SEAT 600 History

The SEAT 600 entered production on 27 May 1957, built under license from Fiat on the rear-engined Fiat 600 platform designed by Dante Giacosa. At a price accessible to ordinary Spanish families for the first time, it became the defining car of Spain's post-war economic recovery — the 'Seiscientos' is credited with being the catalyst for the country's 1959–1973 economic boom.

Priced within reach of the middle class, the 600 sold nearly 800,000 units by the time production ceased on 3 August 1973, making it the best-selling car in Spain throughout the 1958–1966 period. Around 10 percent of production was exported to Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Finland, Poland, and Portugal.

The 600 remains a pop-culture icon: as of 2023 an estimated 10,000 are still on Spanish roads, and more than a hundred fan clubs organize rallies every weekend. SEAT also produced 18,200 units of the stretched SEAT 800, a four-door in-house derivative for which Fiat had no equivalent.