#HTE

Unusual Vintage Auto Design: The 1959 Fiat 600 Multipla Microvan

Something I love: Cars that look as if the designer has never seen a car before. That’s praise, not an insult. If your brain wasn’t clogged with 10,000 Instagram images of what a car is supposed to look like, what would you draw?

Designing something fresh was undoubtedly easier in the 1950s, prior to globalization and the internet. Take a look at this car that could only have come from mid-century Italy, the 1959 Fiat 600 Multipla:

You know it’s a quirky design when you can’t immediately tell where the front of the car is.

Note how the front bench seat is notched to provide room for/access to the shifter and parking brake.

Incredibly, this car has a six-passenger capacity, with three rows of seating.

I’m really digging the upholstery, which I assume has been restored. Whether they have been replaced or not, the fabric patterns suit the car perfectly.

Check this out: The spare tire is stored in the front passenger footwell!

With all of that passenger room, you may be wondering: Where’s the engine?

It’s in the back, of course.

Please caption the following image.

This car currently resides in California and is being sold for $42,000.