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September 2006. A sad, sad, day. I sold the Multipla! Yes, it's true. After much going back and forth, I've decided to clean the entire collection... well almost. The Multi, as loved as it is, is going to a new owner. No regrets... yet. I think I had a great time throughout the entire affair. From finding it, to getting it home, to finding someone to help me with it (thanks by the way to all who helped!), to seeing it running and getting to drive it for the first time. Man, that was an adventure. I'm sure it will bring some good times to the new owner. I will continue to maintain this section for a while as I've been getting a good number of questions and requests for specific information. I still have my hands on additional info, so keep an eye out! This page will change from its current format, documenting my Multipla's progress, to a general Multipla information source. Hope it helps out. :)

Yes, you may have seen this text on some Multipla auctions and other sites before, but this is where it comes from! By the way, no this is not a "club site," it's my own personal site documenting some of my projects. This particular page is specific to my Multipla's restoration. I hope you can use some of the information here in your own project. Good luck and enjoy!

So, what is a Fiat Multipla, you ask? Well, it's a utility vehicle, a variant of the Fiat 600, which is, itself, the Fiat 500's big (well, bigger) brother. The Multipla was available in several configurations and bodies from at least a couple of manufacturers. Mine is an early model with the 600cc engine. It has a four speed transmission and locks the transmission when the parking brake is engaged. The 600D models had a couple of additional changes including a brake that engages the rear brakes instead of the transmission.

The popularity of the Fiat 600 as well as the need for a larger capacity cargo vehicle to compete and compliment vehicles like the Giardinera, gave Dante Giacosa, Fiat's Director of Engineering in the 1950s, the opportunity to expand the 600 line to include an additional vehicle with exceptional cargo space and three passenger configurations - the Multipla.
It can be said that the design of the Multipla was not an easy feat. The 600 model was in its maturity and likely to change soon and it carried its trademark rear-engine design and really posed an difficulty in providing a flat cargo-carrying floor. Space equivalent to the Belvedere was only possible by pursuing the only logical solution - moving everything to the front, including the driver area. This caused a rather ingenious driver position whereby stradling the steering column is necessary. The spare tire was moved to the front passenger section limiting leg room in that seat. The Multipla did not have a rear door but nonetheless it provided excellent rear compartment access for both passenger and cargo due to the large side doors. The passenger versions included a 6-passenger layout with three rows of seats and a 4-5 passenger version with a fold-down cargo section which could also be converted into a camping bed. The taxi version replaced the front passenger seat with additional luggage area.

Even with all its room for cargo and passengers, the Multipla was only 12in (305mm) longer and 1in (25mm) wider than the Fiat 500! To give you an idea of its size, the Multipla is about 4'6" wide and a little over 5' tall. It's a bit over 11' long. That makes it shorter and narrower than a new Mini Cooper and just a little bit taller than one.

The most important challenge of the design, however, was to ensure that the Multipla did not lose its 600 identity, and figuring it's only 10in (254mm) longer than the 600 sedan, one can speculate that this was no easy feat. The front design was imposed by the driver's forward position. The rear design, it was decided, would be practically identical to the sedan and uses some of the same parts, including the rear suspension components. The final design, coded "110-" was ready in 1953 with the intention of beginning production in 1955. The Multipla was officially introduced in Brussels in January of 1956 to a myriad of public opinions. The Multipla's true attributes were immediately apparent and it quickly became a public favorite. It's "suicide" doors were situated immediately above the front wheel wells and allowed for an interesting entry position. Once inside, the driver gets the impression of being too far forward much like driving a small bus. The driver controls were no less peculiar, with the driver straddling the steering column. Another needed aspect of the design was the position of the spare tire, which is situated inside the cab by the co-pilot's feet.

The rear area, by contrast, has an incredibly easy access. Used as a camper, the 5-6 passenger model could recline all seats making a nice size mattress inside. As a cargo vehicle, the rear seats fold forward to provide a flat space capable of carrying sizeable load.

During its 10-year production run, a total of approximately 160,000 units were produced with some modifications throughout its model life pretty much in tune with its 600 sedan counterpart. This included a larger engine with the introduction of the 600D models as well as the same windows for the front. They also shared some mechanical components, not the least of which were the engine and transmission as well as the rear suspension. The gearbox was modified by 81mm to accomodate the longer length. Due to its increased weight, the Fiat 1100's front suspension was used.

When the laws changed in Italy requiring all vehicles to offer "normal" opening doors, the Multipla suffered its untimely demise due to its inability to change its design to accomodate the new rules. Sadly, after only 10 years, the Multipla went the way of the dodo bird. Few examples of this great car remain which makes this one extra special to yours truly.

It is generally accepted that the 1983 Dodge Caravan was the original minivan, but almost 30 years earlier Fiat had introduced the granddaddy of them all. In a masterstroke of packaging, the 600 Multipla could squeeze six passengers into a body that measured under 12 feet.

The best way to describe the Multipla is idiosyncratic. It's like no other vehicle. The driving position is similar to a VW bus - you sit upright with the wheel horizontal in front of you. The Multipla is no hare in action, and when fully loaded, the progress is slow. While roadholding is good, the handling can be tail happy if the little van is driven too fast. For all that, driving a Multipla can be great fun because it is so unique.

Forward Control
The Fiat 600 replaced the old "Topolino" Fiat in 1955, but a station wagon version was almost impossible to engineer around the rear-mounted engine. The solution was to move everything forward. The Multipla's platform is virtually identical to the 600 sedan; it has the same tiny wheelbase, but is 10 inches longer and has slightly wider front and rear treads. Naturally, there are some differences, notably to the steering gear.

Cult Minivan
It would not be unique to say that the Multipla has a cult following. It's a historic machine in one way - as the very first of the minivans - but it also has a design cuteness and a practicality that puts rivals in the shade. It's rare today, too, making it more valuable than the straight 600 sedan.

In Italy, the Multipla became an icon, a jack-of-all-trades that could act as a people carrier, small truck, taxi, camper, or regular sedan. Its styling and layout may look odd but it worked well - and at a bargain price!

'Suicide' front doors
Like many European small car designs of this area, the front doors hinge at the rear to provide better access for the driver and front passenger. The obvious safety implications of this setup led to the nickname 'suicide' doors.

Rear-mounted engine
The small four-cylinder powerplant sits at the rear of the car and is easily accessible for servicing. It is unusual in that it incorporates the transmission within it as a single unit, saving weight and complexity.

600 chassis
It may look like a mini truck, but the Multipla is based on the platform of a Fiat 600 sedan. The wheelbase and rear engine/suspension are identical, although the steering, track and front suspension are altered.

Fiat 1100 front suspension
To cope with the extra weight over the front axle, the transverse leaf spring suspension of the 600 was substituted by the coil springs and anti-roll bar from the larger 1100 sedan.

So now that you have some general information on the Multipla, here is some detail specific to my Multipla:

My Multipla
I got my Multipla early in 2005 in Southern California. I'd been looking for one for y-e-a-r-s and was lucky enough to find one that was in decent shape and better yet, I could afford. Don't get me wrong, it needed tons of work but it is a Multipla!

Here is the latest:

March 2006 update: It lives!!! As you can see from the picture above, the Multipla is back home and parked on the street! Yep, street legal and running! I've been taking it out on short rides here and there to break the engine in. It got a major overhaul including some machine work and I want to make sure everything sits in correctly. Yes, it gets tons of looks and questions. The turning radius is incredible. I had to remember not to turn the wheel too sharply because that actually had me sliding sideways in the seat. It's a funky transition to drive the Travelall and then the Multipla. The Travelall requires about a dozen turns of the steering wheel to make a turn, so when I switch to this and automatically do the same with the steering wheel, the results are quite interesting. I love it.

May 2006 update: We just took the Multipla to its first car show! No awards, but it was just fun driving it some 15 miles each way through Los Angeles. It was all good. There was a constant flow of people checking it out and a million questions.

I'm still collecting some parts for the body restoration, but now that I know that the engine, transmission, electrical, and most important DMV stuff is good to go, then I feel better about going forward on this. If you feel you must have it, please hit me up. I'm always open to entertaining offers. I can provide you with all the receipts for all the stuff that's been done to it to date and whatever else is done to it while it's with us.

Here's what's coming up: