just been offered this for free

[VWPowered]

like i'm going turn it down

 

[michiel]

Oooooooooooooooh!

[maxpower]

nice.... is one of those little fiat van thingys?

[VWPowered]

yes hoping to go see it REAL soon, like tomorrow lol

[Pete-M]

Here's a little fact for ya.

 

The Diddymen (of Ken Dodd fame) used to scoot about in a red one of those. Used to amuse me no end as a kid, seeing the little Fiat pulling up outside Chez Doddy (just by the Jam Butty mines, not far from the Broken Biscuit repair works, you can't miss it) and lots of small people getting out.

[maxpower]

wall's used to use them as ice cream vans in the 70's with slightly higher roofs

[VWPowered]

would be great for little trips out to the dordogneshire

[Pete-M]

Shouldn't that be Doddogneshire?

[Burnside]

By the looks of it i take it's a camper van? mmm... ideal for those little holidays away!!

 

Looks bigger than the little 900e campers & ice cream vans i used to see!!

[fiatdaft]

thats because its a fiat 238

[Rusty Pelican]

OOOOH YES , Thats great and the perfect price too

[binhoker668]

Good work fella!

Well looking forward to interior/resto photos!

[Burnside]

thats because its a fiat 238

Cheers for that i knew it wasn't a 900E by it's size just wasn't sure what that model was called!!

 

Least i know now!! was that model ever sold in the UK as i don't recall seeing one before?

[Vin]

The Fiat 238 was never sold in the UK. I've got some Dutch brochures for them somewhere. They came as all sorts - chassis cabs, pick ups, minibuses etc. all the usual variations you'd expect for a transit size van.

 

There has been a German camper conversion doing the Italian shows this summer. I saw it at AutoItalia at Stanford Hall and I think it was caught on here in a spotting thread (possibly Seth's) at the Ace cafe.

 

It was also in last months Practical Classics.

 

Edit. Also by the look of VWPs one, that grill and plastic trim should make it an early eighties example, before they were replaced by the Ducato.

[Dukestar25]

Looks like a Fiat Amigo crossed with a Commer.

 

Still, looks tasty

[Torsten2001]

My, that's a lovely thing! Are you going to slam it to the floor, matt black it and nail on some 20" chrome wheels? Or just keep it as lovely as it is?

[VWPowered]

as it is, ahh actually i may polish it

[autofive]

is it GR8 4 drfitin'?

 

 

 

 

looks okay for a freebie - get it picked up before they change their minds

[Formula Autos]

is it GR8 4 drfitin'?

I think even the likes of Gilles Villeneuve might have had trouble getting the arse end of that thing sliding and then gathering it all up again safely.

 

Still, although no Impreza-botherer, it's still a hell of a tool.

 

Mucho jealous.

[nigel bickle]

One word: Rust.

 

And seized calipers

 

And rotten exhaust

 

 

Oops -more than one. Nice though-good luck

[VWPowered]

we dont have salt put on the roads around here so i maybe, just maybe lucky...

[CreepingJesus]

You might well be lucky - the bodies (not sure about the chassis) were made in Germany, by a Fiat-owned coachworks. The motor wasn't terribly stressed either, so they're unusually reliable, for a Fiat.

I'll have a van, pls. Red oxide primer and mirror polished Centerlines.

[maximalist]

Major want!

[pocket.calculator]

Apologies for resurrecting such an old thread. I have a 78 Fiat 238 Weinsberg, the one that was featured in Practical Classics a year or two ago. Would love to hear more about the van in the OP. What happened to it and where is it? As far as I know, mine is the only one of its kind in the UK.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[fiatdaft]

That is stunning,and really deserves its own thread!

[eddyramrod]

It absolutely does! Welcome, pocket, what a lovely van!

[Woody]

This may be a silly question, but as your van is a 1978 why does it have an 'N' suffix plate, which IIRC was issued in 1974/75?

[eddyramrod]

Aha, I get it: look at the numbers!

 

238 on a 238...........

[pocket.calculator]

Aha, I get it: look at the numbers!

 

238 on a 238...........

Got it. I'm pretty proud of that plate - it cost me the princely sum of £59. My ex-wife's name is Joanne, so it's Joanne's Fiat 238. But only in theory. Cow.