Practically Classics Forum

I've been reading Practical Classics for many years and always take an interest in the rust in peace .
I've always wanted a car with twin 40's.
I've fancied doing a basket case for ages now.
I like cars from the 80's.
I like cars that are a bit unusual.
SO
I've combined all the above and bought a 1985 Strada Abarth basket case.






It was spotted by my teenage children as we were driving around an industrial estate.
It was parked outside a company that work on italian exotica (Ferrari Maserati etc).
It was used as a donor vehicle for someone who had another fully rebuilt.
I phoned the company who said it was available and it came with a few spare parts.
A deal was done.
It hasn't been started for 10 years but isn't seized, it was sitting in a a garden in London when it was spotted as a donor car.
My plans are to give it a full rebuild and a few subtle mods.
I reckon about 2 years as I have other projects on the go at the moment.
Let me know what you think.

i see you like a challenge! good luck
is it any relation to the fiat ritmo?

It is the Ritmo, Rich. Ones that came to the UK had the Strada badge instead because some marketroid decided that we Anglo-Saxonists are such a primitive race we'd not have appreciated the Ritmo name.

I saw a lovely convertible one - with a BMW V8 under its bonnet - at the NEC show, it doesn't look quite as unloved as the OP's example and I wish him all the very best of success with this, they really are a "where did they all get off to?" car these days.

For inspiration only, here a piccie of the V8:

Absolute insanity.


Welcome!

At the moment have removed all glass , rear lamps and bumper, wiring loom where possible. I did want to remove the fuel tank but will try when I get it in the garage as I have a hole in the ground so we don't have to lift it as high.
If any one has any parts could you let me know. Many thanks Jerry

Wow - good luck. It's great to see someone tackle a rare, special car like this - your knighthood will be confirmed when the restoration is complete.

here are some spares
http://www.leboncoin.fr/annonces/offres ... o=2&q=fiat ritmo
here are some cars, some complete for spares..
http://www.leboncoin.fr/voitures/offres ... fiat+ritmo

thanks for educating me john!! i remember seeing a tidy convertable abandoned in a barn 20 + years ago.. i Wonder if its still there

Maybe someone rescued it, sprayed it green and fitted a mad badstart V8 nutjob engine to it?

You'd think that people on here had never seen a really rusty car before , that wee Fiat is a bit scabby, granted, but is a whole lot better preserved than many better known cars of the same era. The difficulty comes in when you get something that someone has tried to patch up in its past and in doing so, built more mud traps in.

You are a brave man. Are you going down the modified route or are you keeping it factory original?
Either way it looks like this is going to be a good thread

The Talbot / Peugeot dealership that I worked at in the late 70's / early 80's also had a Fiat dealership - the new Fiats used to come in for the pre delivery inspection and in that era most of them required remedial paintwork prior to customer collection - in some cases they were so bad we were having to paint the complete car.

None the less good luck with this one - they are few examples existing and by looking at yours you can see why