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Davide puts the spot on Fiat 500 Custom Models - Part 19: 500 My Car Francis Lombardi
- Year of manufacture: 1967
- Displacement: 499 cc
- Body type: Sedan
- Derived from: Fiat 500
- Manufacturer: Carrozzeria Francis Lombardi
- Number of cars built: unknown
Francis Lombardi was the name of a company founded in 1947 in the Italian town of Vercelli. The company founder, Carlo Francesco Lombardi, was an aviator in the Italian Air Force, who had been awarded several medals for military valour in World War I. Until 1950, the company served the aviation and automobile industries. Afterwards, it focussed exclusively on the design of custom-made versions and conversions of vehicles ordered by companies and private individuals.
Lombardi’s creation included luxurious, converted saloons such as the Fiat 1400 and 1800 models. And even Fiat ordered the conversion of a Fiat 2300 in 1966. The Turin-based company had intended to produce a small series targeted at state high officials and the Vatican, but the project never came off. The one and only car ever produced eventually served Fiat for receiving personalities on factory visits, among them Yugoslav President Tito.
However, Francis Lombardi wrote the greatest production success stories with their “common people’s cars” such as the Fiat 600 and the Fiat 850 Grand Prix, the latter resembling the Lamborghini Miura when looked at from the side. While being an affordable coupé, the 850 Grand Prix still was a sports car. It was not a very common sight on the streets and those who owned one of these cars hardly ever remained unnoticed. Three variants of this model were produced: 850, 1000 (tuning by Giannini) and a very fast 1300 produced by Abarth. All these were niche vehicles that, while being produced in series, were only sold in small numbers.
Which one was, after all, the most produced and therefore the best-selling car under the Francis Lombardi brand name? It was the 500 My Car of all models! It was made between 1967 and 1971. Francis Lombardi bought semi-finished cars from Fiat, which were only missing the parts to be replaced by Francis Lombardi. The traditional version of the 500 My Car had a folding roof; a variant with a closed roof (with a smooth surface in the earlier models and reinforced by two roof ribs later) was also produced, but in smaller numbers. Custom pastel shades and metallic colours proved to be an attraction that impressed potential buyers most.