The Dionisio Project—A Roadster Salon build in real time

We have been asked repeatedly about chronologically following a full restoration in real time on our blog. Several weeks ago, we were contacted by a customer in Switzerland and his son in California about helping them realize their vision of a custom spider, based on our Spider Tributo model. This design would incorporate cosmetic elements of our Spider America (CE), such as the revised proprietary body panels, but would retain the stock Fiat drive line. A computer rendering of their vision was provided, and shown below.

We spoke for several weeks about chassis selection, custom features, build process, scheduling, and time line. In early December, we settled on a 1983 Pininfarina from our inventory with 50K original miles as the basis for their project. We selected this chassis for its rarity, rust free tub, original paint, documented low miles, and overall value. Custom builds like the Dionisio Project typically undergo multiple revisions during the restoration process. However, it’s important that a build sheet finalizing the general restoration parameters, options and pricing are agreed upon before work actually begins. It’s a flexible blueprint that can always be changed, but keeps everyone’s eyes on the same target.

The chassis selection, initial build sheet and deposit was finalized several days ago, and the Spider was moved from “cold storage” to our active build area for disassembly. The chassis will be taken down to the bare tub, including removal of all mechanical and electrical components. It will then be media blasted down to bare metal and sealed before body work is started by our technicians. We will be sending our customer 3 spray-outs of color options they selected on metal thin sheets, as well as leather options for the interior.

During the course of this build, which we estimate to take from 6-9 months—Roadster will be updating our readers periodically as the Dionisio Project passes through its respective phases. We’ll be checking in with photos and commentary on our Blog so our readers can follow along with the twists and turns as they occur in real time. We are very excited to share this process in a more up close and personal way than we have in the past.

Upgrades Improve Safety Too

Recently an article published in AARP Magazine raised the notion that classic cars designed in the 1960’s and 1970’s are unsafe by today’s standards. There were six areas pointed out by veteran collector Gordon McCall as suspect in classics built prior to the wave of safety requirements mandated in the early 90’s. Inadequate seat belts, poor braking systems, out dated tire design, worm/roller steering systems, sub-standard head lights and the lack of back-up cameras were all sited by McCall as potential safety hazards. While certainly concerning, it should be noted that Fiat/Pininfarina Spiders were ahead of their time compared to other classic sports cars from the same era.

Interestingly, proprietary safety and performance upgrades have been the focus of Roadster Salon’s engineering and development team for nearly a decade. While my Dad was fiercely loyal to keeping his restorations as original as possible, he grudgingly admitted that the Spider had not aged well in certain areas. I remember having spirited debates with him in years past about the necessity to upgrade the Spider to be more in tune with today’s roads and driving conditions. The Spider was already lagging in performance and technology by the mid 1980’s. Unlike fine wine, it has not gotten better with age. Frankly, it never made sense to me that as a company Roadster’s goal should only be to make the car as good as it was when new in 1984.

The Spider deserved more.

Following my Dad’s passing in 2012, our efforts to re-engineer the Spider intensified. We took out a clean sheet of paper and outlined the car’s biggest weaknesses. Aside from fit and finish–braking, steering, structural integrity, electrical reliability, handling, and comfort were all areas where marked improvement was necessary. Today, each of the items noted by Gordon McCall in the AARP article can be addressed in every Spider restoration. It’s simply a matter of priorities and budget.

Our Lusso S2 and Tributo models are brimming with new technology. Both come standard with Generation II rack and pinion steering, revised electrical systems, structural chassis bracing, advanced suspension upgrades, dramatically improved braking with contemporary wheels and tires, better seat belts, HID lighting, and yes—even optional back up cameras. The Tributo also features a revised instrument panel that is not only beautiful, but easier to read, more accurate and details more information. Any of these items can be added to basic Spider restorations as a package or on an individual basis.
While there are no plans to incorporate air bags or anti-lock brakes into Roadster Salon Spiders, improving safety by building a car with more contemporary reflexes and road manners is a huge step in the right direction. On today’s roads traffic is faster, and things happen much more quickly. Upgraded Roadster Salon Spiders can stop, turn and accelerate in a manner that’s closer to the average car around them. This makes for a safer and more pleasant driving experience—which is as much as you can expect from a classic car.

ROADSTER SALON BUILT SPIDERS TAKE 1st and 2nd PLACE AT 2017 NATIONAL FIAT SHOW

For the second consecutive year, and fourth in the last five, Roadster Salon spiders dominated the Annual National Fiat “Freak-out” car show. The event featured Italian car entries from Fiat and Alfa Romeo. Two Roadster Salon creations were entered in the competition, finishing 1st and 2nd respectively. Both cars garnered tremendous attention from judges, entrants and fans.

The First Place finisher was a 2016 Roadster Salon Spider Lusso S2—our original second generation prototype. Based on a 1983 Pininfarina Spider, the stunning Azzurra Blue exterior was beautifully complimented by a contrasting light tan interior and custom makore wood dash. Commissioned by Vince Bonanno in New Jersey, this stunning example was previously featured in several national photo spreads. It is currently being upgraded at our facility in Barrington.

The Salon’s second entry was a 2016 Lusso S2 Speciale, owned by perennial show winner Nate Westgor. You may recall his Salon built 1985.5 Pininfarina has won numerous awards at National events, including several top honors at past Fiat and Italian car shows. The Speciale is one of three spiders Roadster Salon has built for Nate in the past five years.

Based on a 1980 Fiat Spider, this Lusso is Nate’s daily driver. It featured several unique custom touches fashioned at his request—including rare vintage wheels and enhanced drive train. The flawless paint in traditional Ferrari red with saddle interior is an Italian car staple—and a crowd favorite. The exclusive grille work, light weight bumpers and custom suspension completed the look. Harkening classic Spiders from the 1960’s, Nate’s updated mechanicals make it perfectly agreeable with daily use. This lovely car is no one trick pony. Roadster Salon’s engineering upgrades make it equally at home on long trips as it is on back county roads.

Missing from the event was Roadster Salon’s planned National introduction of their Tributo Spider—a new model based on their current Lusso S2. According to Roadster Salon’s Marketing Director Ray Marchica “We are really close. The prototype has been very well received and we are in the process of finalizing specifications and pricing. We think it is the best driving and most beautifully finished Fiat based Spiders we have ever built.”

Sad, familiar tale with happy ending

A few months ago we received a call from an enthusiastic owner of a 1976 Fiat Spider that had been in his family for many years. Stored much of that time, it was sorely in need of restoration. Per usual, we had the car shipped to our facility to be evaluated. About 20% of Roadster Salon’s annual output is restoring customer supplied spiders, rather than examples selected from our inventory.

Some customer owned spiders sent to us are certainly worthy of restoration. However, more frequently, the spiders we inspect have fallen victim to an Italian car’s worst enemy—hidden rust. Structural corrosion, specifically in the shock towers makes a spider difficult if not impossible to safely repair. Frankly it makes little sense to restore a spider, (regardless of sentiment) if the car is not structurally sound. Would you spend thousands of dollars remodeling a home built on a crumbling foundation? Not likely.

You can see where this story is heading. Even though Charlie’s car was from a Southern climate, it hadn’t always been stored on pavement. At first glance, his spider looked promising. There appeared to be only minor surface rust on the rocker panels and wheel arches. The interior had been re-freshened recently. But as we looked closer, things started heading downhill rather quickly. We lifted the carpets and were shocked to see the pavement through several soft-ball sized holes in the floor boards. Seat mounting points were brittle and unsafe. While floor repairs can be relatively benign, what we discovered underneath wasn’t.

Up on the lift, even more serious structural rust in the rails adjacent to the seats was noted. This meant there was nothing solid to weld potential new floor sheet metal to. It got worse. We removed the tires and saw significant rust in the shock towers that was not visible from the engine compartment. We sadly pronounced the car D.O.A, and remanded it to parts car heaven immediately.

However, the dark cloud hovering above Charlie’s beloved 1976 had a silver lining. Before sending us his spider, we discussed a restoration budget in the $20-25K range. The scope of work was to include paint, mechanical repairs and a modest interior upgrade. But once it became clear that such expenditure would be pointless, we explored more prudent options. A few times a year, as part of our exclusive upgrade program, Roadster Salon gets back an entry level restoration in trade-up on a Lusso or higher-end model.

Sitting under a cover in our climate controlled storage building sat a lovely black, rust free 1984 Pininfarina Azzurra Spider with only 50K miles. This was an original spider, lightly restored by our team several years ago. All considered it was the perfect solution to Charlie’s restoration dilemma. We arranged a trade credit for his 1976 parts car—and following a month long certification process, Charlie’s 84 Pininfarina was ready for delivery. And the price was not much more than his original restoration budget! We were even able to provide some financial assistance through JJ Best Capital. Here’s Charlie with his beautiful (and rapidly appreciating) 84 Pininfarina Spider.


Please feel free to inquire about other trade-up spiders we may have in our inventory. They may be ideal alternatives to full restoration projects at more affordable price points. Contact us today!

Featured Restoration: 1975 Fiat Spider

The following comments were submitted by a customer who sent us his 1975 Fiat Spider keepsake, with tremendous sentimental value. The car arrived a bit tired, and crumbling under the weight of years of amateur tinkering. After some discussion, his goal was to make the car more reliable for stress free drives along the California coast. He also wanted to upgrade the car’s sloppy handling and attend to some sorely needed cosmetic issues.

As part of the restoration plan, our technicians upgraded his 1800cc engine to a hand built fuel injected 2.0 jewel. It was custom installed by the Roadster crew to be compatible with the lower original hood line. A complete electrical system overall was combined with a stunning interior refresh. Underneath, our proprietary rack and pinion steering system was adapted, along with suspension, braking and structural enhancements. The project was a fourteen month labor of love.

Hello Roadster Salon crew!

I have to write to say–I know it was a hard and long road with my car, and I can’t thank you enough for pulling her through. She’s an absolute joy to drive.

I’ve put about a thousand miles in within the last month. Lots of weekend driving.
What shines through since she’s back is the quality of the handling and drivetrain. The interior restoration is amazing. It’s still true it is to the original, but the fit, finish and overall quality is far superior. The interior is like I’m in a time warp smeared from 1975 to 2017 and somehow it’s all new.

Under the hood it’s showroom quality. Everything is meticulous, proper, sorted, and clean. True to the original, just like I asked. The cleanliness under the hood and organization really impresses. The engine growls, purrs and quickens my pulse. My local service shop here in CA is also impressed–lots of positive comments. They said the exhaust system is a work of art–I can see the quality and hear it too!

The Santa Cruz Mountains are quite a setting for this car. With the rack & pinion and chassis upgrades– the way the roads bob in and out of cliffs and valleys with the sea and sun here–wonderful. The handling is like a silver lining on a cloud. Then the profile of the car– how small and powerful it is, it’s almost like riding the road not driving it. And with the views here –wow!

I took her out on a symphony date in San Francisco too. Dense traffic at night in a city with crazy drivers, hills galore, distractions everywhere–and she’s as much of a dream to drive in that setting as the coast. Reliable and smooth–it really makes a difference for that sort of driving. The old carbs were temperamental, and wiring a nightmare. Now I don’t have to worry about the car, I can focus on the city. This is truly amazing work.

Thank you so much, Ray, Roberto, Rob–and everyone else that helped.
You’ve made my life better. 🙂

Cheers, CM

Roadster Salon Finalizes Production Plans for 2017 and beyond

The tremendous success of the Lusso S2 has encouraged our engineers to take our modified designs to the next level.  Sales, Marketing and Engineering are all in lock step, agreeing that the Lusso S2 takes the existing Spider platform about as far as we realistically can without making major changes to the suspension and drive line. After spending over two years experimenting with Fiat based alternatives to the original 2.0 Lampredi engine, we decided to go in a completely different direction. Our new models will have clear differences in performance and personality.

The “Tributo” will start out as a special edition version of the Lusso S2, but will eventually become its own model. Scheduled for spring 2017, the “Tributo” will feature a restyled interior, up-market materials and an entirely new gauge/dashboard arrangement. Based on the incredible early feedback we have received, the new interior design may eventually find its way into other models as well. The exterior will feature some unique styling ques that pays tribute to famous roadsters of the past.

A second generation Ultimo is planned for the second half of 2017. While exterior styling remains unchanged, the primary difference will be underneath the sheet metal. The Ultimo S2 will be based on a 175-180 HP normally aspirated 2.0 liter crate engine, matched to a high performance 5-speed transmission. The car will also have a more robust matching rear end, improved braking and revised suspension design. Essentially, this will no longer be a Fiat Spider, but a highly modified Roadster Salon Spider built around the classic Pininfarina bodywork.

Conceptually, we intend for the Ultimo S2 to be a less brutal version of the Evoluzione, with more emphasis on luxury and touring. It should appeal to our widest range of our customers. From a performance standpoint, our goal is for the Ultimo S2 is to surpass the driving experience of the 2017 Fiat 124 in a more refined, classic package.

The long awaited Corsa-Evoluzione will follow the release of the Ultimo S2. As early photos have shown, the CE has unique bodywork that harkens Ferrari’s from the 1960’s. But make no mistake, this car aims to embarrass the hottest version of the new 124, and compete with the Alfa Romeo 4C, Porsche Boxster, Corvette and other similar offerings. The Evo will offer a turbocharged version of the 2.0 liter crate engine standard, with a 2.3 liter option. Power will be between 270-335 HP, depending on configuration. A six-speed manual and with independent rear suspension is planned, but first generation models will likely have a fortified chassis design based on the Ultimo S2. Both models will come with a 2 year/24K mile warranty.

According to Ray Marchica, Roadster Salon Director of Sales and Marketing, the company envisions a more streamlined future line-up consisting of several Fiat based models, and at least two component built Spiders. All new models will feature Roadster Salon’s proprietary technology and engineering. While they will continue to offer “original” style restorations, their focus will remain  building contemporary versions of the Spider that are modified to meet the standards and tastes of today’s sports car enthusiasts.

Roadster Salon Now Selling the Dream to the DIY Crowd

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to restore a vintage convertible yourself? Maybe you are considering a fun project to bond with a friend or family member? Looking to save money?

For the first time in our history, Roadster Salon is now offering select chassis for sale directly to our customers. These unrestored convertibles are being sold in their original condition, just as they came in. Previously, Roadster Salon Spiders were only sold as fully restored turn-key projects. Basically, we were hoarding everything for ourselves. But now for a limited time, we are making them available to prospective buyers who wish to do all or part of the work themselves. Each of these chassis have been screened and rated. You can find them in the new DIY section of our website. There are definitely some excellent buys here, and more than a few diamonds in the rough. Who knows, maybe a potential show car may be hidden beneath the surface.

All it takes is time, patience and vision.

Since British car enthusiasts typically enjoy doing their own work, this Spring we are featuring MG and Triumph in our DIY section. There are also a few select Fiat and Alfa Spiders. Condition ranges from road worthy cars in need of cosmetics to full scale rebuilds. In some cases we can assist buyers with parts, and can always help with shipping. We consider this as a win-win for Roadster Salon and customers alike. It is a great way to broaden our market to potential buyers with limited resources, as well as hobbyists who find this type of work fun and relaxing.

Please note that the cars featured in our DIY section are only a partial list of what may be available. Our inventory is fluid, and changes from week to week. Please give us a call to discuss your areas of interest.

Roadster Salon to offer power steering option for 2017

The popularity of Spiders with women and older drivers is on the rise. Unfortunately, the Spider’s highly resistive worm and roller steering requires much more effort to turn than a contemporary car, and hence is the source of many complaints from drivers in that segment. While Roadster Salon’s extremely popular rack and pinion option dramatically improves road feel and precision, steering effort still remains higher than on cars with boosted power steering.

The weight and inefficiency of traditional fluid based power steering units were not a solution. However, new technology incorporating variable electronic assist has made power augmentation possible. Our design is ideal because it boosts steering for parking and low speed maneuvers, but decreases boost when traveling at road speeds. This option is only available in conjunction with our proprietary rack and pinion upgrade. Please speak with you Roadster Salon project consultant for pricing.

Roadster Salon Now Selling and Rebuilding Fiat 500 Abarth Models

Aside from offering upgrades for the Fiat 500 Abarth, Roadster Salon now has select used Abarth coupes for sale. In our experience, the Abarth combines practicality with high performance and solid reliability. We currently have about a dozen, very low mile 2012-2016 Abarth models in our inventory, including both coupes and convertibles. While our focus is on finding the finest quality, unmolested examples available, we also have several purchased from insurance companies. These cars previously had light damage, but have been fully repaired and certified by Roadster Salon at significant savings. Although the insurance cars have rebuilt titles, they make great transportation at a reduced price, or even potential track cars. All come with special warranty coverage. The only one who will know about the repaired damage is you.

Call and ask about our current inventory and prices.

Customer Review of New Spider Lusso S2, #001

First, to all at Roadster Salon, THANK YOU for affording me the opportunity to upgrade my previous Avanzato restoration to a full Lusso S2. The care and love you put into the project was inspiring. Roadster Salon’s dedication to excellence shows in the workmanship and attention to detail so apparent in the car. Knowing that I received the first S2 off your production line makes it feel all the more special.

The first thing I noticed when I got behind the wheel was the Lusso’s interior finish upgrades. Every surface was covered in fresh, high-end leather. The ventilation system is much improved, with new controls and relocated vents. The new system not only functions much more efficiently, but looks far better. Heat and defrost now actually work like a modern car. The entire interior fits precisely and seems more dialed in than the original spider. Seats are more padded, and the hand stitched touches on the dash, console and door panels look more Maserati than Fiat. I also appreciated the upgraded sound system, which no longer fights the wind when the top is down.

Not only does the car look beautiful, but the driving experience has also greatly improved as compared to the car’s previous configuration. Before the upgrades, I was always at least subconsciously aware that I was driving a 30+ year-old car. Even though the Avanzato restoration included many new parts, the project remained true to the original design. Consequently, it demanded to be driven with some respect for its age. Now, by contrast, the car encourages spirited driving! Like a thoroughbred horse, it wants to run! Everything about the car feels “engineered” and enhanced. Frankly the whole package makes it drive like a contemporary car.

The new suspension and brakes, the chassis bracing, lowered ride height, anti-sway bars and the new rack-and-pinion steering all work together to make the car feel solid, tight and capable. The original Spider’s worm and roller steering previously felt a bit vague and rubbery. It is now precise with great feedback, and requires much less effort than before–especially at low speed. The car goes exactly where it’s pointed, and, even in high-speed corners, line adjustments can be made with confidence. This little Spider seems to almost ignore the laws of physics!

Of course, I fully expected the handling would be better than before, considering all the improvements made. The big surprise is that, in spite of the car’s light weight, lowered ride height and low-profile tires, the ride is amazingly comfortable – no buckboard harshness or unpleasant jolts. I am also pleased with the increased horsepower versus the original configuration. Roberto is a genius with engines, and the Lusso version definitely pulls better through the mid-band and feels less constrained. The hand signature is a cool touch, and the deeper sound is just lovely.

Congratulations on this superior effort–and again, mille grazie. I’m having a blast with my little Spider Lusso S2. I’m so impressed, maybe an Ultimo or CE upgrade are in my future!

Vince B – New Jersey