Italian war hero’s car restored by Derry man
A car enthusiast from Derry has restored a rare vehicle which once belonged to a famous Italian war hero.
At first glance the car could have been dismissed as a rusted Fiat, of little value, monetary or otherwise.
However, when Owen Shields chipped away at the rust and delved deeper, he discovered a car with a fascinating story.
Researching the history of the vehicle he found that it previously belonged to Baron Amedeo Guillet, a famous Italian war hero who fought in a number of wars, including World War II, and received every military honour available in his home country
He was wounded five times during battles and is revered in his native country.
After his military career, he served as a diplomat for 20 years, including a period as Italian ambassador in Italy.
He loved Ireland so much that he moved to County Westmeath after he retired.
Baron Guillet died in 2010, at the age of 101.
Following his death, two vintage Fiat cars were found in his garage in Westmeath, a Fiat 126 and a Fiat 500 Gardineria.
Owen described the latter as ‘an extremely rare car, which I’ve only ever seen in a magazine’.
He said it was an undertaker from Westmeath, who took on ownership of the cars.
Owen added: “A man named Rigsy took on the job of restoring the two cars; he restored the 500 Gardinera for the undertaker.
“Part of his payment was for him to keep the 126 for himself, he stripped it down then sold it to me and I was the one that restored it.”
The Fiat 126 was once nicknamed ‘the puddle jumper’ because of its size and being what Mr Shiels referred to as ‘the Lada of its day’, meaning it wasn’t the most stylish vehicle on the roads.
Owen gave it a personalised nickname of ‘Le Frog’, because of the car’s colour.
After establishing the historical significance of the vehicle and its previous owner, he decided a play on words would be apt.
Car lovers refer to untouched classic vehicles as ‘barn finds’ so he thought naming it ‘Baron Find’, in reference to Guillet, was the perfect fit.
The opportunity to restore the Fiat 126 came with added incentive for Owen, as well as his interest in cars, he’s also a military aficionado, being a member of the Ulster Military Vehicle Club and a participant in WWII re-enactments.
After gathering the facts about the previous owners military achievements, he was eager to get to work.
“Rigsy was fixing up both of Baron’s cars; he had enough working with the 126 and offered it on to me.”
Owen is not a professional mechanic; he’s self taught and does it as a hobby.
He added: “The car came it bits, all the pieces were boxed and bagged. When I got it there was no paint on the inner panels, just exposed metal which meant there was nothing to protect it from rust.
“I installed a 1977, 650 air-cooled engine, new front panel, repaired inner front panel two inner wheel arches, two number plate panels, two wings, two sills, and repairs to edges of both floors.
“It was a full nut and bolt restoration.
“The car featured in an Irish car magazine and I had an American call me up from an Eason’s in Dublin congratulating me on saving the car.
“The whole restoration took about seven months.”
Having restored it to its former glory, he is interested in sharing the story with the Guillet family living in Italy, but the Italian embassy isn’t forthcoming with information.
“I’d like to let them know how the car was done, so they can see how part of their family history has been preserved,” added Owen.
Photo shows Owen with Baron Guillet’s restored Fiat 126.