Daydreaming about the Fiat 600

The editorship for Auto Motor Klassiek brings me special encounters, events and reports since 2013. It leads me to special places. Beyond that: due to the good contacts in the field, I know pretty well what is going on. In this way I know which classics will soon be added to a stock of a well-known person and where they come from. I often know the story behind the heritage that ends up in the collection. And know which daydreams take possession of the possible new boss. That new owner who is so eager to see one of his or her dreams come true.

I recently visited a good friend from the world. Business has been going well in recent months, and the purchase of classics requires more sharpness due to the ever-increasing popularity. Not only at the seller, but also at the prospective buyer. I am a prospective buyer who, partly thanks to the making of reports, optimally fulfills his relentless need to steer with old young people and real classics. That does not mean that I have no desire to own a classic. I always look for nice and beautiful classic cars. Many choices can be made from the extensive arsenal. For myself, however, I have a short list with some favorites.

I already had the beetle. For years. During my childhood, more cars set the rhythm at which the highest violin could be played. They were often of modest stature. The 2CV, the Peugeots 104 and 204, the Renault 4, the Fiats 127 and 128: they were very successful. And were in my higher echelons Mercedes-Benz cars. And the Peugeots 404 and 504? Just like the Volvo Amazon / 140 / 240 models, they were also good for a major weakness. But the thoughts of owning a Fiat 600 have fascinated me for a lifetime. He was loved in the period before my birth. And it was the predecessor of the Fiats that my parents had in the first years of my life. The past had something magical for me at an early age.

In addition, the Fiat 600 (preferably with the doors not wrong) was right for me in all its limited dimensions. The proportions were good, the car was brought out in elegance, with beautiful shapes and a dose of chromium. I like him - and that is very personal - more fun and serious than the frequently and rightly celebrated 500. And he also had the stronger four-cylinder engine. From 1955, in modified or unmodified form, it served for decades in various Italians and closely related cars.

It was not for nothing that I was close to purchasing a Fiat 2004 in 600. Strangely enough, I didn't feel a click while driving. There was something too much empty. And: I didn't dare, was afraid of getting too close to the idol. I wrote for that five years ago Auto Motor Klassiek one of my first detailed columns about.

"Too close to an idol, don't do it." My world has changed. Why wouldn't I do it if the car and the feeling are right. That reflection caught my eye during Klassiek Drachten, when a beautiful green specimen (an 72 er, built by Seat) was on the stand at a stand that I appreciated for many reasons, a classic specialist from Wolvega. That was love at first sight, and I immediately asked about the prize. "He has just been sold, yes man", I heard. The seller and I both felt a certain disappointment. No problem, because selling is, to put it flat, selling. But still: I was late.

Now another chance may arise. And I don't mention - because the Fiat 600 is becoming increasingly rare - vendor names. This is also a licensed Seat 600 (after the Fiat production end, these Seats were sold from 1970 in the Netherlands, among others, as Fiat 600). Purists will like that, but for me this is also a Fiat 600. It's a chance. And a nice prospect to daydream during my vacation about the dream, which suddenly became alive and tangible again on a sunny Friday afternoon.