Seat Looking Back on 600 40 Years After Productions End

Despite just being Fiat 600Fiat 600Italy, 1955 > 19609 photos
produced under license in Spain, the Seat 600Seat 600Spain, 1957 > 1973 remained in production from June 27, 1957, to July 31, 1973, and was partially responsible for mobilizing Spanish society after the civil war. Seat is celebrating the car’s history 40 years after production ended. Over 16 years, Seat made 797,319 of them, plus 18,000 Seat 800Seat 800Spain, 1963 > 1968 four-door models.

The little cars measured just 3.3m long but could carry five people. From 1957 to 1970 the cars had doors hinged rearwards, and they finally switched to conventional, front-hinged doors for the final three years. It was also partially successful because it was very easy to repair. The tiny engine was housed in the rear and easy to access.

The cars sold for 63,000 peseta, today’s equivalent of €378.54 ($500.66), and they came with a 633cc engine with 20hp. Later, SeatSeatSpain, 1950 > present29 models
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used a 767cc engine with 25hp and later 28hp. The fastest versions had a top speed of 115km/h.

The closest car to the 600 in Seat’s range today is the MiiSeat Mii Gen.1Spain, 2011 > present48 versions
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. They both are rebadged versions of another company’s car. However, the Mii has 60hp or 75hp from its 1.0-liter engine and offers double the driving range. While the 600 had 68.5 liters of space in its front trunk, the Mii offers 238 liters of storage space.

It shows how far cars have come, but there is no debating the importance of cars like the Seat 600 for mobilizing Europe in the 50s and 60s.