tire neatly tucked inside

　　it.

　　Drivetrain

　　At the time, the 903cc inline 4 cylinder was a touted improvement

　　over the Fiat 600 which maxed out at 843cc. And since everything is

　　relative, the 58 horsepower of the 903 was an increase over earlier

　　cars. The original engine is in place having been rebuilt and sits

　　in show quality goodness in the rear of the car where it is water

　　cooled. A 1-barrel carburetor feeds the 903cc's which gets rowed

　　through a 4-speed manual transmission, also original. The car is

　　equipped with disc brakes up front and drum brakes in the rear and

　　we can't leave out the 4.875 ratioed rear axle.

　　Undercarriage

　　Since most of the hardware is in the back, the underside consists

　　mostly of a panel covering anything that's running the length of

　　the car. On the suspension and other exposed parts, we see minor

　　surface rust, but nothing serious. Some residual oil on the

　　transmission but no noticeable dripping. The front suspension has

　　transverse leaf springs and the rear has independent, semi-trailing

　　arms with coil springs.

　　Drive-Ability

　　Mustering all the youthful energy I could to experience the car as

　　it was meant to be driven, we carefully sat in the nearly pristine

　　seats and started 850 up and rolled onto our test loop. We knew we

　　were not winning any races with this car, but it's had enough pep

　　to feel like a feasible mode of transportation. It moved well and

　　came up to speed in fine fashion. The ride on the little wheels was

　　fine, if not a bit bumpy on road imperfections, but not unbearably

　　unstable or anything close. The fastback provided plenty of

　　visibility and the brakes worked well. Molto bene!

　　"My blood runs cold, my memory has just been sold, my angel is a

　　centerfold, angel is a centerfold!". This little Italian was

　　prominently featured in a Hemmings article and deservedly so. It's

　　a great little car in amazing, restored condition that's going to

　　make the next owner very happy. It's been garaged for 50 years and

　　is now looking for a nuova casa to occupy.

　　Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and

　　collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate

　　controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8

　　acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic

　　and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown,

　　Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the

　　I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit

　　or call us at (888) . Contact us

　　anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in

　　person.

　　With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and

　　we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host

　　Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends

　　in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and

　　automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune

　　in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy

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