Fiat 600
Encyclopedia
City car
A city car is a small car intended for use primarily in an urban area.City cars are sold worldwide and most automotive industry manufacturers have one or two in their line-up. In North-America city cars are often referred to simply as "subcompacts" alongside the superminis. These kind of cars...
produced by the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
automaker
Automaker
The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....
Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
from 1955 to 1969. Measuring only 3.22 m (126 in) long, it was the first rear-engined Fiat and cost the equivalent of about € 6,700 or US$ 7300 in today's money (590,000 lira
Lira
Lira is the name of the monetary unit of a number of countries, as well as the former currency of Italy, Malta, San Marino and the Vatican City and Israel. The term originates from the value of a Troy pound of high purity silver. The libra was the basis of the monetary system of the Roman Empire...
then). The total number produced from 1955 to 1969 at the Mirafiori plant was 2,604,000. During 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, the car became very popular in countries such as Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(as SEAT 600
SEAT 600
The SEAT 600 was a Spanish car made by SEAT from May 1957 to August 1973. It helped to start the economic boom, the Spanish Miracle , that came at the end of the slow recovery from the Spanish Civil War...
), where it became the icon
Cultural icon
A cultural icon can be a symbol, logo, picture, name, face, person, building or other image that is readily recognized and generally represents an object or concept with great cultural significance to a wide cultural group...
, par excellence, of the Spanish miracle
Spanish miracle
The Spanish miracle was the name given to a broadly based economic boom in Spain from 1959 to 1974. The international oil and stagflation crises of the 1970s ended the boom.- The pre-boom situation :...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, where it was nicknamed Fitito (a diminutive of Fiat) and former Yugoslavia where it was nicknamed Fićo .
Characteristics
The car had hydraulic drum brakes on all four wheels. Suspension was a unique single double-mounted leafspring - which acts as a stabilizer - between the front wheels coupled to gas-charged shock absorberShock absorber
A shock absorber is a mechanical device designed to smooth out or damp shock impulse, and dissipate kinetic energy. It is a type of dashpot.-Nomenclature:...
s, and an independent coil-over-shock absorber setup coupled to semi-trailing arms at the rear. All 600 models had 3-synchro (no synchro on 1st) 4-speed transaxle
Transaxle
In the automotive field, a transaxle is a major mechanical component that combines the functionality of the transmission, the differential, and associated components of the driven axle into one integrated assembly....
s. Unlike the Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Type 1, widely known as the Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Bug, is an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003...
or Fiat 500
Fiat 500
The Fiat 500 is a car produced by the Fiat company of Italy between 1957 and 1975, with limited production of the Fiat 500 K estate continuing until 1977. The car was designed by Dante Giacosa....
, the Fiat 600 is water-cooled with an ample cabin heater and, while cooling is generally adequate, for high-power modified versions a front-mounted radiator or oil cooler is needed to complement the rear-mounted radiator. All models of the 600 had generators with mechanical external regulators.
The top speed ranged from 95 km/h (59 mph) empty with the 633 cc inline-four engine to 110 km/h (68.4 mph) with the 767 cc version. The car had good ventilation and defrosting systems.
A year after its debut, in 1956, a soft-top version was introduced, as well as a six-seater variant — the Fiat 600 Multipla. It was a precursor of current multi-purpose vehicles.
Retrospectively the water-cooled Fiat 600 is sometimes over-shadowed by the air-cooled Fiat 500
Fiat 500
The Fiat 500 is a car produced by the Fiat company of Italy between 1957 and 1975, with limited production of the Fiat 500 K estate continuing until 1977. The car was designed by Dante Giacosa....
, but the 600 was a remarkably fast seller in its time: the millionth 600 was produced in February 1961, less than six years after the car's launch. At the time when the millionth car was produced, the manufacturer reported it was producing the car at the then remarkable rate of 1,000 a day. In total approximately 2,500,000 Fiat 600s were produced.
As of 2011 there are only 65 left in the UK that are road legal.
SEAT 600/800
In SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, the 600 model was made under the make of SEAT
SEAT
SEAT, S.A. is a Spanish automobile manufacturer founded on May 9, 1950 by the Instituto Nacional de Industria , a state-owned industrial holding company....
, from 1957 to 1973. Up to 797.319 SEAT 600
SEAT 600
The SEAT 600 was a Spanish car made by SEAT from May 1957 to August 1973. It helped to start the economic boom, the Spanish Miracle , that came at the end of the slow recovery from the Spanish Civil War...
were made. The Spanish car maker exported them to Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Netherlands, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Angola, Cameroon, Congo, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Reunion island, Lebanon, Senegal, Somalia and Zaire. This car motorised Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
after the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
.
SEAT produced various derivatives of the original 600 model some of them with improvements and special fittings like the use of "suicide doors"
Suicide door
A suicide door is a car door hinged on the trailing edge, the edge closer to the rear of the vehicle. Such doors are rarely used on vehicles in modern times because of their disadvantages....
: the SEAT 600 D/E/L Especial version, the 'Descapotable' convertible and the 'Formicheta' commercial version etc.
The most interesting version produced between 1964 and 1967 by SEAT is though the SEAT 800, the sole 4-door derivative of the 600 model with longer wheelbase, developed in-house by SEAT and produced exclusively by the Spanish car maker without any equivalent model in Fiat's range.
Fiat 600/770 Neckar Jagst
Neckar (car)
Neckar was a German automobile manufacturer which produced Fiat and Autobianchi vehicles under license in Heilbronn from 1957 to 1971.- History :...
in Germany between 1956 and 1967. Presented in a first time as Jagst 600, in 1960 with the release of Fiat 600D it became Jagst 770. The model was manufactured until the end of 1967, more than 172,000 copies.
Zastava 750/850
In former Yugoslavia the model was very popular, and was produced under the name Zastava 750Zastava 750
The Zastava 750 was a car made by the Yugoslavian car maker Zavod Crvena Zastava. It was a version of the Fiat 600 made under licence from 1965, it was longer in length than the Fiat version. The Zastava 750 has a 767 cc engine and is the smallest car ever made by Zastava. Later on during...
(later 850), nicknamed "Fića" in Serbian, "Fićo" in Croatian and "Fičo" in Slovene. It was produced by the Zastava
Zastava
Zastava can refer to:*Zastava Arms*Zastava Automobiles*Zastava Trucks...
factory in Kragujevac
Kragujevac
Kragujevac is the fourth largest city in Serbia, the main city of the Šumadija region and the administrative centre of Šumadija District. It is situated on the banks of the Lepenica River...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, from the early sixties until 1985. Zastava 850 had many improvements from the original model. The Fiat 850
Fiat 850
The Fiat 850 is a small longitudinal-rear-engined rear wheel drive car which was produced between 1964 and 1973.-Overview:Its technical design was an evolution of the very successful Fiat 600. The internal name for the Fiat 600 development project was "Project 100" and consequently, the internal...
is largely derived from the 600, but introduces a fully synchronized transaxle, front disc brakes, and an alternator. The Fiat 850 is thus a popular source of 'upgrade' parts for the 600, but these upgrades can be difficult or costly as few of the parts can simply be exchanged without modification. The 750 used a 25 hp (30 hp in the 750 SE) 767 cc engine, while the 850 received an 848 cc version providing 32 hp and a useful dollop of extra torque.
South American production
The 600 was built as the Fiat 600 R by SevelSevel Argentina S.A.
Sevel Argentina was an automobile company that produced and marketed Fiat, Peugeot, Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet, and Citroën automobiles for the Argentinian market until it was dissolved in 1999...
in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
from 1960 to 1982, with assembly operations also taking place some time later in Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
and Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. The 797 cc 36 hp (SAE) 600 R was replaced by the 32 hp (DIN) 843 cc (65.0x63.5mm) 600 S, featuring new bumpers with rubber overriders and a black plastic faux-grille to replace the previous chrome iteration. Top speed was up from 105 to 110 km/h (68 mph).
In Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, it was assembled in the actual motor plant of Mazda in Colombia, Compañía Colombiana Automotriz from 1979 to 1982 with Colombian 60% parts and 40% Serbian 750 parts. Colloquially it was called "topolino".
The Multipla (1956–1965)
The original Fiat Multipla and 600 Multipla were based on the Fiat 600's drivetrain, model 1100Fiat 1100
The Fiat 1100 is a compact automobile produced from 1937 to 1969, by the Italian car maker Fiat.- Fiat 508C Nuova Balilla 1100 :The Fiat 1100 was first introduced in 1937 as an updated version of the 508 "Balilla" with a look similar to the 1936 Fiat 500 "Topolino" and the larger 1500, with the...
coil and wishbone independent front suspension, and sat 6 people in a footprint just 50 centimetres (19.7 in) longer than the original Mini Cooper. The driver compartment was moved forward over the front axle, eliminating the boot
Trunk (automobile)
The trunk or boot of an automobile or car is the vehicle's main storage, luggage, or cargo compartment. Trunk is used in North American English and Jamaican English; boot is used elsewhere in the English speaking world. Trunk is also primarily used in many non-English speaking regions, such as...
in effect but giving the body a very minivan
Minivan
Minivan is a type of van designed for personal use. Minivans are typically either two-box or one box designs for maximum interior volume – and are taller than a sedan, hatchback, or a station wagon....
-like "one-box" look. Behind the front seat the vehicle could be arranged with a flat floor area or a choice of one or two bench seats.
Until the 1970s it was widely used as a taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
in many parts of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
A 633 cc right hand drive Multipla was tested by the British magazine The Motor
The Motor (magazine)
The Motor was a British weekly car magazine founded on 28 January 1903....
in 1956 and was found to have a top speed of 57.1 mph (91.9 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-50 mph (80.5 km/h) in 43.0 seconds. A fuel consumption of 38.4 mpgimp was recorded. The test car cost £799 including taxes on the UK market.
In 1956 Pininfarina designed a remarkable open topped Multipla prototype called the "Marine" with a wooden slat wraparound bench in the rear.
A Fiat 600 Multipla towing a caravan is used in the video clip of the Crowded House
Crowded House
Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia and led by New Zealand singer-songwriter Neil Finn. Finn is the primary songwriter and creative director of the band, having led it through several incarnations, drawing members from New Zealand , Australia and the United States...
hit Weather with You
Weather with You
"Weather with You" is a 1991 song by rock group Crowded House. It was the third and most successful single released from the group's third studio album Woodface, reaching top fifty charts in six countries with a peak of #7 in the United Kingdom....
from their 1991 album Woodface
Woodface
Woodface is the third studio album by the band Crowded House. The album was produced by Mitchell Froom and released by Capitol in July 1991. It features five singles "Chocolate Cake", "Fall at Your Feet", "Weather with You", "Four Seasons in One Day", and "It's Only Natural"...
.
The Multipla name was re-introduced in the late-1990s for the Fiat Multipla
Fiat Multipla
The Fiat Multipla is a compact MPV manufactured by Italian automaker Fiat since 1998. Based on the Brava, the Multipla is shorter and wider than its rivals. It has two rows of three seats, while all its competitors have two seats in the front...
compact MPV
Compact MPV
A compact MPV is a car classification used in Europe to describe multi-purpose vehicle versions of small family cars , fitting between the mini MPV and large MPV sub-segments...
.
Jolly
Aristotle Onassis
Aristotle Sokratis Onassis , commonly called Ari or Aristo Onassis, was a prominent Greek shipping magnate.- Early life :Onassis was born in Karatass, a suburb of Smyrna to Socrates and Penelope Onassis...
owned one).
With a cost of nearly double that of a standard "600", they were made in a very limited production. It is believed that fewer than 100 exist today, each one being unique. 32 Jolly cars were used as taxis on the island of Catalina
Santa Catalina Island, California
Santa Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is a rocky island off the coast of the U.S. state of California. The island is long and across at its greatest width. The island is located about south-southwest of Los Angeles, California. The highest point on the island is...
off the coast of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the years 1958-1962.
Fiat Abarth 750 / 850 / 1000
Italian tuning company AbarthAbarth
Abarth is an Italian racing car maker founded by Austrian-Italian Carlo Abarth and Italian Armando Scagliarini in Turin in 1949. Its logo depicts a stylized scorpion on a red and yellow background.- History :...
produced various versions of the Fiat 600 from 1956 to 1970 under the following model names:
- 1956-59 Fiat Abarth 750 Berlina (Derivazione)
- 1960-64 Fiat Abarth 850TC Berlina
- 1961-63 Fiat Abarth 850TC Nurburgring
- 1961-63 Fiat Abarth 850TC Nurburgring Corsa
- 1961-67 Fiat Abarth 1000 Berlina
- 1961-64 Fiat Abarth 1000 Berlina Corsa
- 1964-68 Fiat Abarth 850TC Corsa
- 1964-69 Fiat Abarth 1000TC Berlina Corsa
- 1970 Fiat Abarth 1000TCR Berlina Corsa
Additional specifications
- Gas mileage = ~ 32 mi per gallon for the 499 cc engine
- Gas tank = ~ 7 US gal (26 l; 6 imp gal) capacity for the 1959 model