Fiat Multipla, 1959
Fiat Multipla
Fiat Multipla•
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Chassis No.: 058779
Auction: Monterey 2018
Auction date: August 25, 2018
Lot No.: S14
$45,000 | High bid
- Exterior: Gray/White
- Rare color combination
- 2 year restoration finished March 2018
- Two-tone Mouse Gray and Off White
- 600cc inline 4-cylinder engine producing 28 HP
- 3-speed manual transmission
- Roof mounted luggage rack
- Cloth seats with gray carpet
- Seats fold flat into the floor
- Vertically mounted spare tire in passenger side of cab
- 4-corner independent suspension
- 12 inch steel wheels with chrome hub caps
- Owners and shop manuals included
- Multiple-time local award winner
Known as the Fiat 600 Multipla All Service, the Multipla was a jack-of-all-trades offering a high-capacity interior perfect for carrying people, luggage and cargo, and so on. If it doesn’t fit inside, a roof-mounted luggage rack can help. This one emerged from a two-year restoration in March of 2018 painted in the rare color combination of Mouse Grey and Off White. The rear-mounted 600cc inline 4-cylinder engine produces 28 HP that is translated by a 3-speed manual transmission to the rear wheels. The interior is presented with cloth seats and gray carpeting, and it features seats that fold flatly into the floor. A spare tire is mounted vertically in the passenger side of the cab.
Riding on a 4-wheel independent suspension, 12-inch steel wheels are decorated with whitewall tires and chrome hubcaps. Offered with the owners and shop manuals, this particular car is a multiple-time local-award winner, and one look shows it’s for obvious reasons. Early advertising of the Multipla depicted its many uses, including a great vehicle to sleep in while on long journeys or just getting away from the crowd of the city. Fiats were long known as efficient vehicles to serve the multitudes and masses, and the Multipla was its largest family offering at the time.
Clever in many ways, it could hold a maximum of six people, but seating could be configured to hold fewer people and more cargo. For all intents and purposes, the Multipla was not only ahead of the curve in van design and construction, but it quietly defined the modern minivan. Introduced in 1956, the Multipla rode on the standard Fiat 600’s 78.7-inch wheelbase with a body that was only 19.7 inches longer than a contemporary Mini Cooper. The genius was in the flattish nose and seating locations, especially in the front, which were positioned over the axle. Adorable by design, the Multipla was a remarkable vehicle for those on a budget looking to move a multitude of things and people.
