SEAT Restomods An Original 600 To Celebrate Company's 60th Anniversary

The Martorell brand assembled a team of 30 specialists for the job, which took about 1,500 hours. The task was a full restoration with a few design updates. Evidently, SEAT did not want to enter the tuner scene, but modify minute details with respect for the model’s character and spirit.

The VW Group subsidiary will present the resulting car at the Barcelona Motor Show, but its officials have already published a few images of the 600 on the company’s media portal. A video that followed the resto-modding procedure was made, and it was also uploaded to the press site.

The restoration involved almost 1,000 original parts, which even SEAT representatives admitted that they were hard to track down. Elements like upholstery were made from new materials that were stitched to obtain a retro look.

The entire process was done by hand, and the team had to undo 25 years of “sitting,” which is not an easy task on any car that must be repaired and restored.

The vehicle required electronic and mechanical work, and the engineer who was responsible for the project said that it is now better than it left the factory in 1965. The 600 is a version of the FIAT 600 that was built under license in Spain.

SEAT used a shade of “bluish gray” that was “absolutely on trend” and “reminiscent” of the first units of the 600 that left the factory. It was selected by Jordi Font, who is the head of the color and trim department at the Iberian brand.

The convertible model with Italian heritage comes with a manually-operate sunroof, and has even kept its original steering wheel and its accompanying horn button. The interior was restored using 50 meters of fabric, which shares an allegory of the original “houndstooth” pattern in black and white that is meant to echo a time past.

The 600 was sold in over 800,000 units when it was on the market, and it was the car that put many Spaniards on the road when it was launched and during its production cycle.