Any time Icon restores something, you know it’ll be done right with that proverbial steeze (style with ease.)
Until a few moments ago, I didn’t even know that a larger version of the Fiat 500 exists dubbed the Fiat 600 but now I do. As per Icon Motors and their latest YouTube video to hit the internet earlier this weekend (Oct. 27,2018) it looks like this 1966 Fiat 600 Giardinetta was just collecting dust somewhere in storage owned by a previous customer, always having to be mended in one way or another. So, instead of suffering through this Fiat 600’s foibles, Icon Motors stepped in, restored this little Italian bread van right, and brought the powertrain into the 21st century. Check out the video below.
The Fiat 600 was the less popular successor to the iconic Fiat 500 which lives on even today. Unlike the 500, the 600 gained watercooling and sported a slightly larger engine. Available in two door sedan and four-door mini-MPV body styles, the one that was massaged by Icon is the latter.
To handle the extra weight of the batteries and the EV motor, this Fiat 600 now rides on much more superior coilovers on all four corners. All suspension components are definitely not original and have been upgraded. Gone are the drums with this 600 sporting discs.
In front where the engine normally is, is where this Fiat 600 stores its batteries. Icon swapped in six Tesla batteries with a total of 30 kWh. It’s a 144-volt system with a 3.3 kilowatt charger so it takes roughly 6-8 hours to charge for its 120-mile range.
The electric motor isn’t all that impressive from a “tale of the tape” point of view with just 100 HP and 80 lb-ft but then again this Fiat 600 wasn’t meant to cruise on the freeway, the German autobahn or meant to out drag a Tesla Model 3 at the light. It was meant to cruise to the beach after work or just make the commute to work that much more fun without having to deal with a traditional ICE car.
Keep in mind that this is a one of one and it’s not like Icon made any other of these Fiats. I feel like if you had enough money in the six-figure range and have an old Italian classic kicking around, Icon can pull off something like this for you.
