1932 Fiat 508 S Balilla Spider
Now here's something really different! A true "barn find" if there ever was one. According to the history, as it was explained to me, this car might be one of the original and very rare French built Balillas. Most were built in Italy of course and quite a few were made in Poland as well. However, some people who've seen it and seem to be knowledgeable say this one was built in France.
A couple of things worth noting...when I purchased the car @ Hershey in 2006 the previous owner told me that this was the "sport" model of the Balilla which had a slightly higher horsepower rating then the standard version and the more substantial steel wheels versus the spindly wire wheels.
When you look closely at the paint you can see what I think was the original color of French racing blue visible under the maroon paint. Also, please note the original Paris registration license plate that's still on the car. Other rare features include the Cibie headlights and Scintilla taillight, which I believe came from a type 35 Bugatti but, I'm not sure about that. There's also the very artistic art nouveau bumpers and parking lights that are highly reminiscent of a great French classic like a Delahaye.
The previous owner who sold me the car explained the back story as it was told to him. He said that a man while visiting France in the mid-1950's stopped at a Paris café for a cup of cappuccino. He immediately noticed this car that was parked in front of the cafe and looked at it for quite a few minutes marveling at how cute it was. He sat down and ordered his coffee when a man approached him and tapped him on the shoulder followed by asking "do you want to buy my car"? Long story short he wanted to buy it which he did and had it shipped to his home in the Northeast U.S., where it sat in a barn for approximately ten years.
Then, sometime around 1965, the gentleman decided to sell the car. He had a buddy who always admired it so he purchased it and became the second U.S. owner. I guess he really liked it because the friend kept the car for approximately forty years. Then, a dealer from Ohio discovered the car and sold it to me in 2007 as I recall so you really can’t accuse me of flipping it.
Believe me, this little thing was stopping traffic at the Fall Hershey car corral when I first saw it. sitting in the car coral among something like fourteen hundred cars. Believe me, there were a lot of great cars there that day but, this little thing was getting every bit as much or more attention than most of the others. When you think about all of the fabulous cars that show up there like pre-war classic Cadillacs & Packards, etc. that really says a lot. If I hadn't been there on the morning of the first day, I would have never gotten it because someone would have easily beaten me to it. I remember having to sort of push my way through the large crowd around it just too be able to see it. I'm sure that some people were thinking about the rarity and others were just thinking about how cute it was. Still others were attracted to the "barn fresh" condition, which has really become popular over the last number of years now and remains very popular today. For me personally, I think it was all of these things plus, for some reason, I just couldn't seem to take my eyes off of it. It seems to have a charisma that's hard for me to explain.
An interesting side note about Hershey is that if you don’t bring a chair to sit on then you better plan on standing all day. As I looked at the car the owner came up to me and said…”You don’t look so good, you better sit down, take my seat”. Well, I didn’t feel good so I quickly took him up on his offer. I think I sat in his chair for over an hour staring at the car and fell in love with it. Maybe that was the sellers plan all along? Anyway, to make a long story a bit longer I went back to my hotel feeling worse and worse before I went to the Hershey medical clinic where they promptly removed my appendix. Fortunately, not all of the swap meets & car shows I attend end up with me in the hospital.
I'm guessing that after you look at the photos you might be thinking that the car needs a little work? Maybe it's the "air conditioned" convertible top or the worn original leather or the maroon paint, which looks (by the way) like it was put on with a broom. Well, you might be right but, some people would disagree with you. It has a certain charm just the way it is that's hard to explain. I seriously doubt that if you restore it to perfection it will get any more attention than it does right now. Who knows, maybe even a little less. One thing is for sure, wherever you take it; people won't stop looking at it. I've had it parked at a show next to a four hundred thousand dollar car and in all honesty this one got far more attention. Even with my long term ownership I'm not the least bit tired of looking at it and I know that I probably wouldn't be able to replace it if I wanted to.
Regarding the price let me say this; I'm sure you already know how rare this car is in the U.S. or anywhere else for that matter. I found another 508 Balilla sport for sale with an asking price of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars about fifteen years ago or more. Today, that car "might" bring two hundred and sixty-five thousand dollars? Who knows, the market today is in a word...crazy!
Admittedly, the car I'm referring to above was a gorgeous, fully restored teardrop coupe that was advertised as Mille Miglia eligible. I think this little car of mine "might" be eligible as well but, of course I can't guarantee it. By the way, the ad said that at one hundred and fifty thousand dollars that car was the least expensive way you could ever possibly buy anything eligible for the Mille Miglia. So, for one hundred thousand dollars LESS, this one should look pretty good.
I was thinking that I should ask $75,000 dollars for the car as a reasonable place to start. But, I'll lay my cards on the table and tell you that for a quick deal in the $55,000 dollar range will buy it. Maybe even a little less but please, before you call me to question the price try to look around ANYWHERE in today's market place for another pre-WW II Italian sports car that you can purchase for anywhere even close to this price. I've had the car in inside storage for many years and as of this writing it currently isn't running although it ran beautifully when parked. If you're willing to purchase it as-is I'll be a bit more flexible on the price.
$55000.00 as a place to start our conversation.
