Despite the Giardiniera's considerable production numbers - almost 327,000 in total - the elongated 500 is a rare sight on US soil. Interestingly, giardiniera itself is a relish commonly found at delis across the US. How the model got its name will remain a mystery to us.

Stylistically, the Giardiniera is put to shame by the classic shape of its standard 500 sibling, but makes up for it handily in the utility department. The flat load floor in the rear covers the engine compartment, and is accessed with a swinging door that creates a large opening for the loading of cargo. In addition to the large cargo space, the rear bench provides more leg room than in the standard model, creating quite the usable little runabout.

Year: 1973
Model:  Autobianchi 500 Giardiniera
Engine: 499cc twin
Transmission: 4-speed manual
Mileage:  27,400mi
Price: $17,700
Location: West Palm Beach, FL

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Up for sale is a real nice & rare 1973 Fiat Giardiniera ragtop! and suicide doors! Painted in white pastel with red interior. Many hours and money has been invested in this nice sport Italian car. This is a true collector's car.

Based on the standard version of the Fiat 500, the Giardiniera benefited from front quarter lights, winding windows in the doors and sliding windows at the rear. The Giardiniera retained its suicide doors throughout production even when the later saloon cars were built with front-hinged doors. In addition, the sunroof folded back three-quarters of the roof length, providing ample opportunity for all passengers to enjoy both fresh air and exposure to the elements.

In order to provide the Giardiniera with a useful flat-loading platform, an innovative engineering solution was used: a 499.5-cc motor was turned on its side and laid under the rear floor. Engine cooling relied on air collected from grilles on the body sides, which were mounted as high as possible to reduce road dust being drawn into the engine compartment and to keep engine noise down.

This car drives exceptionally well, you can take it to the car shows & for weekend cruises. Definitely gets a lot of attention & questions at the cars and coffee.It has a 4 speed manual transmission. Engine Bay is well detailed. Has a nice exhaust that sounds really nice. Mechanically the car is sound! See the video.

The car did receive a full restoration a couple years ago. The Body is straight as an arrow. All doors, trunk, hood are all aligned like they should. It has always been garage kept and well taken care. All the exterior chromes, trim, latches, bumperettes are in like new. Underneath the floor pans are in great shape, everything was properly redone.

The Interior is splendid and contrast well to the exterior paint, Red Italian upholstery has been fitted, and tastefully done, and overall condition looks new. Black roll-up top!

I'm located in Miami about 30 minutes away from the airport. Feel free to come see the car in person. Any inquires email me. $500 non-refundable deposit required within 24hrs of buying. Sold As-is. Thanks for looking. For those interested you can call me at 305 five four two 5662. If I don't answer just leave me a voicemail.

If you're looking to finance I would recommend JJ Best. They can finance your classic car or hot rod and are very pleasant to work with.

The engine was mounted on its side in order to achieve such a low load floor. A highway speed of 65mph is possible, owing to the 21bhp on tap, but if that were possible at high ambient temps, then color us surprised. The meager power rating is sufficient for maintaining speeds, though any sort of ambitious acceleration attempts will likely result in disappointment.

If the long-wheelbase 500 was produced for so long, then why does this one command such a premium over the typical 500 on the market? Part of that is due to the overall condition of this example. Prospective buyers should check photos of the restoration and understand if there was rust and how it was addressed. But, we are optimistic on this one; it really does come across as a tidy restoration. More space is not always the answer when it comes to weekend (or weekday) cars. That said, we'll make an exception for this Giardiniera.

-Graham