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27/01/2012, 22:15
Story And Images By MURRAY HUBBARD
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The history of the automobile is littered with glorious flops ... this is not one them. What you are looking at is a Fiat 600 Multipla. It is pure design genius seating six passengers in a body length of 3.531 mm. If you visited Italy in the 1960s or 70s you probably rode in a Fiat Multipla which dominated the Italian taxi scene in that era. We spotted this beautiful Multipla at this year’s RACV Motorclassica held at Melbourne’s Exhibition Buildings. No, not on the inside where the concours was held, but outside where the forecourt was littered with classic cars across dozens of makes.
About the first impression that strikes you when seeing Fiat 600 Multipla is the vehicle appears back-the-front. The rear is sloped and the front squared off. This is exactly the opposite of today’s people movers such as Chrysler Voyager, Kia Carnival and Toyota Tarago that have the streamlined front and cut off rear. There is a simple explanation of course in that the Multipla was based on the Fiat 600 which had these same design elements. In the shorter vehicle it looks okay, but with the longer Multipla body it emphasises the design.
To look at Multipla you need first to understand the Fiat 600. Launched in 1955 the Fiat 600 was a hugely successful car selling millions over the life of the vehicle - a life that extended to 1969. It was powered by a a 633cc water cooled engine located in the rear - a first for Fiat - with a three speed gearbox. Just a year after its launch Fiat released a convertible variant and the Multipla, with Fiat recognising there was a need for a MPV or multi purpose vehicle.In Australia the Fiat 500 is the best known Fiat of this era lovingly known as the Fiat Bambino, which ran a front mounted, air-cooled engine.
In all there were 243,000 Multiplas produced between 1956 - 1969, with two available engines, the 633 cc and 767 cc variant released in 1960 as the 600D. Both were in-line engines with overhead valves. Multipla also got a four speed manual transmission.
While Multipla’s exterior is interesting it’s the interior that gets exciting. Fiat were required to make major changes to be able to develop the MPV on the Fiat 600 platform. Firstly, the front was moved forward so the driver and passenger sit ahead of the front wheels. This is not all that different to the seating position in the VW Kombi of the same era - the Kombi of course being a much larger vehicle, but having similar purposes.
The implications for the driver and front seat passenger are obvious when you look at the images. Firstly, the driver sits with legs astride the steering column as it darts backwards to the steering assembly. Secondly, the front passenger’s legroom is inhibited by the location of the spare wheel which sits upright against sheetmetal of the front of the vehicle. In fact if you look closely at the image you can see a bump in the dash which helps accommodate the top of the tyre. To facilitate entry into the front seats Fiat used the ‘suicide’ door system with the doors hinged to open forwards. This would ultimately prove to be the Achilles heel for Multipla when laws in Italy outlawed forward opening doors in the late 1960s.
The Multipla had two more doors, one either side and opening the conventional way, giving a wide access to the back seats. Or, if the seats were folded to what is in affect a small van. The rear seats fold flat to create a flat surface, but unlike current thinking, the seats fold in line, not transversely as is the norm with bench seats. As our image shows you could have two passengers seated one behind the other and their luggage stored next to them.
Like the conventional Fiat 600 the Multipla is a rear wheel drive with the engine situated in the rear. It is remarkable that Fiat were able to build a vehicle that sat six passengers in a body just 254mm longer than the Fiat 600. Put another way the Multipla is less than 20 inches longer than the original Morris Mini. Of course, the 562 kg design came with a host of compromises, not the least would be safety in the event of front and side crashes. But, the 50‘s were a different era and the Fiat 600 helped get Italy mobile after WW2. Fast it wasn’t. Comfort was not a word many use to describe the ride but it did have good fuel consumption at 40 mpg in the old money.
The Fiat 600 Multipla is a significant vehicle in the history of the automobile. It’s versatility, economy and sales success place it as a pioneering leader in the commercial mpv sector along with the likes of the much better known (in Australia) VW Kombi of the same era.
SPECIFICATIONS
Fiat Multipla 1956 - 69
Price: (when new) around $1500 (Aus)
Engine: 633cc in line four cylinder (aluminium head and block)
Power: 21 hp (16 kW) @ 4600 rpm
Torque: 29 ft-lbs (39 Nm) @ 3000 rpm
Carburettor: Single Weber
Compression ratio: 7.5:1
Transmission: four speed manual
Performance: 0 - 100 km/h: 54 seconds
Top speed: 96 km/h
Heater: standard |
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