When I went merrily searching for wreckers on eBay the other day I did not ever expect to find (let alone dig) a 1972 Fiat wrecker. Sure, the thing is pretty tiny by American standards but the reality is that you have to consider the job the truck was expected to do before you go throwing judgements around, right? This truck was expected to haul busted little European cars back to their dealers or private shops for repair. No one was hooking this thing to the front of a 1972 Caddy and dragging it over a mountain. We had to do that stuff here and that’s why our wreckers of this (and every) era are larger.
With a single boom, a single cable, no out riggers, and no discernible way to rotate said boom this would not have been the ideal truck to drag something up a hill or the side of a mountain. That being said, if you had a Fiat 500 that you needed hooked and gone, the rig could have (and likely) did handle it all day long. The engine is a naturally aspirated four cylinder diesel that likely displaces about as much as half a glass of milk but again, it is built for the job at hand. The trans is a four speed stick and the interior is about a spartan as spartan can get. The inside of the cab actually reminds us of an Cushman truck.
With four control sticks to control the functions of the truck, the cool integrated tool boxes, perfect paint, and no need to do anything but pay the seller, turn the key and cruise, this could be one of the neatest deals on eBay right now, especially if you are an Italian car freak.
What do you think? Cool?
Check out the images and hit the link to see the full eBay ad for this 1972 Fiat Wrecker
Some vintage racing association ought to snap this up for use as a trackside support vehicle.
First time I’ve ever seen a Fiat dually truck, and it looks more serious than I thought.
Where my family came from in Italy they used a Mule instead of this truck.