When I look at the various cars that appear on our desks here at Barn Finds, I always find myself drawn towards those that are quirky or unusual. This 1967 Fiat 600D Multipla is one of those cars, and its custom touches make it stand out from the crowd. If the next owner doesn’t want to maintain the faux-taxi appearance, removing these touches would take less than a day. What they would be left with is an original Italian classic. The Fiat is located in Oxnard, California, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. The BIN price has been set at $29,000, but there is the option available to make an offer. I have to say thank you to Barn Finder Araknid78 for referring the Fiat to us.

If there is one characteristic that has helped Fiat to stand out over the years, it is that the company can produce interesting cars. The 600D Multipla is no exception because it can squeeze a surprising number of people into a relatively tiny space. The total length of the Multipla is a touch over 11½-feet, but it is capable of seating four adults in comfort (or five if they are light). There is reasonable head and legroom, but there is still space left over to squeeze in some luggage. This particular Multipla has been treated to a total restoration and generally presents well. The Dark Green and White paint does shine, but there are a few issues to consider. There are no visible signs of rust, with the panels and the floors appearing to be spotless. However, some of the panel gaps and fit look a bit out, and there are a few areas where the paint seems to be thin. This is particularly obvious around the bottom of the rear wheel arch on the passenger side and below the back door. Given the Fiat vulnerability to rust problems, adequate paint coverage is vitally important. There are also some signs of overspray and some poor masking. This raises some questions about the quality of the restoration work. The trim and chrome shine in the sun and the glass is free from obvious flaws. The Multipla was a popular choice as a taxi in its home country. The owner has chosen to recreate that look on this car. However, the signage and stripes are vinyl and would be easy to remove if a more stock look is required. The illuminated roof sign is magnetic, so removing that is also straightforward.

European manufacturers during the period from the 1940s until the late 1960s were heavily focused on producing light and space-efficient vehicles. This was, in large part, motivated by the fact that raw materials for car production were scarce following the end of World War II. Finances were also tight, so there was no room to be lavish with vehicle design or construction. It was this line of thinking that gave rise to cars like the original Mini. This was a triumph of packaging efficiency, featuring a front-engine/front-wheel-drive configuration. With the 600, Fiat went in the opposite direction, opting for a rear-engined car with rear-wheel-drive. Tiny engines were the order of the day, and while vehicle performance wasn’t lightning fast, it was still considered to be adequate. The Fiat 600 Multipla was initially offered with a 633cc 4-cylinder engine, but this was upgraded to a 767cc unit in September of 1960. With this upgrade, the model name received a change from 600 to 600D. This little dynamo produced 32hp, which found its way to the rear wheels via a 4-speed manual transaxle. Of course, this vehicle was no rocket, but it could reach a top speed of 75mph. Generally, the engine bay of this Fiat looks okay. It seems like some of the paint preparation and application has been left wanting, with the paint within the engine bay having a very rough appearance. The fuel lines have been painted over in some spots, and are bare in others. The VIN tag has a significant covering of overspray.  Even the paint on the air cleaner is thin and almost transparent in many places. I have included a YouTube video at the bottom of this article. It provides a walkaround of the vehicle, plus a short test drive. During the video, there are no signs of any squeaks, rattles, or odd noises. The engine sounds nice, and the car appears to drive smoothly.

When you give the interior of the Fiat a cursory glance, you will initially struggle to find anything significant of which to be critical. The seats are fitted with beautiful red covers, while the door trims are finished in matching material. The floors wear black carpet, and this appears to be free from wear and fading. However, some of the painted surfaces let the interior down badly. The paint on the dash, in particular, is extremely rough. It has a very amateur look to it, as though the surface hasn’t been appropriately prepared before painting. It also scores poorly with significant paint runs. As far as luxury equipment is concerned, it isn’t even a remote consideration. Any car that attaches the spare wheel to the front of the cabin within reach of the passenger’s feet is not likely to be fully loaded. Take a look around. No radio, no A/C, and not even a glove compartment. These were designed to be cheap and purely functional vehicles. The reality is that they succeeded admirably in that goal.

I want so badly to like this 1967 Fiat 600D Multipla, and on face value, it looks very promising. However, it raises enough questions in my mind that I would want to perform a personal inspection before hitting the BIN button. Even more interesting is the fact that this is not the first time that this Fiat has been offered for sale. I found a listing for it on another site, and this shows the vehicle selling for $28,500 back in May of this year. That listing uses many of the same photos and the same video. That makes me wonder whether this is a flip, or whether the previous sale has fallen through. What do you think?