The Méhari or Type 181 from Fiat
Officially, summer only starts on June 21, but in fact summer has already started in the past week. That is why today we are highlighting the ultimate summer transport from our used car range. Did you already know this one?
Fair is fair: the undersigned also had to do a bit of googling to find out what we are dealing with here. But with success; the endearing red-green creation you now see on your screen is a Fiat 600 Jungla or Fiat Jungla for short, where Jungla is Italian for jungle. It was built in the 1960s and 1970s and shared quite a few technical components with the Fiat 600. The Jungla was originally designed as a utility vehicle for, among others, the Italian armed forces, but it also suited itself as a leisure vehicle.
It is a car in the spirit of the Citroën Méhari and Volkswagen Type 181. All three are technically related to more mass-produced brothers (in the case of the Citroën the 2CV, in the case of the Volkswagen the Beetle), also as a utility vehicle were intended and in 2023 serve few purposes other than filling the collection or leisure activities. Like the Méhari and Type 181, the 600 Jungla is a kind of ‘box’ with very generic body panels and a windshield that folds forward, so you can roll around completely unprotected from the elements.
Is there a simpler dashboard?
In Italy escapes rust
The copy offered on the AutoWeek used page lived in its home country for half a century, but is now for sale at a Dutch car company. This shows that the Fiat has little trouble with rust, which is not the case for all 600 Junglas. In fact, we will be curious how many of the estimated 3,200 originally built survived the rust devil.
In any case, this classic is rare, which is reflected in the asking price: €12,950 is what the seller wants for it. Not a small amount, but the Jungla seems to be looking pretty fresh. The 600 technology speaks to its advantage, because it ensures that replacement parts are still relatively readily available. In the back of the Fiat is a 33 hp two-cylinder, with which the box reaches a top speed of less than 100 km / h – even though it is still doing its best.
No, the Italian is better suited for around the village, to the supermarket or through the woods. Sunglasses on, the thin steering wheel in the left hand, the equally slender poker in the right hand; picture you rollin’.
Behind this hides a modest two-cylinder.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl