The launch of the Fiat 850 Spyder was at the Geneva motorshow in March 1965. With upgrades along the way the model lasted until 1973. The main designer was Giorgetto Giugiaro of Bertone and he created a very pretty Italian sportscar, It combined smooth elegance in the body design with good functionality having a hood that disappeared completely into a space in the rear body in front of the engine. The large round headlights and the sleek shape helped to make the car very popular both in Europe and the USA.

Although the original Spyder used a 843 cc engine, it was later upgraded to 903 cc which is the engine of the 1973 Sport Spyder. Disc brakes were fitted as standard to this model. The AB prefix engine in this car has the screw on oil filter and oil cooler rather than just the centrifugal oil filter on standard engines. The car is equipped with adjustable shock absorbers.

These models are becoming ever more popular as lovers of classic cars become aware of their existence and the fun that can be had in an economical, but very glamorous car of this pedigree. It is also small enough for convenient storage.

A history file comes with the car that contains some past MOTs plus invoices for servicing and work carried out on the car. There is also a useful book including Abarth information and plenty of technical details. The current MOT is valid until June 2018.

It enjoys excellent panel gaps allied to a very pretty light blue colour. A new coil, master cylinder, high performance starter motor, and battery have just been fitted.

The car can be viewed in South Norfolk.