Categories: South Africa

Italian architect restores ageing Fiats thanks to Internet

Parascandolo examines the engine compartment of an antique Fiat 500 in Rome. “I picked up the passion by chance,” the Italian architect told AFP.
. AFP/Filippo MONTEFORTE

“I picked up the passion by chance,” the Italian architect told AFP, recounting how she got into a friend’s Fiat 500 and fell in love “with the minimalist dashboard, the buttons, the switches”.

The classic Fiat 500 is today much sought after, and Parascandolo sold her motorbike to buy a decrepit 1967 model for 2,000 euros ($2,250).

Parascandolo fell in love “with the minimalist dashboard, the buttons, the switches.”. AFP/Filippo MONTEFORTE

“It was completely rusted, didn’t start, didn’t brake,” she said in the vast warehouse where she has installed “Nanna’s Garage” and now works on her second Fiat 500.

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“I took the motor to my bedroom… and when I had a moment I took it apart and restored it,” she said.

Parascandolo works in a former train workshop where she can carry on her hobby and continue her adventure in the world of classic car restoration. . AFP/Filippo MONTEFORTE

She spent a year on Internet forums and reading books about how to restore the car. She only asked a retired professional for help with the bodywork.

Parascandolo trained as an architect and adores the Fiat 500’s unique design . AFP/Filippo MONTEFORTE

“Cutting up the rusted parts, welding… without someone to teach me, I couldn’t do it,” she said.

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Parascandolo keeps her work place tidy. AFP/Filippo MONTEFORTE

She now plans to become a bodywork apprentice to learn the necessary skills for her second car.

“I love taking them apart, understanding them, restoring them,” Parascandolo says.

“The Fiat 500 was my first love, the perfect car to learn on, the height of simplicity but I do want to move onto bigger, more expensive cars.”

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