[ACCOMPLISHED] AUTOBIANCHI 500 FURGONCINO (1972) S.I.P. Revival

#autobianchi #restoration #old500sgarage
After about 3 years from the last time we spoke, Mats contacted us again from Sweden. This time, he had something different in mind, he was looking for a 500 that was quite rare to find. He really wanted a 500 Van, one of those vehicles that at the time of their production were used by Italian workers (milkmen, bakers, mechanics, farmers, maintenance workers of telephone and electrical systems, etc.) of the 1970s. Produced by Autobianchi ( under license from Fiat) this vehicle was only approved for 2 passengers, as the Autobianchi 500 Giardiniera Van (abbreviation 120Z) was the commercial transformation of the 500 Giardiniera (a 500 "station wagon" designed for families, longer and more spacious than the normal 500 sedan). An electrifying restoration project that took us right away... we wanted to do it at any cost, the opportunity to refurbish such a rare model would not have happened so easily again.
So armed with hope, we immediately set out in search of this "unicorn"; unexpectedly we thought we were lucky, there was an example in Tuscany that belonged to the corporate fleet of S.I.P ("Società Italiana per l'Esercizio delle Telecommunications p.A", it was called that from 1984 until 1994), it was a stroke of luck immediately we materialized in our mind what the project would be, a "revival" of a S.I.P. company vehicle, we were more that enthusiastic about the idea, as was Mats who fully shared our intention.
We then quickly contacted the owner, a very young boy, and arranged an appointment with him to go and see the car. Once we arrived in Tuscany, we reached the vehicle even before going to the hotel, we were anxious to see if it would be the right car candidate for our friend Mats, who in the meantime was constantly updated. Unfortunately, faced with objective reality, we realized that it was the right model, the numbers all matched and the documents reported S.I.P. as the first owner, however with no small disappointment and bitterness the rust had eaten up half the car... solidly there was very little left. From the photos in the ad it seemed to be in much better shape, we were hoping to find it in better conditions and instead it was a wasted trip... patience... these are the risks of our profession, fortunately we were also there for other business and it didn't bother us more than that. After a couple of days, we returned home and started searching again but for a long time we found nothing, the dream of carrying out this restoration project faded as we had feared, the idea was therefore set aside with a hint of bitterness.
Except that, after about 2 years (it's the end of 2022), while we were looking for another 500 for other customers we found another example of a 500 Van, this time too everything matched, with the luck of being right here in our city... fantastic! We immediately looked at the vehicle, it was a perfect candidate for our purpose, everything matched, it was also a S.I.P. vehicle, the only flaw was that someone had done away with the goods compartment and had installed passenger seats, thus ruining its originality, but that it still wouldn't be a big problem to put everything back the way it was originally. However, we advised Mats and reassured him that we would rebuild the goods compartment as it was originally from the factory, so after a short negotiation the car was already in our garage to begin the work. The restoration of this project started with the reconstruction of the cargo compartment hatch, it was a long study of old factory manuals that were very difficult to find, we then moved on to completing the correct Autobianchi interiors and details, we overhauled the engine in anticipation of the notes Mats' intentions, we also installed a very rare roof rack for 500 Giardinieras, also very rare (we had it put aside from a previous restoration... we knew that sooner or later it would come in handy). Once the work was finished (it took 4 months this time) Mats was thrilled with the result, the only thing we couldn't find was an authentic S.I.P wooden staircase... that would have been the classic icing on the cake.
The epilogue of this experience: We meet with Mats and Anne-Lie 5 years after our last meeting, once again we are pervaded by the enthusiasm of this swedish couple who, while we show them the finished job, they are there looking into the details and thanking us for having made their wish come true.
Before embarking on their long return journey the following day, we thanked them for the trust placed in us once again, we could not help but seal this friendly relationship, which goes beyond the working aspect, with a dinner at fish base in Mondello pervaded with Swedish anecdotes and lighthearted laughter.
The next day Mats and Anne-Lie set off leaving Palermo and repeated the feat of 5 years earlier (3000 km in selfdrive Palermo/Stoccolma), a new friendship a classic 500 had created.