This Fiat Dino Spider—still wearing its ‘Roma’ license plate!—was imported to the US in the mid-1970s. A Ferrari-owning enthusiast bought it over 40 years ago and drove it occasionally, along with other cars in his collection. The Dino was ‘just a used car’ in those days and was maintained, but not beautified.

Along the way it suffered minor front-end damage that resulted in the loss of the bumper & original grille, and the lower valance pan still has a dent in it. The damage didn’t extend to any structure or the lights, so it was ignored over the years.

The car was parked in a garage and no longer used by the early 2000s, and was last registered in 2007. The gentleman has since passed away and we have the car on consignment from his estate. Our shop was engaged to get the car running and drivable, in that we changed the oil, cleaned the carburetors, restored ignition function and replaced all the clutch hydraulics. The brakes, fuel and cooling systems function, but have not been restored.

The car can be started and the engine sounds great. While still in Rome, the original engine was evidently replaced with a later 2.4-liter one, according to some old paperwork. We have confirmed that it does have an iron block; the 2.0 would have been aluminum, as Dino folks well know.

The Spider is in decent, solid condition, but certainly needs restoration work—but largely of a DIY level. The paint is so-so, but the interior and top are actually pretty nice. You should plan on doing all the usual things needed to bring a long-dormant car back to life. But, you’ll have the greater performance of the more-valuable 2.4 version and a very attractive price point to start from!