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Innocenti

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John Moore

John Moore

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I go to Wallingford once a month on business. It's very interesting, but I bet very difficult to buy parts for.

So I wonder, if at a show would you part in the Italian or British section? lol
 

drooartz

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I saw that one, and if I had the cash around (and the space, and the time) I'd be really interested. The Innocenti cars are a very nice looking design.
 

BugEyeBear

Jedi Trainee
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Seller is a nice guy.
Safe to say that he IS probably THE Innocenti Spyder EXPERT here in the US.

I bought 2 Innocenti Spyders from him approx 2 years ago.
They were exactly as he'd described & he was very easy to work with. :thumbsup:

I sold these 2 Innocentis late last year (see my ad in the BCF Classifieds under Spridgets, Innocenti Spyders (2) AD ) to a collector in Iowa.
The new owner has a few of these now & could be a good resource for anyone looking for spare parts, info, etc. (He is also a frequent participant on this forum...)

NOTE: My BCF Ad also provided a TON of history about these cars... worth reading if you are considering buying one...

Hard to get parts for these are the windshield & the tail-lights. Tail-lights come up on eBay every now & then, but they aren't cheap! Windshields are VERY hard to find! The guy who bought mine was gonna pull the windshield and have copies made (easier to make a windshield IF you have one to use as a master), so he might be a resource.

Drivetrain, floor pans, suspension are simply Spridget, so that part is easy & relatively cheap.

These are very popular over in Switzerland and a few other parts of Europe. I have contact info for a few owners over there IF someone on here buys this car. (Then again, the seller probably knows all of these owners also...)

"Cheers!" :cheers:
-Bear-
 

BugEyeBear

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Here's the Innocenti Spyder HISTORY from my BCF Ad:

<span style="font-style: italic">The Innocenti Spyder is a direct "cousin" of the Austin-Healey Sprite.
For those who are unfamiliar...
In 1961 Innocenti started to sell Italian bodied versions of the Austin Healey Sprite with platform & drivetrain designs licensed to them from BMC to manufacture. Although there were Completely Knocked Down (CKD) versions of the Sprite sent to other companies, the Innocentis were different as they were manufactured by Innocenti. The Ghia designed bodies evolved from the original 950 Spyder into the “S” 1100 Spyder convertible and later the “C” coupe.

In 1961 the Italian car maker Innocenti founded in 1931 by Fernando Innocenti started making a Ghia-styled version of the Austin Healey Sprite. The Innocenti 950 Spyder used the same suspension, steering, drivetrain, and A-series engine as the Bugeye (aka Frogeye) Sprite.

Innocenti located in Milan hired Ghia of Turin to design the body of this new car which was manufactured by OSI. The Innocenti versions of the Sprite and Minis featured more comfortable options than their British counterparts. Innocenti offered luxuries such as wind-up windows, larger doors, exterior and lockable boot lid, lockable glovebox and exterior door handles.

Many Italian parts were used in the appearance of the Innocenti. Instead of Smith's gauges Italian Veglia instruments were used. Unlike the Bugeye which had a flat windshield, the Innocenti had a more stylish & expensive curved one. The Innocenti's boxiness was before the Mark II Sprite / Mark I Midget and its TR6 looking front end predated the Triumph by almost ten years. This award winning car design also heavily influenced the future design of Honda's very first production car the Honda S 500 which went on sale in 1963.

The Innocenti 950 Spyder was announced at the 1960 Turin Motor Show. The first cars were built from the Bugeye (AN5) and only 624 of them were produced. 4783 Innocenti 950 Spyders were built from the Sprite Mark II (HAN6) but the Innocenti itself was unchanged by the restyling that Austin Healey had made. All of the 950 Spyders used the A-Series 948cc engine.

In 1963 the Innocenti received the 1098cc A-Series engine from the Sprite Mark II (HAN7) and the car was renamed to the Innocenti “S”. The Innocenti “S” also received a new grill, badging, hub caps, and a drastically different looking interior. The Innocenti “S” saw 2074 produced, only half that of the 950 Spyder, making the “S” a rather rare and collectable member of the Sprite line of cars.

In 1966 Innocenti did its most drastic redesign and replaced the Innocenti “S” with the Innocenti “C”, a fixed top coupe. Although the Sprite and Midget now were coming with 1275cc engine these were never placed into the Innocenti coupe. 487 Innocenti coupes were built from the Sprite Mark II (HAN7) and 307 from the Sprite Mark III (HAN8), making the Innocenti Coupe the rarest of the Innocenti-Sprite family.

In total 7651 Innocentis were built from the Sprite. Most of these cars were sold in Italy and most of the exports were to the United States and Switzerland. The downfall of the Sprite based car was probably their high cost and its competition from the MGB which was introduced only a year later than the 950 Spyder.

The Innocenti Spyder continues to have a small but loyal following in the US, Italy, Switzerland, and the UK. Unique parts are frequently available via eBay and other sources, and of course most of the drivetrain parts are identical to those used on the Sprite/Midget.</span>
 
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The Innocenti is interesting but my eye caught the little red tail light in the lower left corner of the rear view pictures.....Mini stationwagon! :smile: And what is the other car on the right side....mostly buried under stuff....enquiring minds want to know!
 

scoutll

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The light blue car looks like another Innocenti.
 

walshja

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I believe it's another Innocenti. He has a completely restored, gorgeous Innocenti, and those 2 project cars.

The mini wagon is awesome as well.

He has quality stuff for sure. My 1974 Midget was unrestored, original paint, and NO RUST !!!
 
OP
John Moore

John Moore

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Great stuff! I found an image of the Coupe! I like!
 

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