Committee Members

Martin Garrad

Club President and Membership Secretary – membership@fiatbarchetta.uk

August 2023 – Welcome to the UK Barchetta Owners’ Club website. We now have a membership of 233 and, with sixteen new members so far this year, still no sign of failing interest. Thankfully we manage our affairs with a handful of volunteers and a core of enthusiastic members. Mike Barnes continues as our treasurer and is responsible for managing our 200 Club. He has restored a healthy bank balance for us, thank you Mike. Neil Mead looks after our website and manages to keep it fresh and up to date whilst Mark Simmons continues in an admin role. Our new club secretary is Dave Skelding who has already proved supportive in documenting events.

I joined The Club in 2010 and have never regretted it.  My wife, Jenny, and I have enjoyed meetings each year since then and added a few continental jaunts too. In June we joined two other UK cars and went to Norway for an unforgettable tour with clubs from across Europe. We have created some really good friendships through our little cars. Over twenty cars met at Poundbury in May this year. The event proved to be a huge success with a splendid hotel well placed to visit “The Best of Dorset.” You can read details of the meeting on these web pages. Thanks to Chris and Aneta Rocker for making all the arrangements for this trip.

Club membership remains free but we do encourage people to sign up to our “200 Club” which provides substantial cash prizes and funds to keep us going!  Please consider joining. (Application forms on this website) The prize fund this year reached £1360 with a top prize of £453. For now, enjoy our website and I hope the information is both interesting and informative.

Very best wishes

Martin Garrad


Michael Barnes

Treasurer

I bought my Barchetta in 2005 at a time when FIAT had just reduced the purchase price and spec of the facelifted model. After much soul searching and domestic debate I placed an order for a new Broom yellow B – and sat back and waited – for quite some time. Only to be told eventually that there was a production problem at the factory and here was a voucher for £1000 to keep me quiet. Youngest son was driving a black Punto at the time – with a fair amount of bravo – and somehow the £1000 dwindled to £500 in keeping the Punto rolling.

Not to worry – the Barchetta finally arrived and I signed up for the UK Barchetta Owners Club and still have my cardboard membership card to this day!  I hadn’t been the proud owner for that long -when one or two gremlins started creeping in – problems with the headlights – more seriously the engine cutting out at speed – bit disconcerting actually. Back to the dealership who didn’t seem able to rectify the engine problem -but were very helpful in other ways. A suitably worded letter to the dealership principal and FIAT UK suggesting I might have been better off with the MX5 provoked a response from the dealership but niente from FIAT UK – not a positive start! The dealership however accepted the fact that the car was not fit for purpose and liaised with FIAT on my behalf – a few weeks drifted by – but then – a result – the keys to a brand new yellow Barchetta were handed over. Not so sure I would be so lucky in todays economic climate! It’s been with us ever since, attending all but one of the Club meetings since 2010. 

We have made some very good friends , visited some places we hadn’t been to before, drunk copious amounts of wine and generally had a great time – with hopefully more to come. Equally importantly don’t forget the 200 Club!

Very best wishes

Michael Barnes


Neil Mead

Website Manager – info@fiatbarchetta.uk

Hi, and thanks for visiting our club website. Back in 1995 my first car was a Fiat Cinquecento Sporting which was followed by a Punto Sporting. However, it was the Barchetta and also the Fiat Coupe that really stood out at the time, they seemed so different to other cars and ever since I have been a fan. Fast forward to 2007 when I got a new job that came with a company car which made me think ‘I wonder how much a Barchetta is now?’ and that of course led to me buying the car I still own today.  

There have been times when the car has been off the road but me and my dad did complete a European road trip in the car in 2015 and since joining the UK Owners Club in 2017 it has provided me the opportunity to meet some great people, joining in with some excellent drives during the meetings so I would encourage anybody with a Barchetta to join and make the most of their car, after all it is free! 

Social media has of course changed the way we communicate and can be a great tool however at the club we still believe there is a place for a website to communicate news, useful information and archive data for all owners to share so please check back and if you have something to contribute, please get in touch. 


Mark Simmons

Administration – info@fiatbarchetta.uk

I have been a member of the barchetta club since 2014 and I was made to feel welcome on my first event . I have been on a few events since which have all been well organised.

When the barchetta was launched I admired the looks and style and kept a few of the then magazine articles on it ( I recommend the Brooklands road test portfolio book to buy). Unfortunately at the time I was unable to afford one and due to my age the group 19 out of 20 insurance group was prohibitive for me ,thank goodness for classic car insurance now !

I have always liked roadsters and bought the default choice the MX5 in 2002 . Having moved to the Suffolk area in 2010 from the London area and having a house with space for cars I bought my barchetta from someone near by in 2013. Thankfully my wife was understanding as it was my 3rd roadster at the time . The car has been very good to me and for a FWD car it brings a big smile to my face on B roads . As a few of my fellow club members know I am a big fan of barchettas with steel wheels (mines on original alloys).


I would encourage you to join the club and of course it is free.


Dave Skelding

Club Secretary – info@fiatbarchetta.uk

I first saw a Barchetta close up at an NEC Motor Show in the late 90s. It was an orange one and I was very taken by its Italian style and charm. However, it was not until much later, in 2015, that I finally scratched the itch and bought one, an early broom yellow example which had spent recent years outside the Spanish villa of the former owner of Oakmere Garages, who had acquired it as a trade-in. Hence it was solid and low mileage, but needed a little mechanical tlc.

My wife Sue and I joined the club then and have enjoyed all of our gatherings around the country since. A few years ago one member described these events as ‘a short drive between meals’ and he wasn’t far wrong! This is the great strength of the club – a bunch of sociable, like-minded folk who don’t take themselves or their cars too seriously, but are supportive and enjoy good company. I have some other cars but Barchetta ownership is the most fun, not remotely snobbish and not too petrol-headed.

Our car has totted up some 27,000kms since its purchase, including a couple of jaunts to the continent. It has always been reliable and starts first time, even when left in the garage for weeks at a time. It drives well and would benefit from a new hood as the original is a bit tatty, but it doesn’t leak! I think Barchettas must offer the best smiles per pound ratio of any car! One trip I aspire to is a grand tour to Sweden without using ferries, so via the Channel Tunnel, up to Denmark and over the Little Belt and Great Belt bridges and finally the Oresund Crossing, (made famous by the Scandi tv series ‘The Bridge’), to Malmo. One day!

When former secretary Sandy Ranson wanted to stand down and Martin was seeking a replacement, he explained to me that he did all the hard work and there would be little for me to do…. I shall find out! We have made some good friends through the club, so please come and join us!