1221 cc Inline 4 Cylinder
4 speed Manual
Front Engined Rear Wheel Drive
4 wheel Drum Brakes
58 bhp 61 ft-lb
Exterior Azzuro Medio Metallizato Interior Cream and Blue
Based on the rather pedestrian Fiat 1100 and 1200 Berlina mechanicals with a higher performance engine, the Fiat 1200TV Trasformabile was an upgraded version of its predecessor, the Fiat 1100TV, which featured a nearly identical body with minor trim and lighting differences. The 1200TV has an upgraded 1221cc engine, putting out 58 horsepower, as compared to 49 horsepower for the 1100. Total production numbers are not really known, though with the 1100TV and 1200TV combined, it is likely that not much more than a couple of thousand cars were built in all. The body was hand built by Pininfarina in steel, welded together with a lot of leadwork on the seams shaping and sculpting the form into a single, beautiful sculpture. The design clearly shows American styling cues in the chrome with Italian flair. One unique feature of these cars is that both the driver and passenger seat have a lever allowing the seat to swivel in theory to make it easier to get in and out especially while wearing a skirt. Our 1958 Fiat 1200TV Trasformabile came to us as a restoration project in process, started by Joe Potter of Vintage Underground as a personal project, but because it was a personal project, progress kept getting.
At the time we bought it from him, the majority of the rust had been dealt with and the mechanicals had largely been rebuilt. He started with two examples he pulled from a field outside of Eugene, Oregon, to assemble one complete car. We had Vintage Underground finish the restoration for us, completing the car to a concours level, painting it in an original paint colour of Azzuro Medio Metallizato, replating all the chrome as well as stripping and replating bolts and fasteners, replacing all the rubber seals, trim and bushings, as well as rebuilding and refinishing the entire suspension, brakes and mechanicals. We had enough surviving original interior upholstery and the top, allowing us to source materials that matched the character and the grain of the originals as best possible. The end result is about as well restored a car as it is possible to have. The car runs and drives as if it were new, and is fully mechanically sorted, as well as being cosmetically near perfect. We took the car to Monterey car week in 2019, showing it at McCall’s Motorworks Revival , The Quail Gathering, and at Concorso Italiano where it took first place for the Fiat category.
