Seat used to produce its own version of the
vehicle, under license by the Italian automaker. Dubbed the Seat 600, it was made in nearly
800,000 units, and it was so popular in its second year of assembly that the
company had to multiply its production sixfold.
With the city car blowing 60 candles off its
birthday cake, the Spanish manufacturer decided to celebrate its anniversary by
restoring a Convertible that had been sitting for the past 25 years. 1,500
man-hours later, a team of 30 people completed a full restoration.
One of the greatest challenges included tracking
down more than 1,000 original parts that were changed, but the result is worth
it, as the 600 "is almost better than when it originally left the
factory", according to the brand's engineer at the Technical Center, Angel
Lahoz, who was responsible for the project.
Some of the features that stand out are the light
blue exterior, which required 15 liters of paint, the exclusive fabric that was
made from 50 meters of material, the manually operated roof, and original
steering wheel.
And since it's uncommon to bring a Seat 600 Convertible
back to life, the carmaker has it on display at Automobile Barcelona, where it
will remain until May 21.
