- Powering this pint-sized two-door is a 767 cc four-cylinder with 32 hp.
- Pininfarina tested the egg-shaped car in the 1960s and hit 79.5 mph.
- This one-off Pininfarina creation has been living in Nevada since new.
The original Fiat 600D, not far off the original Classic Mini in both shape and philosophy, is a bona fide Italian icon. Small, nimble, and stylish, it packed a rear-mounted engine and won hearts on charm alone. It also served as the unlikely starting point for one of Pininfarina’s wildest experiments.
Over the decades, Pininfarina has penned some of the most extraordinary cars ever to turn a wheel, and this is among its strangest. Called the Pininfarina Y Berlinetta, it took the humble 600D and reimagined it entirely, wrapping the underpinnings in an aerodynamic egg-shaped body that chased a higher top speed. Just one was ever built, and it’s headed to auction next week.
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Powering the custom Pininfarina is a 767 cc four-cylinder engine producing 32 hp at 4,800 rpm and mated to a four-speed manual transmission. The original 600D had the same engine, but while it was capped at 68 mph (110 km/h), the Pininfarina model apparently hit 79.5 mph (128 km/h) during testing, almost certainly thanks to its far slipperier shape.
To say the car looks odd would be an understatement. The front end includes three circular headlights housed within a clear, curved case, along with three chrome elements protruding from the bumper. The body houses a surprisingly spacious cabin, while the rear half has been elongated from the original 600D.
Bonhams
Other changes were made. For example, Pininfarina added a new Nardi steering wheel and positioned the spare wheel and tire in front of the passenger compartment to improve safety. The car retains its original silver color scheme, and despite its age, the paint looks to have held up well over the decades. It’s been kept in The National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada, since new, which houses more than 1,400 other classics.
Bonhams is handling the sale and notes the odometer reads just 4,991 miles (8,032 km), barely run-in for a car more than six decades old. It’s expected to fetch somewhere between $100,000 and $200,000, a spread that reflects just how hard it is to put a number on a genuine one-off like this. You can check out the full listing here.
