If you are a resident of Spain, the name SEAT would be quite familiar to you. Since 1950, they have been producing automobiles for both domestic and export consumption. In 2020 alone, they built more than 468,000 cars, so they’re no small potatoes – at least in Europe. The 1400 Sierra may have been an experimental car of sorts as little online data is available and we’re told that no more than 20 were ever made. This example from 1960 still resides in Spain and needs a complete restoration, but where do you find parts for such a limited-production vehicle? It’s available here on carandclassic where the asking price is not specified. Thanks, Kyle K, for a tip on a vehicle as rare as this one.
SEAT S.A. is the acronym for Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo or Spanish Touring Automobiles Company. They produce and sell vehicles under both the SEAT and Cupra brands. It was formed 73 years ago in partnership with FIAT and some financial institutions. After 36 years of being listed publicly as an independent automaker, SEAT was sold to Volkswagen where it remains a wholly owned subsidiary.
Most of SEAT’s nameplates will be unfamiliar to U.S. car buyers as they were never sold in the States. That particularly applies to the 1400 Sierra which was a cabriolet (aka convertible) that we’re told only had 20 copies ever see the light of day. We assume the “1400” refers to the displacement of the engine in cc’s. This machine is even rarer than the other 19 as it was supposedly only one of four built with dual headlights, the other 16 having single peepers on each side.
This automobile looks to have been stored indoors and door-to-door for some time, given the amount of dust and dirt. Its condition is hard to ascertain and with the top down, there is no telling if the insides of the car have been invaded over the year by any furry critters. So, a complete restoration is in order, and we assume the mechanical bits are all from Fiat, which would make sourcing some of the stuff a bit easier. Otherwise, you may have to resort to handcrafting the non-mechanical parts.
For some reason, the front end of this car reminds me of the 1958 “Packardbakers” where Studebakers gained grated-on quad headlight pods. The steering wheel looks like something from a 1960 Chevy, though it has the SEAT name. Interesting almost one-off.
Ass for every Seat ?
With those production numbers there wasn’t a Seat for every ass…
You win the internet today, unexploded bomb…too funny!
Not to ruin the joke, but just to ruin the joke, they pronounce it “SAY-aht”.
That’s the same way that they say it in the South: “Sayaht yourself down ryaht here. How ‘bout some iyes tea?”
(Or at least that’s the way the sweet woman who was a great friend of my grandmother’s spoke- a true ”suhthener”. She introduced me to pecan pie and green beans with bacon. Yum!)
Not only is there a frontal resemblance to the ’58 Packard Hawk, there seems to be a dose of ’58 to ’60 Thunderbird added to the mix.
The car is in Spain, I’m in the US…. nope, won’t work for me LOL….. and I won’t go to Europe just to bring a car back and then have to work on it…. even if they sent it over to me free, I still wouldn’t go for it.
First impression was a 007 ride. James would’ve looked good behind the wheel of this rare ride.
Which car, truck, or boat wouldn’t JB look good in?
Eight photos in the ad, and I still have no idea what the car looks like.
yup, shame.
May B it’s a teaser to see what it can bring (for replacement w/different numbers)?
Ken,
I share your frustration. I also don’t know what the overall look of this car is, so I googled 1960 Seat 1400 Serra cabriolet, and the only images on the entire internet were the same as in the ad.
Either it’s so incredibly rare that no other photos exist of a full-length example of a Seat 1400 Serra cabriolet with 4 headlights, or it’s so ugly no one was willing to take a photo of the entire car!
Part catfish part corvette
Wikipedia’s listing for the Fiat 1400 and 1900 describes them and list companies that manufactured them; Seat in Spain, Steyr in Austria, Zastava in Yugoslavia, Neckar in West Germany.
Pedro Serra was not only the designer Seat Serra Cabriolet, but of the first incredible Pegaso V8s and a heck of a lot more. Fortunately there’s a youtube video “Exibition cars by Pedro Serra – Start Up, Overview, Details, Revs, and more!!”
The displays include a slick “barn finds” section with a Seat Serra Cabriolet and Dodge GT with the obligatory slant six. Beautifully filmed at Auto Retro Barcelona 2017:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQwTCjoeSFY
That was quite a car show. Lots of cars I have never seen. That SEAT Sierra looks a lot better with one headlight. Interesting that all the license plates were Barcelona, so I’m guessing it was a local show. Quite elaborate to be only local.
Anyone have any chrome work done lately? I had 6 small pieces for my 1958 Chris Craft boat rechromed in a shop near Pittsburgh. The price was over $1000.
I’m thinking small block v8 5 speed trans 70s vet rear end beef up the frame clear coat the patina and have fun!!!!!!!!
Basic bodywork by any competent body man. Fiat mechanicals, leather upholstery Price of the car and transport cost to get it stateside would be the main factors to consider. Most likely would have to run it thru a Bonhams or Southby’s Auction house to get close to your money back. Unless you could interest Wayne Carninni in it for his F40 showroom.
As they say in the car business, there’s a Seat for every A$$ . . .
Check out the full range of Serra’s designs on this website: https://hsypegaso.webcindario.com/Stylists/galeria_serrae.htm