1937 Fiat 1500 Cabriolet

Offered by Bonhams | Brooklands, U.K. | December 3, 2012

This is a good-looking car. It’s clean and – when you usually think of nice, big cabriolets from the 1930s, Fiat isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. So it’s a little surprising that I’m this drawn to it as it would have never occurred to me that Fiat built something this nice. When I think “Fiat from the 1930s,” I think “Topolino.”

The 1500 was introduced in 1935 and it remained in production until 1950 (of course, they took a few years off in there because of the war). This car was designed with the help of a wind-tunnel – one of the first such cars to do so. A normal 1500 sedan has a very rakish and aerodynamic grille. This car, with gorgeous coachwork from Ghia, has a more upright grille – a grille that would become standard on the series in 1940.

The engine is a 1.5-liter straight-six making 45 horsepower. Top speed was near 70 mph and 42,500 of these cars (in all body styles) were produced by the time production wrapped. The history of this car is known since the end of the war, where it found itself in South Africa. A few owners later, the car was restored. It is believed to be the only Ghia-bodied Fiat 1500 in existence. And it’s nice. The estimate is $110,000-$140,000. For more information, click here. And for more from Bonhams at Brooklands, click here.

Update: Sold $128,600.