Hey everyone, it's been a while since I last posted.

Things in my life have changed and unfortunately I've got to sell my bambino

It's been a while since I last looked in depth at what 500s in the UK are selling for. I'm thinking of offering it up for auction at the end of September, but wasn't sure what a realistic guide price, plus reserve, might be.

The car is a '68 500f RHD with a 650 engine and a recently rebuilt 650 gearbox and a new clutch. The car has 45k miles on the clock. The previous owner did a full bare-metal restoration around 8 years ago and replaced any rusted panels. It was resprayed in red by the previous owner and the finish is great, but not perfect. It's got a new, custom tan and white interior, along with new carpets.

The car has had an MoT each year, done by a local classics expert.

Other bits my dad and I did were:
Fit a rebuilt Dell'Orto 32/28 carb, with Ramflo air filter
Added an Abarth alloy fan cooling cover
Fit electronic ignition, plus new HT leads and a new coil
Uprate the wiring to accommodate modern halogen bulbs
Fitted inertia reel seatbelts

It also comes with a Hamilton outdoor car cover.

I've also got a spare gearbox, a spare engine (minus the cylinder head), two sports exhausts, an Abarth alloy sump, an Abarth alloy rocker cover, plus various other sundry items. I might include these with the auction, or sell them separately. If there's any interest here I'll stick them on the classifieds page as I'd really like them to go to one of you guys if anyone wants them.

Prices seem to be on the rise at the moment. I've seen quite a few offered around the £12-14k mark, but was thinking perhaps £10k would be more likely.

Any ideas? Thanks!

Hi Matt, good to hear from you, but sorry to hear that you are having to get rid of the Cinquecento. Prices have been a bit silly lately, but I think £10,000 would be a good price , with £8,000 as the reserve. I am interested in some of your 'spares', I will contact you direct to see what you have and how much you want for them.

Thanks Tom, your figures were what I had in mind too.

Drop me an email if there's anything that might take your fancy

Too bad you aren’t in the US as these are going for silly money here. Partly because they aren’t as plentiful on this side of the pond, partly because some people seem to be able to heat their homes by burning piles of cash.

Edit: i honestly thought we were just talking about the prices of 500's in general. My apologies, i didnt realize op was asking for feedback on his car.



Honestly i applaud the rising prices of these cars. People think because they arnt big, they cant be expensive. The 500 has a fantastic history, extremely unique, a definite driving experience, and also falls into design and artistic aspects that are not all automotive related. They tick almost all the boxes for an enjoyable and novelty classic car.

Anyone who has done a full proper restoration, will know that the restoration price for these little gems can easily spiral out of control, as i am experiencing now lol. All the little bits and pcs to bring one of these back to like new or better then new condition adds up quickly, especially when we take shipping and currency conversion into place.

Up in my neck of the woods, 500's are very scarce, but they do appear sometimes.
On avg, a avg condition one ranges from $14-18k cad. The underlying aspect is, i know at that price, they are all hiding some nasty mediocre repair under some bondo, and/or have some major wear and tear issues. Majority of the ones over here were in loose terms "restored" back in Italy, of which seen the workmanship vary significantly. Rarely does anyone fully restore one here on Canadian soil to a suitable condition imo, parts are expensive to get here.


Recently a very nice 500D appeared locally, and the seller was asking around $29K cad. And rightfully so, i think he deserves it. The car is in fantastic shape, looks to be restored with care, and is a great 500 example. I would say the restoration is around 10-15 years old, but was well kept.

Again, it all depends what your looking for and what your end result is. I would like to say/see good/great condition 500's hover in the $25-35k range here in Canada. Obviously the older ones being more sought after. For me the white binnacle/wheel is one of the novelties of these cars. The negative aspect that retracts from the price is, not alot of people know the historical importance or significance of these cars on NA soil. The Italian communities do still hold these little gems to heart.