Classic pearls of the future - Fiat Multipla
09/24/2014
While some may react with an indignant outcry, others can hardly imagine a practical car from the nineties that deserves the status of a future classic. We are talking about the Fiat Multipla, built from 1999 to 2010, and the first version, which was built until 2004, is particularly iconic.
The fact that supporters and detractors of the car, which was designed with practical aspects in mind, are so divided is primarily due to its styling. Almost vertical side walls, huge glass surfaces, wheels positioned far to the outside and, above all, a front end with an additional sheet metal bulge below the windshield and built-in lights make the Multipla an unmistakable vehicle.
While the Museum of Modern Art showed the car in an exhibition, Der Spiegel described it as one of the ten ugliest cars of all time. While the Multipla met with much rejection, especially in Germany, the British were quite enthusiastic about it, not least because of its agile handling.
The family transporter, which was only 4.1 meters long but almost 1.9 meters wide, was definitely practical, as six people could travel in two rows of individual seats. Of course, the interior was convertible and the large windows provided excellent visibility to the outside.
As a special feature, the Multipla was available with different engine concepts. In addition to petrol and diesel engines, natural gas was also available. The body was mounted on a sturdy steel frame, which made the actually compact car quite heavy with an unladen weight of at least 1.3 tons.
The engines produced between 90 and 120 hp, which allowed a top speed of up to 178 km/h. The extensive facelift in 2004 softened the look and brought the unusual model into line with other cars, but did not detract from its practical benefits.
Is all this enough to make the Multipla a future classic? Examples such as the 2 CV or the VW Bus show that an ugly duckling can certainly become a proud swan ...
Further more or less controversial classic pearls can be found in the dedicated topic channel on Zwischengas.
