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And when that project has its origins in the family's homeland, it's all the more special.
Luca Bartolomei experienced this first-hand and after some tension, stress and much hard work, the 30-year-old is now enjoying the final result, his own version of the world's sexiest car.
Bartolomei owns a 1971 Fiat 500, a version that is a replica of the racing model, known as the 695 Abarth. About 100 of these were sold in Australia.
Bartolomei has always been a fan of the Italian brand, having been born in Rome. Contributing to his passion for the brand was his mechanic father, who did his apprenticeship with Fiat in Italy, and passed the interest on to his son.
So after seeing an advertisement for an old Fiat, Bartolomei had barely put the paper down before he was out the door and heading for Port Macquarie. “I bought it from an old lady,” he says. “She owned it since it came to Australia. I'm the second owner. She wanted to get rid of it because she wanted a modern car."
“I drove six hours to get it. I rang her up and said, `I'll be there in the morning'.”
He paid just $1000 for the car he describes as “a wreck, a rust bucket.”
Now, after spending $15,000 on restoring the cute little vehicle, Bartolomei estimates it would be worth about $20,000.
“I just got everything that was on it. My brother lives in Italy so I got all the original Abarth parts. The only way you can tell it's not original is the serial number in the chassis,” he says.
Bartolomei's version of the Fiat 500 was based on the racing versions that hit the track during the 1950s and '60s. “But I would never race it and I would never sell it,” he says.
He and his father gave it a new spray job, dressed it with new black leather interior, a new steering wheel, a 695cc Abarth racing kit, different wheels ... the list goes on.
Bartolomei was drawn to many aspects of the car, including the racing history, the old styling and its unusual qualities. And it doesn't just stop at the original.
Bartolomei is also impressed by the new revived version of the Fiat 500, due to be released in Australia in March next year.
“I like it. There's an original one and a racing one, an Arbath like mine but new. I'm considering buying that one as a daily drive car,” he says.
And while the Bambino may have been voted the world's sexiest car and many people here see them as classics that are now being restored, Bartolomei says the Italians don't necessarily see it the same way.
“Last year I went to Rome and went past a scrap yard,” he says.
“They've actually thrown these cars away, because they give out too much pollution. But here they're ... like a collector's item.”
Bartolomei's car is now road-registered and has been finished for about three months, having put just 22km on the clock.
He squeezes into the tiny car a couple of times a month and says the one problem with this car is owners spend a lot of time at the service station.
“You go to the servo to fill up, and you don't get out for half an hour. Everyone wants to know what it is,” he says, although he seems to be fairly happy to have a chat and show off his pride and joy. And it's not just adults taking notice.
Bartolomei says many children recognise it as the character from the Disney animated film, Cars and will often point out, “Look Daddy, it's Luigi,” which Bartolomei finds quite amusing, especially since that is his father's name.
His father played a huge role in the project and he says “without him it wouldn't be on the road.” But when naming his little baby, Bartolomei didn't run with Luigi, instead keeping the naming rights to another very special family member.
“At the time my wife was pregnant, so I named this car after my daughter, Luella,” he says.
And just like newborns can be, Bartolomei says his automotive baby is very loud.
“It's not noise-proof,” he says. “It's a pretty grunty racing car so it's very noisy and very good on the road, just a bit bumpy ... it's low, it takes corners pretty well.”
And while Bartolomei is happy with the condition of his Fiat, he says he's not quite finished. “I'll spend a bit more money doing suspension and just fixing the jewellery up, putting the original badges on,” he says.
“It's complete, just some little touches.”
Which means he and his father aren't quite finished with the garage just yet.
Spending so much time together in a small confined space could create stress in some families, but for this father and son, the relationship survived fairly unscathed.
“It was pretty good. There was a bit of swearing, but that's it. What goes in the garage, stays in the garage,” Bartolomei says laughing.
Related story: Bambino already causes stir
Snapshot
1971 FIAT 500, 695 ABARTH
Value when new: around $2000
Value now: average model $5000-$8000, restored model around $15,000-$20,000
Verdict: It may be a small car, but the baby Bambino glistens with character, heart and soul as it shows off wherever it goes.
