General Fiat 1500 out and about

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General Fiat 1500 out and about

Marques in the Park Canberra
 

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Short video of 1500 and Alfa Giulia

[ame]https://youtu.be/IltKjawrpOg[/ame]

And 1500 overtaking a lot of cars on a classic car run. (So I could video them?) Love the sound of the webers.

[ame]https://youtu.be/PJgaTwNCBEU[/ame]
 
Wakefield Park Historic racing

Any photos of the interior? My old dad used to have a 1500 when I was an infant but I can still clearly remember it... apart from whether his had the horizontal chrome strip through the radiator grille (like the white one in your earlier photos) or the single apperture like yours.

He had the oval rear lights like yours though, not the larger square ones (which I think went with the split-grille version) so I think his was more like yours. 1962 model I think it was, since it pre-dated the UK's registration number change.

Ralf S.
 
Any photos of the interior? My old dad used to have a 1500 when I was an infant but I can still clearly remember it... apart from whether his had the horizontal chrome strip through the radiator grille (like the white one in your earlier photos) or the single apperture like yours.

He had the oval rear lights like yours though, not the larger square ones (which I think went with the split-grille version) so I think his was more like yours. 1962 model I think it was, since it pre-dated the UK's registration number change.

Ralf S.

Hi

I will try to remember to take some on the weekend

Cheers

Geoff
 
I think my old dad's 1500 was Fiat Medium Light Blue (code 403 from what I've been able to dig out on t'internet) with deep red vinyl seats.

It was blinging enough, even without a "Millecinquecento" script, in chrome metal, stuck to the painted glove box lid. (y)


Ralf S.
 

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I think my old dad's 1500 was Fiat Medium Light Blue (code 403 from what I've been able to dig out on t'internet) with deep red vinyl seats.

It was blinging enough, even without a "Millecinquecento" script, in chrome metal, stuck to the painted glove box lid. (y)


Ralf S.

This might look familiar then....

Also see my YouTube channel classicfiats for footage of it driving.

For example https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAUJa2GF7f_VuLToaeJBcRA
 

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That's the boy! :D

I'm fairly sure that my dad's old one had a red Fiat badge inside the steering wheel, rather than black.. but the seats were identical. They were so wide that for a long time I couldn't remember whether his car had a bench seat ... but then I recall that it had seat adjusters for rake etc. so it must have had separate seats. It's good to see (again) what they actually looked like.

Your "milleciquecento" script needs to be chrome though.. so get it re-plated. That was the high-spot of sitting up front, so it's iconic. :D

I can't recall if my dad's 1500 had rubber mats over the transmission tunnel... or carpets. He could well have put over-mats in there that covered the hump and both footwells. I remember the ribbed "Fiat" ones.. but I may be thinking of my uncles old 500. :D

That old instrument console with the "strip"-alike speedo is genius and just as I remember it. The blue high beam light was always the special one.. we hardly ever saw it. The red "MAR" (?) and oil light were on every time he started it.. :D

But... yours looks manual gearbox with the lever on the floor. I could swear blind my dad's old 1500 has a chrome stick shifter on the column but it was a (4 speed?) manual, with a mini H-gate on there. He never had an auto', for sure... so I'm either confused about the shifter.. or he had some random gearlever that wasn't made or didn't exist for very long. I dunno if you know any more about it.

His handbrake may have been in the centre of the tunnel... but now I see where yours is, it vaguely rings a bell (and would be more likely). I remember that between the "bench" seats and the dashboard it was pretty much uncluttered...we could easily clamber from one side of the car to the other (usually when my dad had the car on a jack and was working underneath it.... 1970's! :D )


Ralf S.
 
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That's the boy! :D

I'm fairly sure that my dad's old one had a red Fiat badge inside the steering wheel, rather than black.. but the seats were identical. They were so wide that for a long time I couldn't remember whether his car had a bench seat ... but then I recall that it had seat adjusters for rake etc. so it must have had separate seats. It's good to see (again) what they actually looked like.

Your "milleciquecento" script needs to be chrome though.. so get it re-plated. That was the high-spot of sitting up front, so it's iconic. :D

I can't recall if my dad's 1500 had rubber mats over the transmission tunnel... or carpets. He could well have put over-mats in there that covered the hump and both footwells. I remember the ribbed "Fiat" ones.. but I may be thinking of my uncles old 500. :D

That old instrument console with the "strip"-alike speedo is genius and just as I remember it. The blue high beam light was always the special one.. we hardly ever saw it. The red "MAR" (?) and oil light were on every time he started it.. :D

But... yours looks manual gearbox with the lever on the floor. I could swear blind my dad's old 1500 has a chrome stick shifter on the column but it was a (4 speed?) manual, with a mini H-gate on there. He never had an auto', for sure... so I'm either confused about the shifter.. or he had some random gearlever that wasn't made or didn't exist for very long. I dunno if you know any more about it.

His handbrake may have been in the centre of the tunnel... but now I see where yours is, it vaguely rings a bell (and would be more likely). I remember that between the "bench" seats and the dashboard it was pretty much uncluttered...we could easily clamber from one side of the car to the other (usually when my dad had the car on a jack and was working underneath it.... 1970's! :D )


Ralf S.

Hi Ralf

Glad brings back good memories. You were right about the gear lever and rubber mats. I converted mine to a five speed a long time ago. Compared to other 60s cars the column shift on the Fiat was very precise.

I have only seen black in the centre of steering wheels on the 1500 but it may have been an easy thing to change.

The array of lights was always impressive compared to contemporary cars, My millecinquecento script is a shiny gold/brass colour.

In the mark one and two, they left the handbrake on the left of the tunnel on right hand drive cars so it’s always fun reaching across. After 33 years I am used to it.

Cheers

Geoff
 
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