Fiat 600 - the birth of a city car

The devastated post-war economy of Italy possessed a rather modest potential, and the release of a new demanded car model was a difficult task. The Fiat 600 was at that time one of the symbols of the post-war Italian "economic miracle." This car was released in large numbers after its debut at the 1955 Geneva Motor Show.

A small utilitarian Fiat, called Seicento, has won a stunning success for several months. Demand for it exceeded production capacity, and the waiting time for the car to be received by the buyer was a year. The strategic components of success were the competitive price, original appearance and relatively spacious interior. All this, combined with a 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 3.2 meter long bearing body, with a 4-cylinder petrol engine of 21.5 liters in the rear. from. The vehicle was equipped with hydraulic drum brakes on all four wheels. In a unique at the time independent suspension, along with gas shock absorbers were used springs, which also performed the function of the body stabilizer. The gearbox had four stages - three synchronized gears and a reverse gear. Coupling is single-disk, dry. Engine - in-line, four-cylinder with liquid cooling.

The cooling system was also used for heating the cabin. In some modifications an additional rear radiator was installed. In all Fiat 600 technical characteristics corresponded to the advanced ones. For example, a generator with an external adjustment and a battery ignition system were used. The maximum speed ranged from 95 km / h in the modification with the in-line engine in the volume of 633 cm³ to 110 km / h with the engine version 767 cm³. 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, models with a soft convertible were produced, as well as a six-seat version of the Fiat Multipla 600. It was the predecessor of the current minivans. A remarkable feature of the Multipla was that, if necessary, one of the three rows of seats folded, turning the car into a mini truck.

The Fiat 600 sold amazingly fast. A million copy of the car was sold in February 1961, less than six years after launching into batch production. At that time, according to the manufacturer, the volume of cars collected was equal to 1,000 pieces per day. A total of just over 2 600 000 units were produced in Italy alone. The car was withdrawn from production in 1969, but the release of its various modifications abroad continued. Fiat 600, a photo of which many now cause a smile, at the time was considered simply a luxury vehicle.

Production in Europe

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

The Italian city car was very popular in the former Yugoslavia. At the plant Zastava in the city of Kragujevac, the analogue of the original model called Zastava 750/850 was produced until 1985. The Yugoslav car was repeatedly modified, basically it concerned increase in engine capacity and power.

Production 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 the production was opened in three countries - Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. As in other foreign enterprises, South American Fiat differed from the original. They were fitted with 32-hp engines, metal chrome parts were replaced with plastic. Despite the fact that in Uruguay and Chile, production did not last long, in Argentina the release lasted until 1982.