A delightful example of the classic Fiat sports roadster

[Tony Griffiths]

Odd, is it not, that after a huge amount of effort to make the car look "startling", they finish it off with a smattering of cross-head screws. The ones around the speedometer are particularly unpleasant. Still, an hour's work would see a number of trifling points put right - but what does the restorer's attitude to this (can't be bothered to source or make the correct form of screw) say to how the rest of the rebuild was tackled?

[Ray White]

Mike C is correct. The chassis number in fact 105177 and that is a replacement engine. I have the last owner as R.W. Foster. (Would that be Kit Foster by any chance?)

I think the errors in the description are simply sloppy cataloguing but using the body number as the chassis number has probably been done deliberately to make the car and the paperwork tally because officials in some American States do not recognise separate chassis and body numbers. I can envisage problems with the DVLA if the car was ever repatriated to the U.K.

I know it's too shiny etc. but apart from a few inaccuracies I think it is a fair restoration.

Trundles would quite like it as a stable mate.

[Lance Sheldrick]

You lot are like the two old gits in the muppet show!

It's terrible.

It's awful

It's not very good

It's pretty bad

It's reasonable I suppose

It's fairly good

It'll do

It's quite good

It's terrific

Hurrah!


It will be interesting to see what it makes.

[Austin in the Shed]

Too much of an american style of restoration for me too.

[Mike Costigan]

Ray, it's quite possible the DVLA records have the car's identity as the Car Number rather than the Chassis Number anyway; to be pedantic, we should really be identifying our cars by the Car Number - the equivalent of today's VIN code - rather than the Chassis Number. The Austin records were all done by Car Number, which was the identity of the complete vehicle rather than just one component; the confusion arose because the original Registration process asked for the chassis number when registering a new vehicle and this is what most authorities supplied.

[Reckless Rat]

The real question aboout this car has already been asked. What would you do with it in this state, apart from taking it to shows in the back of a horse box and tickling it with a Nanette? No-one in their right mind wouild actually want to drive it like this, surely?

Is that actually an original colour scheme? It defies logic given the British climate.

Whatever, not my tasse de thé, even if I had the laiton. Bonne dimanche les gars.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Swallows came in various unusual colour schemes - unusually most had coloured wings and wheels (i.e. green, blue, burgundy etc.), with a contrasting (often but not always) lighter body colour.

Swallows are often very valuable because they are popular amongst Jaguar collectors who want a complete collection.

They have many unique parts and badging, these are very difficult, but not impossible, to find and some are even possible to get new thanks to some dedicated individuals!

My mum is looking for her model, worth seeing if it located.

[Mick Hobday]

Someone messed up on tying descriptions to cars. The Fiat would appear to be this:

https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/el20/...der/820824

[Nick Salmon]

Love the period, orange, dizzy cap.

[Duncan Grimmond]

If I could afford it I'd use it as my daily driver to see if I could regain some of its lost soul. A bit of road muck, coffee stains on the carpet and some briar scratches would do it the power of good