Flavio – FIAT 500L – AWU 55K

By Marie

Named “Flavio” by his present owner, AWU 55K was built in Turin in 1971, and registered BA31 5795 in Bari. Almost nothing is known of the next 13 years, until he was brought to England by Tony Croome and re-registered in Harrogate in September 1984.

He had been fitted with the rare hard-top whilst in Italy, sometime around 1980; and by 1982 had gone round  the clock for the first time. Owing to a problem with the brakes, he was sent to a Harrogate scrapyard, from where in May 1989 he was bought, in a very dilapidated condition, by Antimo (“Dino”) Pippo of Keighley. At this time he still had his 499cc engine and all 500 running gear.

Dino sold him to David Janney, of Bingley, in March 1992. David was looking for a small car as a restoration project, and this seemed just the thing! Over the next 6 years, David used snatched periods of free time to restore the car with loving care.

He replaced the bonnet, wings and front panel, which appeared to have suffered from some accident damage, as well as the front bumper and nudge bar and all the lights.

The hard-top was retained. Turning his attention to the mechanics, he then fitted the 648cc engine. The gearbox was rebuilt from two Fiat 126 boxes, and a Panda 30 head was installed. The dynamo was removed and replaced with an alternator. A fast road cam was added, followed by an Ansa exhaust. The suspension was lowered and 126 wheels with 55R tyres were fitted. During the course of the restoration, upon removing the rear seat to have it reupholstered, David found a little Italian mouse, still wrapped in the Italian newspaper which it had chewed just before expiring – indeed, a true “Topolino” car!

In early 1998 David realised with dismay that the work was all but completed, and also that circumstances meant he could no longer contemplate keeping the car. Flavio went for a hasty respray before being advertised for sale. However, it was two months before a new owner appeared.

Paul Appleyard bought him in March 1998, and he was thus brought back to his ‘adopted’ home of Harrogate. Paul garaged him, making a couple of minor alterations in the engine bay, but did not drive him much. However, in the course of certain shopping runs to Morrison’s he was spotted by his present owner, and once the advertisement appeared in August 1998 in AutoItalia magazine the deal was clinched – narrowly missing a last-minute export to Shrewsbury where an Italian wanted to buy him for his girlfriend.

A much-needed back-to-metal respray was carried out in January/February 2000; other minor adjustments include a change of exhaust and replacement 145 tyres on the front to give more wheelarch clearance. Further work was carried out in Autumn 2000, involving repositioning the twin-choke carburettor and its linkeage.

In 1999 Flavio made a 2500 mile round trip to  Italy via France, Monaco, Switzerland, Germany, Luxemburg and Belgium to take part in the Fiat  Centenary Rally in Garlenda. He enjoyed himself making laps of the banked Test Circuit  on the roof of the Lingotto Fiat factory in Turin.

Also in 1999, he visited the Audley End Classic Car show in Cambridgeshire, took part in a Treasure Hunt in Suffolk, and lined up with his pals at the Fiat 500 Owners’ Club AGM in Hatfield. In May 2000 he spent a long weekend at the Owners’ Club National Rally in the Yorkshire Dales, and in July drove to Vierhouten, Holland, for the Dutch 500 Owners’ Club 20th Anniversary Rally.

Plans for 2001 include visits to events in the South, including Brooklands; the National Rally in the western Scottish Borders; the 5-day “Borders Bash” in the eastern Scottish Borders and the Dutch 500 Owners’ Club annual Rally at the end of August.

[Mileage with current owner: Approx. 18,000 km to date]