A very special gift on the occasion of my 80th birthday
My Fiat 500 D – a story by Jürgen Schincke
In April 1961, I bought my first Fiat Nuova 500 as a used car and she was our companion on our honeymoon tour to Italy. We travelled until Pisa in Tuscany and returned back to Hamburg via Venice without any problems. In 1964, I moved to Switzerland for professional reasons and became a Swiss citizen in Losone (Ticino).
Honeymoon trip, Oberalp Pass, Switzerland 1961
During a journey to the Lake Garda in Italy, my son-in-law bought a partially restored FIAT Nuova 500 D built in 1962, and in August 2018, he gave her to me on my 80th birthday. While the car was roadworthy, her state did not yet allow to have her registered officially.
Baptising the new family member, August 2018
Being a pensioner with plenty of time to complete the restoration, I searched the Internet for the parts that were still missing. So, I found the address of Axel Gerstl – sales of (used and new) spare parts. This was my first stroke of luck.
First time out for a trip, partially restored, 2018
Without hesitation, I drove the 450 kms from my Swiss Losone residence to Alling near Munich (920 kms there and back) to obtain the missing parts. On this occasion, I got to know Mr. Axel Gerstl in person. This was my second stroke of luck. Together, we compiled a long spare parts list for sundries, including the one-piece red floor carpet. On the same day, I returned home with the parts via Liechtenstein and started screwing and tinkering.
Restoration completed, spring 2019
In April 2019, I repeated this journey and completed the restoration. Now my four-wheeled jewel passed the Swiss MOT without a single objection. From some FIAT friends, I got a basket trunk (made in 1958) as a gift, which is now an eye-catcher on the rear of my white four-wheeled gem. As often as possible, we travel to the lovely Ticino valleys or surround the Lake Maggiore in Italy. Sometimes, we meet with other Topolino owners.
Meeting with Topolino owners in Ticino, Switzerland, in 2019
It is always a pleasure to see the admiring looks of young and old car-lovers wherever our little one is parked.
P.S.: Like our former FIAT 500, we baptised our “new” FIAT 500 Nuovo PITTERLE, my wife’s nickname, and we both have a photo of her on our t-shirts.
Whitsun 2019 in the Maggia Valley, Switzerland