1959 Fiat 1200 Cabriolet

Compact, elegant, and unmistakably Italian, the 1959 Fiat 1200 Turismo Veloce ("Fast Touring") blends everyday usability with sporty character. The Fiat 1200 1200 TV (or “1200 Spider” in export markets) was introduced in 1957, serving as an updated version of the 1100 TV Trasformabile. Developed by Fiat's Special Vehicles department, the TV Spider shares its underpinnings with the 1200 sedan and coupe while featuring a distinctive folding canvas top. Exterior revisions were subtle, including redesigned front and rear bumpers with taller over-riders, while the cabin received a new strip speedometer and a saloon-derived steering wheel, and swiveling seats that rotated outward to ease entry and exit.

This Fiat 1200 TV is one of the very last ever built as 1959 was its final year of production. One of approximately 2,350 TV Spiders produced between 1957 and 1959, it is widely regarded as the rarest and most desirable variant of the Fiat 1200. Believed to have been delivered new to California, where it remained with its original owner for approximately 30 years, this car earned a coveted Preservation Class Award at the 2005 Concorso Italiano under its third owner before its fourth owner commissioned a comprehensive, documented nut-and-bolt restoration completed in 2009 using rebuilt components and correct New Old Stock parts. Further mechanical restoration followed in 2010, including work to its numbers-matching 1.2-liter inline-four engine. Resold in both 2015 and 2018 before making its way to the Lubeck Garage, this exceptionally well-preserved Fiat is accompanied by its manuals, tools, original data tag, and a photo album documenting the restoration, making it one of the finest surviving examples of this rare Italian roadster.

This TV Spider is powered by a lively 1.2-liter inline-four engine, fed by a Weber 2-barrel carburetor and paired with a four-speed manual transmission. Its independent front coil-spring suspension, live rear axle, and manual rack-and-pinion steering ensure agile handling and maneuverability, while front disc brakes and rear drum brakes provide confident stopping power. The result is a car that feels equally at home on winding country roads as it does cruising through town. Delivering nearly 60 horsepower, an impressive figure for a lightweight car of its size, it is practical enough for everyday driving, making it one of Italy's earliest affordable grand touring cars.

Styled by Fiat's design director, Luigi Rapi, in collaboration with Carrozzeria Pinin Farina, the bodywork features elegant curves and chrome detailing, which maintain the car’s timeless appeal more than six decades later. Inside, this striking black-over-red model features a black cloth convertible top, the aforementioned swiveling seats, and luxurious upholstery surrounding a sophisticated dashboard that captures the refinement of late-1950s European motoring.

Among Italian manufacturing titans like Ferrari, Maserati, and Alfa Romeo, Fiat played an understated role in shaping Italy's automotive identity by bringing advanced engineering and beautiful design to a much broader audience. While 1959 was the model’s final year before it was succeeded by the 1200 Cabriolet, the Fiat 1200 TV remains one of the most recognizable

and beloved Italian sports cars of its era. This vehicle showcases Italian craftsmanship at its finest, with a sleek and compact design that never goes out of style.