Ahead Of Its Time: The Impossibly Cute Fiat 600 “Multipla”
Although minivans only became popular in the 1980s, there are many earlier designs that can legitimately claim to have pioneered the genre: perhaps none more than the Fiat 600 Multipla from 1956.
Published in
4 min readMay 27, 2023
The ongoing success of sport-utility vehicles and so-called “crossover” vehicles has seemingly relegated the once-popular minivan to the fringes of the automobile market.
Although mainstream success began in the 1980s with the Dodge Caravan/Plymouth Voyager in the USA and the French Renault Espace in Europe, plenty of earlier designs can legitimately claim to have pioneered the minivan formula: perhaps none more than the Fiat 600 “Multipla,” launched at the 1956 Brussels Motor Show.
Engineered into a corner
Cost considerations led Fiat to choose a rear-engined configuration for the 600 small sedan it launched in 1955.
However, having the engine in the rear meant designing a station wagon starting from the 600 sedan’s bodywork was impossible…
