Auto Ricambi History
What is Auto Ricambi? Auto Ricambi is a good example of what happens when someone’s passion becomes their profession. In this case, it was Csaba's and Ramzi's passion for FIAT – FIAT 124 Spiders, to be exact – that started Auto Ricambi’s successful niche classic FIAT Spider mail-order business. To get the full story, we must go back to 2009, when it all started in Csaba’s garage.
Csaba and Ramzi had been friends and fellow FIAT enthusiasts for decades before forming Auto Ricambi, and it seemed only natural that they combined their resources and talents to create a company that would provide FIAT 124 Spider owners with reasonably priced quality replacement parts. In those early days, the two worked hard to stock the best parts on the market and fulfill orders quickly and efficiently. By 2010, the business had rapidly grown to the point they required additional space, which they found in their first warehouse facility. Located only a few minutes from DFW International Airport, they chose Colleyville, Texas - which helped reduce shipping times and costs. In the following years, the friends and partners continued to realize substantial growth, affirming without doubt that the decision to turn passion into profession was the right path to take.
Colleyville proved to be a great home for Auto Ricambi, and as the business continued to thrive, the need for even more expansion became increasingly real. Hiring additional staff to help with orders and shipping was the most pressing matter. In 2014, AJ was brought in to assist and manage shipping logistics with the help of Mike. Most recently, AJ has been responsible for implementing a new barcode-based inventory management system and redesigning the entire warehouse layout.
Shortly after that, Frank, the former sales manager of International Auto Parts, joined the team to handle the ever-increasing customer volume. Frank brought a shared passion, vast knowledge of FIAT 124 Spiders to the growing team, and decades of extensive customer service experience.
Over the years, Auto Ricambi acquired other respected FIAT parts businesses and inventories that were either retiring or shutting down. A special dedication is required to make selling parts online for FIAT Spiders a profitable endeavor, and the team knew they were on to something good. As growth continued, it became evident that a new mobile-friendly website with the support of added marketing efforts should be the next step forward. This led to Brett being recruited to join AR’s growing team of FIAT experts. Brett's FIAT enthusiasm and automotive experience worked well to round out the team and manage the expanding focus, including the recently introduced 2017 FIAT 124 Spider. Brett used his 26 years of advertising agency experience to extend Auto Ricambi’s reach from a classic car-only business to one that now serviced owners of new FIAT Spiders as well.
These days, Auto Ricambi houses North America’s largest inventory of parts for both classic and new FIAT Spiders, which are in stock and ready to ship to owners around the globe. In addition, we have expanded our inventory to include parts support for new FIAT 500 models, 2012 and up, the latest move that further establishes a bright future for our niche efforts selling quality FIAT parts via the Internet.
Recently, Danny joined the AR team to help with special new item projects and fulfillment. His unique tech skills are helping bring the quality and availability of parts to a new level. With the help of his assistant, Tyler, they are working closely together to make sure daily operations run smoothly.
The Auto Ricambi team has never been stronger, and business has never been better. Experiencing continued growth year after year prompted the need for more warehouse space. Csaba and Ramzi initially considered moving out of DFW to more “affordable” real estate, but at the end of the day, they decided to purchase the adjacent warehouse, more than tripling the current warehouse space. Happy to continue its commitment to the city of Colleyville, the new world headquarters of Auto Ricambi was completed in 2020, just after the company's 10-year anniversary.
One of the things that excites the staff at Auto Ricambi is that when you get to do something you really love for a living, it does not seem like work. This is where that ‘passion to profession’ ideal is played out every day…right here in Colleyville, Texas.
As Auto Ricambi looks forward, we are making efforts to bring even more items to our customers at prices that are more affordable than ever before in history. While the market trends are moving upward for the classic FIAT 124 Spiders, our prices are staying affordable. Now is the best time ever to restore a classic FIAT 124 Spider and we are here to help with that effort.
