Abarth replica restoration, VERY RARE first-year model, rebuilt engine, no rust

1968 Fiat 124 Spider Description

PRICED BELOW RESTORATION COST!
You are looking at a very rare 1968 Fiat 124 Spider... rare because very few of these first year (in the U.S.) cars are still on the road.I have a collection of 10 classic European cars and I'm thinning the herd of a few that I simply don't have the time to drive much anymore.
This Spider was restored about 8 years ago by a previous owner who did so with the intent of replicating the Abarth rally car look. The next owner, an Italian car enthusiast, owned it for 7 years and drove it another 3,500 miles. The actual mileage on the car at this stage is unknown and the clear Virginia title states "mileage exempt". he odometer reads 3,169, which is when the new gauges were installed. The totally rebuilt engine has less than 4,000 miles on it. To the best of my knowledge this car has not seen rain since it was restored and has always been garaged.
Restoration included:
Complete engine rebuildNew green one-stage paint respray (it has a few flaws and minor scratches but is otherwise excellent)Abarth style bumper delete, black bumper guards, fog lamps and Abarth badgesRefinished wood dash and all new gaugesnew dash covernew carpetnicely recovered seats and door panelsnew boot coverElectronic ignition conversionnew master cylindernew gas tanknew front suspension racknew brakes/fluidsMonza exhaustnew tires with original dog dish caps and trim ringsnew convertible topnew wood Abarth steering wheelworking am/fm cassette stereo with new speakers
The entire underneath of the car is solid. It appears that some expected rust repairs were done during the restoration process and then painted and coated with protectorant, (see photos), otherwise, there is no rust anywhere on the car.
The car runs great and shifts as it should. A new electronic ignition was added during the restoration. There's no smoke out the tail pipe and it has a smooth running engine... with only the usual couple of oil drips on my garage floor. All glass is excellent.
The new owner will also get a box full of new parts that includes brake rotors, distributor, spark plugs, fuel pumps, shop manuals etc. This is a sharp looking, solid driver, certainly not a concours car, and priced accordingly. These early cars, especially the first-year '68's are the most valuable and fast appreciating of the Spiders. Now that Fiat has reintroduced the Spider in 2016, expect these vintage models to start getting some love on the collector market.
The car is garaged at my home in Earlysville, Va... a few miles from the Charlottesville, Va. airport. I'm located about 2 hours south west of Washington DC. Personal inspections encouraged with an appointment. Email questions through Ebay answered promptly. Thank you for looking.