This is an interesting thread . I purchased my spider from the second owner who was kinda the first owner What?? I know - hold on. It goes like this. A nurse purchased my spider new in Los Angeles, moved to Colorado and got married and had a kid (I really don't know if that is the correct order. The important part is she brought the spider to Colorado). Well, she then got divorced and the husband moved to TX with the kid (or maybe the kid moved later on, I don't know the specifics - just that the kid in question was at the time living in Houston, TX with the ex-husband of the nurse who willing claimed parrental rights to the befor mentioned brat). At some point, the nurse put the spider into storage until the kid turned 17. Once the kid turned 17, she shipped the spider down to Houston , TX. The ex-husband and father then spent $1,200.00 on getting the car drivable and able to pass inspection. Once it was ready to go, it was then presented to the 17 year old son of the nurse who backed it out of the driveway with the door open hitting the father's truck and hyper extending the driver's door. The father, a bit miffed by this time, got angry and kicked in the hood of the Fiat resulting in one broken hinge and a boot sixe dent. Frustrated, the father an son duo placed an add on craigslist advertizing the Fiat for $1,500.00 - I offered $1,200.00 and drove it home. The rest is recent history.
Wow, now you know the mystery behind the black hood in the picture. It is now a white hood.
In case you are wondering, yes, I know the names of all the players. I did find an old insurance card with the nurse's name and address on it behind the glove box dated 1984. And yes, she apparently drove it a while in Colorado because their was a parking sticker in the rear glass window of the convertible top that allowed it to park in their parking lot.