Fiat 600 - the birth of the city car

2025 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2025-01-22 21:14

Italia's shattered post-war economy had modest potential, and launching a new in-demand car model was a daunting task. Fiat 600 became at that time one of the symbols of the post-war Italian "economic miracle". This car was produced in sufficient numbers after its debut at the 1955 Geneva Motor Show.

The small utilitarian Fiat, dubbed the Seicento, was a resounding success within a few months. Demand for it exceeded production capacity, and the waiting time for a buyer to receive a car was a year. Competitive price, original appearance and relatively spacious interior became the strategic components of success. All this, combined with rather low fuel consumption at that time, made this car popular not only in Italy, but also far beyond its borders.

Fiat 600 Specifications

What is so remarkable about this model? The Fiat 600 Seicento of 1955 is a compact city car with a monocoque body only 3.2 m long, with a 21.5 hp 4-cylinder gasoline power unit located in the rear. With. The vehicle was equipped with hydraulic drum brakes on all four wheels. In the independent suspension, unique at that time, springs were used along with gas shock absorbers, which also served as a body stabilizer. The gearbox had four steps - three synchronized gears and reverse. Clutch - single disc, dry. Engine - in-line, four-cylinder liquid-cooled.

The cooling system was also used for interior heating. In some modifications, an additional rear radiator was installed. In all Fiat 600 technical specifications corresponded to the advanced ones. For example, an externally controlled generator and a battery ignition system were used. Top speed ranged from 95 km/h with the 633 cc inline engine to 110 km/h with the 767 cc engine. Such a motor began to be used after the model was updated in 1960. The car had a decent ventilation system.

Development of Seicento

A year after the presentation, in 1956, soft top models were released, as well as a six-seat variant of the Fiat Multipla 600. It was the forerunner of the current minivans. A great feature of the Multipla was that one of the three rows of seats folded down when needed, turning the car into a mini-truck.

Fiat 600 sold amazingly quickly. The one millionth car was sold in February 1961, less than six years after it went into mass production. On thatAt the moment, according to the manufacturer, the volume of assembled cars was 1000 units per day. In total, just over 2,600,000 units were produced in Italy alone. The car was discontinued in 1969, but production of its various modifications continued abroad. The Fiat 600, whose photos now make many people smile, was considered just a luxury vehicle at that time.

Made in Europe

In Spain, the 600 was produced under the SEAT brand from 1957 to 1973. In total, almost 800,000 cars were produced, which were exported to almost all countries of Western Europe, as well as to Central America and Africa. The concern produced various modifications of the original 600th model, some of them with improved characteristics. Special versions of the SEAT 600 were the Descapotable convertible and the more expensive commercial version, the Formicheta.

The Italian city car was also very popular in the former Yugoslavia. At the Zastava plant in Kragujevac, an analogue of the original model called Zastava 750/850 was produced until 1985. The Yugoslav car has been modified several times, mainly to increase engine size and power.

Made in South America

The popularity of the car in South America was so great that the import of this model from Italy and Spain did not cover all demand, and in 1960 production was opened in three countries at once - Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. As in other foreign enterprises,South American Fiats were different from the original. They were equipped with 32-horsepower engines, chrome-plated metal parts were replaced with plastic. Although production did not last long in Uruguay and Chile, production continued in Argentina until 1982.