There are numerous “heavy lies the crown” benefits and drawbacks to owning an automobile company. When someone from the marketing department is caught driving a competitor’s car, they usually go into a five-alarm panic. You do, however, have the money and political power to order one-time models. In the early 1970s, Gianni Agnelli, who used to be CEO of Fiat, did just that. He asked Fiat to make him a car because there wasn’t one like it on the market. Four of the 130 Familiar were made, and Agnelli’s is for sale. In 1966, Agnelli took over the family business for 30 years. He was born in 1921 and was the grandson of Giovanni Agnelli, who started Fiat. Because he was an independent man at the time, Fiat only had a few cars for him to choose from. He specifically couldn’t find a wagon that was big, luxurious, and strong enough to meet his needs. He asked Fiat’s Centro Stile design group for help. The designers started with the 130, which was the biggest and most expensive car in the fleet. They turned it into a wagon with a stylish, boxy body and wood-inspired decorations on the outside. Reports say that Agnelli was very important in making his à la carte wagon. To make things easier for the security team that was following him, he asked for silver paint, the wood-look panels we already talked about, a roof rack with a stylish wicker box, and an oddly shaped third brake light. An Italian company called Officina Introzzi was hired by Fiat to handle production. Agnelli got the 130 Familiar in 1974 and kept it in St. Moritz, Switzerland. He mostly used it for snowboarding there. These people made three more carts, one of which was for Agnelli’s brother. The “3200” sticker on the hatch says it’s the 3.2-liter V6 engine that was previously offered, but RM Sotheby’s, the auction house selling the 130 Familiar, says it has a 2.8-liter V6 engine. In any case, the six-cylinder engine turns the back wheels with the help of a three-speed automatic gear. He kept the 130 Familiare until 1985. After that, the wagon had a number of private owners before showing up at some very important events in recent years, such as The Ice at St. Moritz in 2022 and the Villa d’Este Concours d’Elegance in 2014. There is no reserve price for the 130, so the person who bids the most will win. The sale is on April 20, 2025. Even though it has a Fiat logo on the hood, I don’t think it will fetch a lot of money. After taking out the buyer’s fee, RM thinks the wagon will sell for between €170,000 and €300,000, which is about $185,000 to $327,000. Yikes! As the happy (kinda) owner of a 1970s Fiat, I can say for sure that it’s a lot of money. In 2021, RM sold a beautiful 1967 Fiat Dino with a V6 engine for $81,200. In 2023, they sold a 1973 Fiat 130 Coupe that looks like it is in great shape for 17,250 Swiss Francs, which is about $20,000. It might be worth more than a standard Fiat from the 1970s, though, because this isn’t one of those. The market will make the choice. Because Agnelli wants to find a new home for his other two cars, they will be put up for sale on April 20. The man got a brand-new Lancia Thema Familiare from Zagato in 1985, which shows he liked wagons. Two flats were built, and this is the only one that could sell for up to €160,000, or $175,000. Last but not least, Agnelli had a 1986 Fiat Panda 4×4 for 15 years. He bought it brand new to use in Switzerland. The listing for this auction says that this Panda 4×4 is “arguably the finest in existence” and that it was just fully restored. The little car looks like it’s brand new, but RM thinks it will fetch up to $44,000. Please stop the world so that I can get off.
