40 Years of the Last Seat 600

Spanish firm celebrates 40 years of the last Seat 600 facing the popular 'pellet' with its 'equivalent' current, the Seat Mii. AUTO BILD joins the party with some curious evidence of use in the old factory Zone.

It marks the 40th anniversary of the end of production and this is the last Seat 600 is preserved. Photos: Victor Henao and manufacturer

The Zona Franca plant in Barcelona is today an eerie-shaded design center and factory in Martorell, where there are still many pieces for the entire Volkswagen Group. Within the grounds there is a ship, the A-122, which conceals a unique collection of Seat that those responsible for the Spanish firm has been built based on years and untold efforts. A few meters away, it all started in 1953. And also ended production, July 31, 1973, the car that motorized Spain. So now, there's Seat commemorates 40 years of the last 600 Seat officially a 600 L-Special Seat 'Extras', (here's the video of the legendary 600 against a Seat Ibiza) model that lived to the end with the Seat 600 E, substitute turn on 1970 600 D.

Actually, this emotional sign hung Seat workers did so in another unit Seat 600 L-Special cream, but the story does not change much. In that distant 1973, the 600 had gone from being 'the car' for the average Spanish family / media-wealthy who could afford a car to be the second car from the house, already surpassed by other more advanced models.

Then came the Seat 600 850 (more car than that though with a similar scheme) and the 133-last 'todoatrás' of signature, it was a revolutionary step below the very top Seat 127, and mechanics, gearbox and front wheel drive. In fact, in the early 80s, the basic model and the 127 is not, that breaking with Fiat (see History of Seat) Fura will become: who would want a car equivalent to 600, could acquire the new utility star, Seat Panda.

Seat The solo catalog modify the latter to call Marbella, which will remain in production and hand-Volkswagen-until well into the 90, to make way for Seat Arosa, which shares a platform with the Volkswagen Lupo. In December 2012, comes the Seat Mii (with his brothers Volkswagen up! & Skoda CityGo) to fill the gap left by the Arosa and urban access utility range below the stars-and always selling-Ibiza.

To commemorate 40 years of the last Seat 600 manufactured, it seems unfair to the poor 'pellet' face against a Seat Mii, because at the end of the classic was not born to be a city, but to meet the need for mobility of Spanish at a time when the segments in the car were not as diversified as today, but just were summarized in 'small car, midsize car and big car'. And even in the early years of the brand Seat could offer as much variadad: in 1953 he begins to assemble the hatchback Seat 600 1400 and will not be born until 1957.

However, when the car goes in production in 1973, and yes that has become the Spanish utility (and almost urban) par excellence.

Bodywork
Both the 600 and Mii were offered with two and four doors (over the gate in the Mii). The difference is that in the case of 600 were produced very few units with four (model 800, 1958) and 75% of orders are Mii's rear doors.

Length
In their versions 'short', both measure just over 3 m long, while the Mii wins by 26 cm.

Name
The 600 is named after its original cilidrada 633 cc and weighed just over half a ton. When he is far Mii's name Seat numerical and Spanish city names that are still 'baptizing' many signature models.

Niche market
Neither the 600 nor the Seat Mii Seat was designed for the niche market of the country wealthier. However, in Spain in 1957, having car was a luxury, so order a 600, too. The long waiting lists also helped that Spanish was the vehicle through. Already in 1973, a minimum wage according to the BOE 5,500 pesetas, buy one of the latest Seat 600 manufactured supposed almost a year salary ... something almost equivalent to the Seat Mii, if taken as reference the 643 euros per month the minimum wage as of December 2012.