The Story

Here is the Car and Driver article that started it all. The summer of 1969 was a peak time for me. I was 23, fresh out of the Air Force, just married, and men were about to land on the moon. My world was rich, free, and a little crazy. This issue of Car and Driver magazine arrived in July raving about the Fiat 124 Sport Coupe and, at the same time, a Fiat dealership opened in Durham, N.C. where we lived. I bought one.

The Old Original

We bought the original Coupe from O'Briant Motors in Durham, North Carolina. Buying a Fiat as basic transportation in the deep south in 1969 was not a stroke of brilliance. We had a great time with the car for about ten years despite the usual Fiat lack of reliability. My most vivid memory was when we were moving from Smithfield, North Carolina to Quincy, Illinois. My wife and I had about $500 total to our names. We had a dog, two cats, and some awesome house plants crammed in with us for the two day trip. A piston cracked as we crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains, but we still made it.

Click small photos below to view larger versions.

Durham, NC 1969

Outer Banks, NC 1969

Smithfield, NC 1972

Quincy, IL 1980

The New Original

I have had my eye out for a '69 Coupe in good shape for some time. The later coupes just didn't bring back the same warm fuzzies for me (for obvious reasons, see above). A California coupe showed up on ebay that looked good except for the color, and I went for it. It was in great shape. One quarter sized rust spot and all the trim in perfect shape! It cost $1200 to have it shipped across country from Pasadena.

May, 2004
The End Of the Rainbow

What was green is red. A glowing coat of Dupont RS911K polyurethane paint now protects the Little Deuce Coupe. All trim and glass was removed; rust was cut out, and new metal welded in; all interior surfaces were rustproofed; and everything was taken down to bare metal. The folks at Automotive Innovations did a superb job on the paint. All stainless trim was sent to Bob Mayle in New York and polished to show quality. All rubber weather-stripping was replaced. My goal was to return the external appearance of the coupe to original showroom condition, clunky stock wheels and all.

The engine compartment has not been detailed. All I wanted under the hood was reliability and no distracting vices. The engine has been torn down and all gaskets and seals replaced. My ace mechanic Clifton says the 1592 cc engine has very little wear and should be solid. All mechanical systems have been gone through, all fluids replaced, and all maintenance performed. The car starts, drives, turns, and stops without any distractions or bad habits. With the new door seals, the cabin is reasonably quiet and comfortable at 60 mph, with that lovely sewing machine hum that 124s have when they are running right.

Please tour the rest of the site. You will find lots of new stuff. The Photo Album page has some very nice pictures of the new paint job. I've added an Artwork page. The maintenance history has been updated. Please let me know what you think.

Restoration Resources:

ebay Search for: Fiat 124
Bayless Fiat Lancia World parts
Bruce's Parts Bin parts
Fun Imported Auto and Toys parts
Bob Mayle's Stainless Trim Restoration refinish stainless trim to show quality
JC Whitney Rubber Weatherstripping
Auto-Pyjama Soft flannel car covers

Links:

Fiat 124 Sport Coupe Owner's Registry - the most comprehensive collection of photos, stories, for sale listings, and owner information for the 124 Coupe on the Internet.
Fiat 124 Sport Coupe Owners Forum - AOL owner's group.
Fiat Links Page - a Mirafiori links page. Slightly out of date but very comprehensive