Fiat 600 Design Concept By David Obendorfer: Keepin’ Classic Classy

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These gorgeous renderings are the creation of designer David Obendorfer, who has used the Fiat 500 family styling theme, and integrated it with influences from Dante Giacosa's iconic Fiat 600 that was produced between 1955 and 1969. The concept now features a five-door chassis based on the Fiat Punto and measures over four metres in length, compared with its original two-door design that stretched a touch more than 3.2 metres.

We especially like the uncluttered, simple design that exudes typical Fiat design flair. The front fascia is heavily inspired by the 500, and that's no bad thing. The chrome strips that form the ‘grille' detail are really classy, while the two tone paint scheme, the classic whitewall tyres, and the detailing of the tail lamps in this version of the design is truly masterful. Those retro-inspired rear haunches hark back nicely to the original too.

The car is instantly recognisable as a Fiat, and the Obendorfer rendering displays an impressive level of restraint in the lines of the Fiat 600 Design Concept. Because of this, the concept looks practically production-ready. Plenty of opinion swings in favour of this concept replacing the aging Punto. Also, since the 600 celebrates its 60th anniversary next year, the occasion could be ideal for the car to be added to the Italian manufacturer's repertoire.

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But his work didn't stop there. Where there is Fiat, there is always Abarth waiting to take things to the next level, so Obendorfer created Abarth versions too. Daresay the results are rather stunning, especially because they are so believable. The concept looks purposefully mean, with a more aggressive-looking air dam, larger secondary lighting and gorgeous blacked-out rims. To send the message home, an official-looking red Abarth racing stripe runs along the side of the car.

So what did the original Fiat 600 look like? Very different obviously. It was much smaller, like we touched upon earlier and featured two doors instead of the concept's four. At the peak of its production, over 1000 cars were manufactured everyday. The 600 never generated the kind of attention that the 500 did, but 1956 saw a soft-top variant and the original Fiat Multipla spawn from its humble proportions. Although ‘humble' may not be the best description of a car that saw over a million examples produced...