1998 FIAT Seicento 0.9L 5MT (39 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Fiat introduced the Seicento as a replacement for the Cinquecento model, but with limited market success.

After the 500, Fiat desperately tried to build a car to have the same success on the market. Most of the attempts failed to please the market. The Seicento tried again, with the arguments of being easier to drive and better equipment in the car.

Short, small, and narrow, the Fiat Seicento (600) was a three-door vehicle able to drive well through city traffic. Even if it was offered exclusively with three doors, its attributes were the handling, great fuel-efficiency, and enough visibility around the car. Last but not least, it was small enough to fit in tight parking spaces. The small headlights and the unusually large grille in the lower bumper made the vehicle look like it was smiling.

Inside there was plenty of room for the front occupants but very limited for those in the rear seats. The trunk was smaller than a regular shopping cart but large enough to accommodate a pair of office shoes and a briefcase. The instrument cluster displayed the speed, the coolant temperature, and the fuel level.

Under the hood, the Seicento (six hundred in Italian) featured a 0.9-liter engine, upgraded later on to a 1.1-liter unit (Seicento Sporting). Both versions were paired to a 5-speed manual. For performance, let’s say that that was an overstatement, with a 0 to 100 kph (0-62 mph) run in 18 seconds for the lesser version and almost 14 seconds for the higher version.