903cc Inline 4 Cylinder
4 Speed Manual
Rear Engined Rear Wheel Drive
Hydraulic Drum Brakes
58 bhp 54 Lb-Ft
Exterior Cream White over Pale Green Interior Beige and Cream White
The Fiat 600 Multipla is a lightweight unibody people carrier, built on the same wheelbase and drivetrain as the far more common coupe, making for a remarkably compact, but very versatile vehicle. The front suspension is more closely related to the Fiat 1100, with the driver placed at the very front of the vehicle. The Multipla came in a three variations, with the major difference being the design of the seats, with one having bench seats in the back that, along with the front seat, can fold down into a bed, while the other, like this one, has rear seats that can be folded into the floor to form a flat loading area. The third configuration was specifically designed to serve as a taxi, and these were commonly used as taxis in Italy in the 1960s. The original engine fitted to the 600 Multipla was a 633cc 4 cylinder, producing only 21 bhp, so in order to allow the small engine to push the heavily loaded vehicle, a very tall final drive was fitted, yielding a top speed of 57 miles per hour, unladen.
This example was an original North American market example, which can be identified by the 7 inch diameter headlights that replaced the much smaller European lamps. It was completely disassembled and restored by the previous owner in Vancouver BC, and fitted with a new old stock 903cc engine from a later Fiat that was mounted to the original gearbox, giving a significant upgrade to power. Driving the Multipla is a lot of fun as you spend most of your time pressing the gas pedal all the way to the floor to accelerate. It is certainly capable of keeping up in modern traffic in town, but without regearing, it would be dangerous to take it on a highway. It also takes a bit of getting used to the driving position, which has the driver sitting upright over the front axle, with the steering column disappearing into the floor between the driver’s feet, much like a VW bus, though in a significantly smaller vehicle.
