The Fiat 600 is often overshadowed by its more diminutive counterpart, the 500, but this car deserves credit in its own right. Slightly larger than the 500, it offered greater interior space and a rear mounted, water cooled, overhead valve inline four cylinder engine. As a result of its upgraded mechanicals, the car had better heating and cooling characteristics. From 1955 through 1969, over 2.6 million 600s were produced at the Mirafiori factory. After production ceased, this car continued in production under several different brands, most notably Seat in Spain, the German concern Neckar (which made use of an old NSU plant) and Zastava in Yugoslavia, where the car ultimately ceased production in 1985. Good 600s are much less common than 500s these days, and this pastel green example for sale in California strikes a decidedly late 1950s pose.

1960 Fiat 600 Convertible

This is a very, very rare rust free 1960 Fiat 600 convertible. This car was found in the dry Arizona environment and has a subsequent two year old ground up restoration that brought new life to this little beauty. Painted in a factory sea foam green color, this particular car is the more desirable U.S. version with oversized “bug eye” or “frog eye” headlights required to meet U.S. standards back in the day. The equally rare and highly desirable suicide doors make this car a standout for the Fiat or Italian car collector. What was considered a “convertible” top on this car is really more like a huge sunroof that opens the full length of the passenger compartment. Brakes, 4 speed transmission and the 4 cylinder water cooled engine have all been redone along with upholstery, convertible top and floor covering. The engine was bored slightly and given a very mild cam along with an ultra rare Abarth header adding extra pep to the original 29 HP factory engine. That extra “pep” makes a difference in this little car. No detail has been overlooked and even includes a hard to find jack/tire changing kit. This model served as the base for the now infamous and highly coveted Fiat Jolly 600 beach car. But if you can’t get your hands on a Jolly, this is the next best thing and perhaps as equally unique with its full roof length “convertible” top.

I have owned a variety of cars over the years from luxury, muscle, sports and high performance and can tell you that this car has gotten more attention than any of those. Therefore be prepared to turn a lot of heads, receive a lot of thumbs up, be paid a lot of compliments and have pictures taken of it. With Fiat’s recent reintroduction success in the U.S., this car should only go up in value. Now for the big question, why am I selling it? Simple answer: I’m unloading a lot of toys including three other collector cars that I no longer drive much and that are taking up too much room. I will try and answer any questions you might have with my limited mechanical knowledge.

The level of care taken in this car’s restoration is admirable. The pictures of the undercarriage are also a nice touch, as these were not the most rust proof vehicles, to put it mildly. Since the car was found in Arizona, this is a good omen for what looks to be a fairly solid car. Even though 600s are less common than 500s, it doesn’t seem to affect value that much. One could expect a 600 in top shape such as this to net around $14,000 to $18,000. If the right buyer is found, the sale price may reach over $20,000, but that territory is usually reserved for the less common Multipla and Jolly variants.

-Paul

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