The first thing that comes to mind when you look at these photos is the FIAT 600. We will tell you nothing new that the FIAT 600 has been one of the greatest successes of the Italian automotive industry. The small four-seater car gained international fame. It was a car from a time of progress and optimism and one that had a major impact on society. Another aspect was that the FIAT 600, as well as other popular models, contributed to the development of the car in general.
By: Dirk de Jong
Edo - also as president of the FIAT 600 club - has a close relationship with FIAT. Romance and nostalgia are intertwined in his garage. If we think we know that the SEAT 800 is a sister of the 600, Edo immediately puts up a defense. He wants to tell his story and thinks it is so special that he suggests to consider making a cover story about this FIAT icon. ('Please' is, by the way, putting it mildly, it turned out to be a passionate argument.)
The real story
Edo: “The Seat 800 (cuatro puertas) is certainly not the sister of the 600, but of the Multipla. In the XNUMXs, SEAT acquired the FIAT licenses for the FIAT models, but did not get them from the Multipla. They seem to have built one to convince FIAT, but the Italians were adamant: No SEAT Multipla. That was a setback for SEAT, because there was a high demand for a larger model. They wanted to use the car in the big cities - just like the Multipla in Italy - as a taxi. ”
Creative design
“A solution came by cutting a 600 behind the B pillar and welding 34 centimeters in between, the front doors were stripped of the sheet metal, the frame was shortened, and it was neatly cut to size, which also applied to the rear doors . ”
Spanish taxi
“This is how the Spanish taxi was born, as many as 18.000 were built, which mainly served in the big cities. They were painted in black with a dark yellow edge and of course the taxi sign was placed on the roof. ”
Rare
It almost goes without saying that you hardly come across this SEAT 800 in the Netherlands. Even in Spain it is scarce. Certainly also because the production period has been short. Where can you find him? Of course at Edo, a man with the right FIAT feeling, who has more models in his 'nurturing room' due to his enthusiasm. Such as the first series Fiat 600, a Fiat Multipla, a 600 in racing version (Abarth) and a small Fiat van of the 850 T Pulmino Familiare type. Perhaps he is right that his FIAT experiences should be described separately. At the chance meeting it turned out that the FIATS from bygone years still evoke emotions in many. Don't they have something adorable?
Also read:
- Seat 600
- Fiat 600 Abarth replica (1973)
- Zastava 750S (1978). super mini
- Fiat 600 Multipla (1963): Attractive design
- The Seat 1400. The first car from Zona Franca
Beautiful design, still sympathetic. I was not familiar with this 4-door model, but personally I think it is better than the Multipla. I have always found the 600 much nicer and more car than the 500. Unfortunately, it never came to an effective purchase.
How unbelievably cool!
the spanish converted almost all fiats into 4-door models, the 850 and the 127 were also provided with two extra doors by seat, of the multipla 20 to 30 seem to have been built in spain by MARSA
the COSTA is also worth mentioning.
My neighbor once bought about 15 Seat's 600 from a garage while on holiday in Spain. Of course he couldn't take them with him right away, so he arranged for a car transporter to take them back to the Netherlands as return freight. On arrival in the Netherlands they were put in my parking lot and when he came home from work in the evening, it turned out to his astonishment that the Spanish garage owner had given them all scrap cars. They sat in the parking lot for a few more months and eventually moved to a scrap yard. We did laugh about it!
correction: was produced from January '64 to June '67
Very special, I would just add that the model was produced from January '67 to June '67 was built at Carrocerías Costa; there would be about 249 copies ...
Magnificent!
Never seen. Not even in Spain or Portugal. Beautiful.