50th anniversary car?

[Mattt123]

Hello Gang. I just purchased a 1981 124 spider from a gentleman in Houston. When I got the car home I noticed that it had been repainted at some point.I found the original color (light gold) hidden in the trunk compartment. I also noticed that the dash, steering wheel and visors are brown leather instead of black. Also it has a small plaque on the dash that says 1930 - 1980 Pininfarina 801 and has a larger number 50 on it. I believe that it may be a 50th anniversary special edition car, number 801 of 1000. Is this a big deal? Should I try to restore it to it's original color etc? I'm not crazy about that color but I somehow feel that if it is a special car of some kind that I might have an obligation to preserve it. Are the 50th anniversary cars any more
valuable to collectors? Thanks for any thoughts on this.

[spider2081]

Some people say no. I think they are more collectable. Of the 1000 LE cars made there are probably less than 500 road worthy. Many of them rusted out. The 14" wheels alone have a value. There were 3 plaques on the car. One on the dash, and one under the Pinna emblem on both sides of the car. Also there was a special key bob with the cars # on it
I guess I'm saying if the car is salvageable it will be more valuable that other 81's in time.

[vandor]

Supposedly it had a special color that was not on any color chart and is hard to match. But it may be just an old wives tale.

[SoFlaFiat]

Just in case it is not common knowledge, a certain few of the anniversary edition cars came with custom shag!!

http://ocala.craigslist.org/cto/4712170525.html

[spider2081]

I think that was in the LLE Limited limited Edition. Limited to only one car . LOL

[mscafide]

It is semi restored.

[Exit98]

Frankly I don't think anyone will particularly care that it's a "special edition". But maybe that's just me.

Restored Beetles sell for more than our Spiders. Value is determined primarily by the condition of the car, particularly in regard to the absence of rust.

No one pays more for a "matching numbers" Fiat Spider.

[Mattt123]

I see what you mean. Thanks for all the info guys. It's very helpful.
I Think I will just leave everything original or restored to original,
except the paint since that is changed already anyhow.
If the next guy wants to bring it back to gold
that won't be too hard.

[azruss]

the pendulum swings back and forth on the desirability of matching number cars. There may be a day 20 years from now where a matching Fiat like yours would bring big bucks.

[4uall]

http://www.international-auto.com/champ ... spider.cfm

[spiderrey]

I personally think that they should be save and restored.

[bradartigue]

No one pays more for a "matching numbers" Fiat Spider.

Perhaps because there is no such thing.

An anniversary edition car in un-restored and excellent condition would likely be worth more than a "normal" Spider, but not so much more as to make restoring it to that condition worthwhile. The anniversary editions weren't special except for a minor cosmetic package that could also be ordered separately (though few ever had it done).

The only really rare Spiders are the rally cars - CSA. They're worth quite a bit and are barely even the same car as a 124 Spider. To those of us who own Spiders the 85.5 rack and pinion cars are interesting, but they're hardly worth much outside of our little world.

[Fi8spider]

http://www.international-auto.com/champ ... spider.cfm

Side by side with a Spider of the same vintage and condition the LE would be worth more in my world.
Maybe it is just a one off color and a few cosmetic bits and pieces but the fact that it was released in limited numbers makes it a touch more valuable.

Back to the the original question, I would say yes. Purely on a personal level, now that I'm older and most probably wiser I would feel compelled to preserving it's originality to the best of my ability.

Regarding "matching numbers", in the case of nearly all Fiat production cars there is no such thing as Brad points out. "Matching numbers" would apply if the vehicle had the engine number stamped on the build plate.

Not sure on the Spiders but many other Fiats of the era had the paint code on the build plate or a decal, now that's something I've looked for in the past when purchasing Fiats.

Good luck with it all mate, sounds like a nice couple of 124's you have there, you may need a 124 sedan to complete the set..

[Frog2Spider]

Hello Gang. I just purchased a 1981 124 spider from a gentleman in Houston. When I got the car home I noticed that it had been repainted at some point.I found the original color (light gold) hidden in the trunk compartment. I also noticed that the dash, steering wheel and visors are brown leather instead of black. Also it has a small plaque on the dash that says 1930 - 1980 Pininfarina 801 and has a larger number 50 on it. I believe that it may be a 50th anniversary special edition car, number 801 of 1000. Is this a big deal? Should I try to restore it to it's original color etc? I'm not crazy about that color but I somehow feel that if it is a special car of some kind that I might have an obligation to preserve it. Are the 50th anniversary cars any more
valuable to collectors? Thanks for any thoughts on this.

You truly can only compare 'apples with apples' or in this case, Spiders to Spiders. 2 equally, well restored 81 Spidesrs are some-what worth the same (give or take location, time of year, and possibly a thousand other things)

A very well restored 1965 4 door sedan chev, with 30,000 miles, isn't worth anything ,when compared to a 1965 Super Sport convertible, un-restored with 5 times the milage.

If you are wanting to restore, or even just 'fix up' a car to re-sell for a profit, the Spider is probably a bad choice. However, if you want a vehicle to drive and enjoy, the Spider is perfect. Plus, Having a 'one of a kind', makes for a great conversation subject when showing it off.

The value can't always be measured in $$
F 2 S