Forza Friday: The cute & charming 1972 Fiat 850 Sport Spider revealed

[@MAHGlie]

Lol. I had one in high school overseas in 1976. Fun but you had to stay on the rust. The convertible top window was so yellowed that I cut it out which made a great place to strap down an ice chest! One day I was leaving an Army post and the guard at the gate pulled me over for going too fast... 20 in a 15mph. I had to explain that it wouldn't go 15 without stalling. One other story, never lube the cigarette lighter with WD-40. I was on a mountain road with the top down, punched the lighter, and when it popped out it shot out like a bullet, between the seats and onto a pile of shop rags on the small shelf. Almost ran off the mountain trying to put the fire out. The original carb was a 2bbl Weber. When the car wouldn't idle, I'd have to pop the top off the float chamber and rod out the pilot circuit with a wire. Good for another week of driving. It handled well, but build quality was non-existent. FIAT, Fix It Again Tony.

[@mnhsty]

Bought one of these new for laughs in 1970 and fell in love with it. Fun drive and well over 40 mpg highway, too, which hardly even mattered with gas and $0.25.

[@jazz4asahel]

Years ago driving my Fiat 850 Sport Spider, I came to a sudden unexpected T in the road where I could make an impossible turn or continue straight into a canal. My thoughts were shock, what's the use, and, I might as well try the turn. I tried to turn and the Spider squared the corner. I was equal parts amazement and relief. The brand new Michelin tires were partly to credit. The little 850 is no longer with me, but I still love it for getting me out of trouble.

[@cindymc7e875]

This was my first car. I dearly loved it!

[@chas4life]

I bought two if these in 1980 for $300. A '72 that ran but was so rusted that it would sag if you opened the door. And a '69 that didn't run. Ended up selling the '72 for the $300 I had on both, and then rebuilt the motor on the '69 with parts ordered from JC Whitney catalog. Drove that car in the winter from Virginia to Washington state, and being a poor college kid ended up selling it to pay tuition. Great memories working on that car and making the journey. To this day, I don't think I've seen another one in person. Thanks for the video!

[@Thinginator]

I'm watching this because I found one of these in a local junkyard with surprisingly little rust. I want to rescue it so bad, but don't have the money for another project right now. They're so cute, and they sound like a lot of fun!

[@Apollo9733us]

It was my first car, it was a 69 and was just a blast to drive. Battery was in front which caused battery issues, but one could push start the car with ease, drop it into first and pop the clutch and your off and running. It only had a little over a 5 gallon gas tank, but got over 50 mpg. Fun car:)

[@Hazwaste63]

Got to drive one of these back in high school on occasion. Not fast, not reliable, but was great looking, made a great sound and was fun to drive compared to other cars of the 70's.

[@JohnStarkey-m1x]

Many do not know this car was the best cornering car made ever until the new Corvette. Only two production cars to pull 1.1 lateral G`s while cornering. As a teenager, I never lost a game of cat and mouse. The most powerful Mustangs, Pontiac Firebirdes, and Dodge or Plymouths all lost. Every time. All I had to do is get ahead once and corner like a wild idiot, and they were done.

[@highdesert50]

This was my first car ... bought quite used. Added Abarth parts, decambered, raced it on weekends H production and drove it to work during the week. Great fun in its day and easy to rebuild. But, that Weber carb was a bugger.

[@troyinsc1937]

my dad bought me a 72 spider as my first car... The guy we bought it from gave us 3 boxes of parts, that should have been my first clue... Kept the car for about 3 months before learning it had a cracked head... Had to sell it, and got an even sportier 1978 Buick Skylark..lol.. Talk about being bumped out....

[@fjnagle2nd]

Not sure about this particular car, mine had a Weber 2bbl carb. I accidently (after adjusting the valves) shortened the throttle cable (by set screw) and had a full time 2bbl carb. Got me rubber in 1,2,3rd gears no problem. Completely changed the cars personality. It was truly one of the most fun cars I've ever owned...

[@soundpainter2590]

Shawn Smith Oh yea ! I was @ 17 lucky to trade an RD 350 for a 850 sport spider from a guy who raced one @ Sebring ect. A mechanic. It was COMPLETELY tricked out W/ 2 brl Weber, & manifold, aggressive cam, different ignition, milled head, & a header/Trush exhaust!. & Still reliable! ( had a bad spot in Original starter) It Drove & handled unreal ! & I bought my RD back! Those were the days ! 79-80. Body by Pinnenfarina !

[@fredgrove4220]

That is a twin choke Solex carb, not a single barrel.

Weber 30 DIC. Single barrel, twin choke.

[@Yodaandhislightsabre]

Most fun car I ever had. Not the fastest. Not the most reliable. I still miss mine.

[@tomhorst7614]

Found one in a barn recently. Red like that and in beautiful condition. Family wants to save for granddaughter who is 8 yrs old. Had belonged to brother who passed. Shows of being well taken care of.

[@EnglishroG]

Please don't put non-original seats in it. :-)

[@KellyInOH]

I had a '68, and loved it. The thing lasted for 330,000 miles before an engine rebuild. Easiest car in the world to work on. It would (slowly) go up to about 90mph, which is plenty and it got about 50 mph. I thought the funniest thing was that the wiper fluid was transported via a foot pump.

[@gregorytimmons4777]

Wow! That's great engine life. I didn't know any of them lasted long enough to put that many miles on.

I wouldn't bet on getting that mileage out of one.

[@Gewehr_3]

Older cars like this are more visceral and lightweight. The cars actually talk to you and respond to every little output you give it unlike modern cars. Speed isn't everything.

[@ctsfiddler]

I remember being on the hyway at 60 and the front end was off the ground. I could turn the wheel and still go straight. Still it has something special.

[@mboiko]

My First Car - 1969 Fiat 850 Spider body designed by Bertone. Bought the car after graduating from High School in 72 for daily transportation to the State University of New York on Long Island. As the the temp dropped below 40 degrees, so did the probability of the engine starting. Installed an ANSA exhaust and loved sitting in my parents garage (with door open) and revving the engine..loved the sound. Fun car, and one I fondly remember to this day, then on to 66 Mustang, 71 Super Beetle, etc..

[@gertvanpeet3120]

In fact, i had the Seat 133, which was a follow up model from the Fiat 850.. that was in 1986...

[@mrradman2986]

I had one for my first car, loved it. Pretty chic for its humble origins, the tailights are the same as a Lamborghini Muira. Rear view mirror is identical to contemporary Ferraris.

[@brain96969]

The sound is real good!

[@ronaldross3978]

I have one in my garage right now. 1970 Fiat 850 Sport Spider. I completely restored it in 2000 to give to my daughter. After twenty years of not talking to me, I will get it running and may sell it. I purchased it in 1983 and did the first restoration of it. I need to rebuild the carburetor for it before I can get it running. It has a Weber 30 DICA and they are not available anymore. I suppose that I will also need to go thru the brakes again.

[@mkshffr4936]

Engine access for maintenance is much better than the X1/9.

[@johnzornow1107]

4:53 did that 850 drove UPHILL!?

[@skswig1]

these were every where in the 70's. People couldn't give them away.

[@studiocalder818]

Right, haha!

[@skswig1]

@@studiocalder818 Seriously, these and the Fiat X 1/9's You just couldn't sell them after they got ten years old or so. People did not want to keep them up, you didn't have the parts network like now. Plus they were different and fussy, hard to work on, took metric tools ect. They just rotted away in peoples back yards.

[@77AD77]

what a tremendous car above that this old man is thing i like most in this video what an astonishing man

[@robertmclaughlin5503]

bought one in 1972 and had so much fun I had to buy another one.This was great for me because I loved the way he fixed it uo.Nrwer card and great Abarth exhaust .My engine needs work .

[@NovemberJoseph]

One of my most favorite reviews

[@Mladjasmilic]

Same 903 cc engine was in Yugo 45 that Bruce Willis drove in Die hard 2 . It was nade for ecenomy , not speed.

[@dehoedisc7247]

As for the Yugo, it was meant to be a Piece Of Shit, and only viable in a Communist country where citizens were pawns at the mercy of the corrupt government. Of course it was Not meant for speed. Pawns have no right to speed, and are lucky to have a piece of shit car.

[@planetx5269]

That car is sooo neat!! I had an 850 powder blue convertible and an MGA. I wish I had kept the Fiat.It was such a cute car and so much fun to drive and got fantastic gas millage. It eas also very easy to work on. I would love to find an 850 Racer. Same shape but was a hardtop very nicely styled. These things handle great too and rid nice. One of my favorite cars.

[@raymondhaddon2748]

Hi I had two of these 850 sport spiders loved it I wish I would have saved them both

[@RobSweigard]

If you are an 850 enthusiast you may find some of my videos interesting as I have used this car in a number of them. This car owner is completely right on driving these. They are like legal go carts. Not fast but certainly a head turner. I purchased this unit in 1987 it was near the end of its life. I should have let it die, but decided to keep it alive. Numerous welding, mechanical and body work skills were sharpened and when you put it on the road for the summer you actually can have some real driving fun in between issues. I can relate to the comment below "it wouldn't run at 15 mph". When you have owned one of these for 35 years you have first hand experience on almost every possible issue, yet every summer I still seem to get another surprise. ☺ I still run the original Marelli points/condenser ignition system. They are becoming more rare due to parts availability and possibly the serious rusty characteristics. ☺♥†♪♫ 12-25-2022

[@dawge30]

I live in Staunton, VA; not too far from a junkyard that has one (or at least the body of one). Also in my neighborhood sits a 1973 Lotus Elan. God, I want it!!!

[@DSC800]

Had this car for fun in the early '80's. Took a road trip through central California and actually got a speeding ticket on that trip (maybe it was the "speed" yellow color). To change out the clutch I supported the engine on a milk crate, unbolted it from the trans, removed the rear panel, then pushed the car away for full access. Terribly unreliable car which made it good to learn about working on cars. Bought it for $600, sold it for $300.

[@davidbergaragonzalez5653]

There is one for sale near me. I'm in the market for my first car and the price is so right. It looks to be in great shape but we'll see. I just need something to get me around campus and this looks so beautiful.

[@matthewboyea3860]

How did that go?

[@pauloisidoro2]

They are getting expensive to buy as they are very much sought after. Another car that s getting rare to find is the Suzuki cappuccino they are extremely funny car to drive.

[@videowsatcher]

as I think it was James May said (in essence): you enjoy driving and chucking a car more the closer you are to a car's limit, on public roads most performance/sporting vehicles this bar is too high. On cars like these its probably easy to reach and hence prob why hes driving it more and more

[@kaustein]

I had 1968 that bought new for $2268. The car looked cool, but I soon found out that FIAT was an acronym for Fix It Again Tony!

[@querindaniele]

so funny and original!!! -_-''

[@almeisam]

My very first car was a 1969 Fiat 850 Spider. I think Sport must be the engine size. Mine as 800cc. This was in 1973.

[@SwPiotrek]

Very cool car, and review!

[@carlosjaros2486]

Sweet little car!

[@CannabinatedFantasy]

Don't drive in the snow. Rust will set in immediately.

[@cosolote]

I noticed that the interviewer talked with sarcasm, not funny. Have some respect for other people's stuff.

[@josephbohme7917]

I had a 69 coupe and it cost me $1470 used in 1970 with about 20k miles in Santa Clara CA engine seized by '74 had lots of fun w it but half axles would come out of trans. when you cornered with better tires bad strength frame

[@EastBayBlue]

They called it a Sport Spider because there were also 850 coupes and sedans also. I had a coupe, my first front wheel drive car.

[@alaindumas1824]

The coupe have the same architecture as the spider. It is a rear wheel drive car. However the same engine block was later put transversally on the front in Fiat 127 and Autobianchi A112.

[@OTGBob]

I've managed to accumulate 4 in North Dakota over the years. The most recent is a 70 with an aftermarket fastback hardtop. Pretty funky. I'm looking for a regular removable top if anyone has one...

[@josephbohme7917]

i had its front lowered with Abarth reverse leaf kit in '72 got a top of 103 with a aluminum dam spoiler I made keeping it 4" above road.

[@gothhearse]

awesome video

[@rainchains]

"four little headers"... that's a header.

[@chrishenniker5944]

I'd love to stick a current 875cc Twin Air or 1.4 litre turbo out of the current 124 up its arse, mated to a Volkswagen transaxle. Make a daily driver and drag car out of it.

[@ivanobovolenta4528]

very nice car.

[@Black-Villain]

Anyone know of a good place to get parts for these?

[@ToyKingWonder]

HitlerTheStripper eBay, Mrfiat.com, midwestbayless.com, I have more if you have specific needs.

[@GambisRestorations]

+HitlerTheStripper Just find a lawn mower.

[@kanagawayarichin]

Italy

[@bigwong6206]

I've owned one of these for 15 years. Procured tons of parts from Fun Imported Auto and Toys in Bolton CT. The owner is a vintage Fiat wizard, and bought up massive parts inventories when Fiat left USA in the late 70's. Good luck, and keep yer profanity dictionary handy.

Ebay has quite a few Fiat parts sellers. Almost every part is available apart from body panels.

[@oceanhome2023]

Had a buddy in 1980 who had 5 of these , they rusted so quickly he needed all of them for parts , they were cheap but looked real cool kind of like the precursor to the Fiat X1/9 . One he had put VW Dune buggy engine And trany in the back , he had to stretch the body wider with fiberglass flares ! The 1835 motor had it pulling wheelies all of the time , too much power so he gave up on it ! I wanted it but I am lucky I didn’t I would have killed myself !

[@vanderpoolfarmsl.l.c.9983]

There is NO car on the road that corners like one of these. For what it lacks in HP or quality, NOTHING comes close to it's handling, period.

[@hagbard72]

I've always been told you have to know how to swear in Italian to own one.

[@vagabond1776]

I want one!

[@Slickpete83]

imagine this car with a modern engine swap !!

[@gregorytimmons4777]

Superbike engine.

[@lincolnbeard3006]

I had one in high school. By far the worst car I’ve ever had. I bought a 280 Zx after I sold the fiat. Much better!

[@charlesumile3656]

I own a '73

[@Slickpete83]

YES!

[@TheRealBrook1968]

My orange on e died in 1993. Best car to turn girls heads.

[@dehoedisc7247]

Electronics? Beyond the ignition and the radio (if equipped) there ain't much electronics there, old timer.

[@dehoedisc7247]

@Mark Ward Why do you need to object to my comment, and then basically agree with my statement about the LACK of electronics, except for an added electronic upgrade. Sounds like you like to see your name on line, and don't care exactly what you say. Asshole.

[@dehoedisc7247]

@Mark Ward My original comment as to the Lack of electronics in an old bus was to compare that lack with the enormous amount of electronics in a MODERN bus. No comparison ! And you come at me with some bullshit. Asshole.

[@dehoedisc7247]

@Mark Ward Just to set the record straight, I mentioned the radio in the vehicle, and in those olden times, a radio was the primary electronic item. But you let that go right by you. If you are going to talk as if you know what you are talking about, let's get to it, dude. Bring It On.

[@dehoedisc7247]

@ Electrical Analog items, hardly electronic.

[@jackpontiac52]

Drop a Subaru engine in one! Find one with a Blown Engine and you have an Excuse!

[@Yodaandhislightsabre]

Better swap the transmission too. The output shaft is weak. Ask me how I know.

[@DrewM91105]

You might work on your interviewing skills. You repeatedly interrupt or talk over this guy. You repeatedly insult his car as if it were a cheap piece of junk, adopting the usual comments about Fiats, and amazingly you make these remarks to a very successful Fiat owner of a very nice Fiat. What gives with that? This car owner is a very pleasant guy who has stories to tell about his car. He's also a very nice guy most people would like to talk to about his car. But you largely ignore him and the car. You pretty much ignore his comment about his painting the car himself. You describe the car's engine instead of him describing it. What interviewer would do that? Is this ageism where you just assume this old guy can't explain things, so you have to do it for him? For goodness sake, let him talk about this beautiful car he restored. You ask no follow-up questions about anything he said -- not about his repainting the car himself, not his story of putting Porsche seats in the car which is pretty interesting, not about how he got the engine to run so smoothly, now about the car's "electronics" which you laugh at, not even about how the car managed to avoid rusting or how he found it or how he learned to work on car. Isn't this supposed to be an interview of the owner of the car -- not you -- and about the car itself and not about your comments about the car? About the exhaust, at least you say, "That does sound good" at one point. It makes it sound as if you almost care. If I were him, I would have shut down the interview. I think he's unusually tolerant and easy-going to continue talking to you.

[@NathanDAdlen]

No

[@phoenixlyrics5994]

People likely got rid of their 850s, cause of not being capable of getting their pregnant wife to the hospital, on time, welcoming their baby, into the world, on the uncomfortable passenger side seat, of a Fiat.

[@keanesee01]

NO!

[@justinsane7128]

I owned one of these worst car I ever owned in my life it blew up don't