Fiat 1200 TV Spyder

In 1955, a beautifully designed two-seater convertible made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show at Fiat’s stand. Based on the 1100-103 TV, which had already been in production for two years, the 1100 TV Trasformabile, which was designated the 1100 TV Spyder for export, stood there. It was characterized by an extraordinary playful design with chrome parts, which was sketched by Fabrio Luigi Rapi. He was clearly inspired by US models of the same era, as Fiat also hoped for sales success on the other side of the Atlantic. Initially, the four-cylinder engine under the bonnet produced 50 hp. In 1956, parallel to the basic saloon, the car was redesigned to the 1100E TV Spyder with slight optical modifications and an increase in power to 53 hp. As the bodywork was considerably more complex than that of the saloon, the sales price was higher than that of the upper class model 1900, which meant that the number of units remained rather small.

Only two years after the market launch, Fiat reacted to criticism from customers who criticized too little performance. Under the almost unchanged body was now the 1.2-liter four-cylinder engine from the 1200 Granluce. From today’s point of view, the increase in power to 55 hp may not justify the effort that Fiat put into this. However, in combination with a manual four-speed gearbox it provided a topspeed of 140 kph (87 mph). Externally, the 1200 TV Spyder differs from its predecessor mainly by the inwardly moved bumper horns at the front and rear. Inside there were now new seat cushions, a normal Fiat steering wheel instead of the formerly used Nardi wooden steering wheel and a band speedometer typical of the time. In addition, seats were installed that swung outwards to make it easier to get in and out of the car. Since the sales price didn’t decrease, the 1200 TV Spyder also remained a rare car. Only its successor, the Fiat 1200 Spider with Pininfarina bodywork built from 1959 onwards, reached noteworthy production figures with around 43,000 units.

RM Sotheby’s is auctioning a late model of the Fiat 1200 TV Spyder, produced in 1959, at their auction event in Amelia Island. Little is known about the early history of this car. Presumably the previous owner brought it from Europe to Nevada. In 2015 a restoration was carried out on behalf of the current owner at Auto Sport (now renamed Bacchelli & Villa) in Modena, Italy. The Fiat was given a new paint job in ‘Periwinkle Blue’ and a two-tone interior in dark and light blue. The fabric soft top and the carpets were also finished in dark blue to match. All interior work was carried out by the Italian company Lupi. To date, only about 88,500 kilometers have been covered by the speedometer. At the Festival Italiano 2017 in Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, the 1200 TV Spyder won the ‘Best of Show’ prize, and at the Concours in Ringlewood, also in the state of New Jersey, the ‘Best European Car’ award followed in the same year. At the auction, RM Sotheby’s now expects a hammer price between US$ 50,000 and US$ 70,000.

Images: RM Sotheby’s, Andrew Miterko