Hi from Connecticut

[vjr124]

hello everyone .. long time Fiat spyder owner, on my third one!! I have a 1981 that my brother originally bought from Frank Pinto Dealership in Bridgeport, CT. My first one was a 1897, destroyed while parked … so bought another one to use up the left over parts, a 1975 which never got the love it needed, then got the 81.

[ORFORD2004]

A 1897, Man you are old

[vjr124]

ha .. right, got that wrong .. my first Spyder was a 1973. Amazing that these cars did not change much over the years.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Amazing that these cars did not change much over the years.

True, and I attribute this mostly to the fact that they were actually pretty well designed and engineered from the get-go. Yes, some things needed to be fixed, like the problematic torque tube driveshaft and the ungainly electromagnetic fan clutch and the goofy mechanical throttle linkage in the early spiders, but most changes over the years were driven either by US emissions or safety requirements, or were fairly simply cosmetic changes like mirrors and door handles, or convenience items like power windows.

When I go to buy parts for the car, a surprising number of them "fits all 1966 through 1985 spiders". Just not the 1897 model year.

-Bryan