Today the Dutch celebrate the birthday of their Queen Beatrix. When in 1956 she finished school at age 18, her father, Prince Bernhard, gave her a present: a brand-new green Fiat 1400B. Built between 1950 and 1958, it was Fiat’s first car with a monocoque body. The middle class car was quite successful, but almost all have been scrapped by now. All of them? No, Classic Car dealer Christoph Grohe from Switzerland found this amazing unrestored 1400B with -what is believed original- mileage of only 44.000 kilometres. The upholstery is in perfect condition as the seats have been protected by transparent vinyl covers.













(photos Beatrix courtesy Frans Vrijaldenhoven)

April 30, 2008