Only five were made and this guest owns two.
Obviously, a car is rare when only five were ever made and they weren’t prototypes. That’s the story with the 1958 Fiat 600 Multipla Mirafiori. What’s more, only two of the five have survived and one man owns them both. Jay Leno checks both of these unique Italian cars out, which are like a notch-back Multipla.
If you’re a fan of unique cars, Jay Leno’s Garage is an excellent series to watch. Even among rare vehicles these are standouts. Both are in amazing condition, showing the level of dedication Stuart Parr must direct toward maintaining these classic Fiats.
The story behind these cars is quite interesting. You can hear the whole thing in the video below, but basically they were created as Fiat factory tour vehicles. Dignitaries and other VIPs would ride around in them, so instead of being a run-of-the-mill Multipla they were far more upgraded.
For this specialized task, all five of these Fiats were outfitted with a unique glass roof. That allowed people in the three rows of seating to see the sights around them almost completely unobscured. Obviously, that’s ideal when the whole purpose of the car is to show off your facilities.
There’s no air conditioning, which seems unusual since it does get hot in the summer in Italy. However, the roof can be lifted off, so that kept dignitaries from boiling during their exclusive tour.
With a 600cc motor, these Fiats are anything but fast. Of course, that’s not an unusual quality for a classic Fiat. These little Italian cars weren’t built for raw speed or unbridled power, but instead they got Italians moving again after the ravages of WWII. And while they’re not fast, as Leno points out you’ll still have a blast driving them because they’re so lively. Anyway, if you haven’t watched the video you really should because it’s entertaining, especially seeing Leno drive one of these cars.
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Steven Symes
Steven Symes
