SEAT 600 Convertible Reborn After Sitting For 25 Years

In 1957, SEAT introduced the 600 supermini at Automobile Barcelona in Spain. The car shared its bones with the Fiat of the same name, and now 60 years gone, the Spanish automaker has decided to bring one of its most iconic vehicles back to life.

The 600 "put Spain on wheels," says SEAT, and one example recently underwent a full restoration in celebration of its 60th anniversary. A team of more than 30 engineers took on the task of bringing this classic car back to life, fully modernized and ready for road use. The car in question has been sitting untouched and unused for the past 25 years.

A total of 1,500 man hours were spent just in taking apart and restoring each individual component by hand. The team had to locate more than 1,000 missing pieces, which engineer Angel Lahoz says was one of the greatest challenges to the build itself.

A total of three gallons (15 liters) of bluish grey paint were used on the body, a color the company says is "absolutely on trend and reminiscent of the first 600s that came out." An impressive 164 feet (50 meters) of houndstooth fabric was used throughout the cabin, while the manually operated roof, original steering wheel and horn, and dash, were all completely restored.

The final result is a car that looks like it just rolled off the factory floor new. The light bluish grey finish, black top, and white-wall tires gives the classic a truly retro look. In case you needed any more reasoning as to why SEAT decided to restore this 600, between 1957 and 1973, more than 800,000 units of the now-iconic supermini were sold, making it one of the best selling SEAT models of all time.