In the summer of 2007, I began my search for a small roadster. A lot of options out there: BMW Z3, Z4, Porshe Boxster, Honda S2000 and Miata. Trying to find something different than the norm, began looking for old classics. Drove a Spitfire, MG, Ghia, Sunbeam and Fiat Spider. All looked very nice but only one had the style and design I was looking for. Many Fiat 124s available in the $700-$10,000 range but all were in really bad condition or already fully restored. I needed a good balance of sound mechanics, restorable surface rust and half-way restoration so I could add my own customization. Finally, I found an ad on Craigslist that fit all my requirements. Search was over, time to get to work.

The Fiat 124 Spider is a great classic to work on.  Easy to fix, cheap & available parts, and noticeable on the road.  It is also fast and fun to drive.

The old paint and bondo was stripped to bare metal and painted in three stage metalic red, 14" Miata wheels with 4x98 adapters, bucket black leather seats, 500W amp moving a 12" sub/speakers in the custom made back seat box, front T-bone bumpers, ANSA free flow exhaust, Alpine CD stereo, custom made burl wood dash, and custom made door panels.  The engine has free flow air box on a 32 ADF carb with no emission pump, new distributor, new coil/cables/plugs, new brakes, new fuel/colling hoses...  It has actual 90,xxx miles with maintenance records dating back 15 years and it drives perfect.  A lot of work and greasy hands went into this project but I can not wait to start my next one.

Check out the entire story and current events at www.MyFiat124.com