Hello, Ciao

My love for Classic Fiat 500's first started in 2015.  It was a summer and we were on vacation in the French Riveria, close to the Italian border.  I had wanted a classic car for a few years but had limited mechanical or bodywork skills, so I wanted something that would not bankrupt me if the dream went wrong!  

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I had spent the vacation pouring through websites and car magazines trying to find the right car for me, when my wife, Michele, suggested a Fiat 500.  From that moment our hunt began, and within a month of returning from vacation, we had purchased our first 500 (a 1966 F model). 

But the journey had only just started. 

 

A month later I broke down at my first car show, 3 miles from my house, and spent 5 hours waiting for a recovery truck. 

 

I desperately needed to learn about these cars but didn't know where to start, or anyone who could help me.  I spent days searching the internet for materials and then hours reading forums and manuals (sometimes trying to translate things I had found from Italian to English).  Eventually, I found a local mobile mechanic, Tom, who was able to fix things and teach me at the same time.  I also managed to find a seemingly rare 'paint and bodywork' course at a local college and attended that for a year.

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A couple of years of limited successes, and plenty of failures, led me to buy a second Classic Fiat 500 (a 1972 L model with a 650cc engine) because I was fed up with taking things apart and having no reference to work out how to put them back together!  What I had not predicted was double the frustration and double the costs ... 

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After more time, effort, and failure, I eventually started to gain knowledge and with it, confidence!  I began to tackle jobs on all areas of both cars and with ever more increasing complexity - complexity being subjective on a relatively basic classic car. 

 

However, the challenges and failures that I faced on my Fiat 500 journey stuck with me.  I started to think about the resources that I would have loved to have existed when I was new to Fiat 500s, and resources that I would love to have as an experienced owner. 

 

These thoughts created a desire in me to help myself and others ... so I started The 500 Workshop - initially a YouTube channel, recording all the jobs I do on my 500's - and now this Website, containing all the resources I have collected over the years, as well as links to my videos and other useful information.

 

I hope you like it, and that it makes your Classic Fiat 500 journey a great one.