The Spanish iteration of the Fiat’s 600.

SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo

Origin: Barcelona, Spain

Production: 797,349

Motor: Fiat 4-cyl., 4-stroke

Displacement: 633 cc

Power: 28.5 hp

Length: 10 ft. 11 in.

Identification No. 600 BA093427

The brilliant Fiat designer Dante Giacosa had designed a successor to the Topolino 500C, which was as revolutionary as its predecessor had been. It was developed with painstaking care, and it used an absolute minimum of sheet metal and materials while retaining the maximum interior space for four people. The rear-engine layout was chosen purely for economic reasons. The Fiat 600, which made its sensational debut in 1955, was miles ahead of its contemporaries, and it gained universal praise for being the standard for its class.

Spain took years longer to recover from its Civil War than Europe did from the Second War. The Spanish government and its financial institutions entered into an agreement with Fiat to produce the 600, which had already experienced two years of unqualified success. The relatively inexpensive car helped start Spain’s economic boom, and it became a popular symbol of the economic miracle. The SEAT 600 followed the developments and upgrades of the Italian models, but its popularity caused it to be produced for an additional four years after the Fiat 600 was discontinued. There was a Spain-only version, popularly called the “four-door 600,” or the SEAT 800. This lovely example is finished in light blue with cream wheels. It bears all of its distinctive features, such as the bumper with guards, the winged emblem in the middle of the nose, and the aggressive-looking turn signals on top of the fenders. The interior is tan piped in white, which completes a warm and inviting appearance.