As a former Lada owner I love seeing Eastern European cars from the 70s and 80s still chugging along. They all got hammered by bad press and cruel jokes but when - in 1989 - a brand new Lada cost less than a 3 year old Ford Escort they made sense to a lot of people on both sides of the Iron Curtain. Great review.

People of Croatia, where I live, are still really fond of this car, whoever did driving school tests in Yugoslavia, probably did it in Zastava, we call it the Fićo (pronounced Ficho) here. The legend still goes on and lots of people are restoring these since it became a cult classic here. I was lucky enough to drive to drive one from a friend of mine, who was born in the late 90s, same as me, he inherited a really low mileage one from his dad's uncle! If you like tiny cars, and want a daily a classic, this is pretty much a perfect combination. Great video as always HubNut, you never dissapoint.

I love the baby blue color. My father owned one from 1969 till 1976. That was the car that brought me from the hospital where I was born. Greetings from Slovenia.

I was born in Serbia and when I was kid you saw them by dozens in every street. Where I grew up as a kid you could only get there by 4x4 and with Zastava 750 called Fico.As a kid I didn't like them much now a lot older they all have gone and when I see them I get a smile on my face. My cousin had one he worked as a policeman and they were lso put to work as policecar with 850 engine, in those days the cops used to get criminals faster than now. On holidays in Serbia they have become very very rare if any. In the Yugoslavia days grandma and grandpa with grandchild in the backseat and mom and dad in front to a vacation in Croatia or Montenegro. On the roof a roofrack with suitcases and bags. The smll car struggling to get uphill or keep up with the rest of the traffic on the road, you could hear the engine moaning and groaning to get it's passenger where ever they wanted. Travelling 1200 kilometers was an adventure - it took a while to get there- but you enjoyed it, less stress . It was a real roadmovie for the family in those days. When the engine would get hot you opend the hood and put a stick or a small plnk between the hood and engine bay so the engine could cool off. I myself are very fond of the Zastava 1300/1500( Fiat 1500) called the Yugoslav Mercedes, I especially loved the 2 two tone horn and the tuba like exhaust sound when you floored it, typical of also the Zastava 101. If you can get a hold of a Zastava 101 please do review of it. Thanks for this review that brings lot of memories!

A note regarding the cooling system: the thermostatic flap is located underneath the car, if you rev the engine while standing behind the car you can feel the warm air on the lower part of your legs, said flap has also a mechanism that lets you keep it wide open in hot weather. You are absolutely right about the heater, in the manual for my Seat 600e (essentially the same car) it says that you should keep your windows slightly open while having the heater on because of the fumes.

I've heard so many stories from my father about his father owning a Zastava like that (back in the day here in Greece), and the road trips of the whole family (two adults and two children in the 750)

I'm from Serbia and you can still see these little cars driving around. :)

Speaking as a Trabant P601 owner, I have a real soft spot for cars from behind the 'Iron Curtain '. They are often much maligned, but they gave people mobility. As my late father used to say "Second class transport is better than first class walking"!

A neighbour had a Fiat 850 which unsuprisingly sounded exactly the same as this. Looks like quite a chuckable car, I bet it's a right laugh!

I'd love to see a HubNut version of a Harry's garage Auction walkabout. Be a allot more interesting and affordable :) The Bricklin Harry shunned was the most interesting car at the NEC sale.

Ahhh the happy memories of the old bugger who used to fire a rather large PKM machine gun over our camp whilst standing up out of the roll back sunroof in Bosnia! When we caught him after a couple of weeks, he explained he had been "told to do it" and how he only ever fire over the roofs of our compound. True, but his rounds where hitting the houses about 300 metres past us and they where getting somewhat bored of it 🤣 We traded his PKM for a tank of fuel, about 5 gallons a receipt for the weapon and sent him on his way!! Ahhh happy times, winter in northern Bosnia brrrrr ⛄☃️

Its amazing how many different companies produced these under licence Fiat 600's. SEAT also made these for the Spanish market. There were even some sporty Abarth versions of the Italian built ones usually seen racing with the rear engine hatch propped open for extra cooling and handy rear spoiler for extra downforce.

My father owned a '84 model. Had a lot of fun in it. We even did some long trips in it and it held up quite well. You are correct about perceived quality - that was probably one of best cars (quality wise) that Zastava ever made, with few upgrades such as headlights that bested even the original Fiat-made ones. And yes, since it was so cheap at one point, people saw it as disposable and a lot of them ended up in landfills. Luckily, now the love for it is back, and nice ones command premium price. A very nostalgic video for me - thank you for bringing back memories!

I had three 600's back in the day the 600d was much better than the 600 which had suicide doors, and my last one was a 600 Arbarth which was quite quick. They handled quite well (except on windy days )by the standards of the day and I drove from Shropshire via Dover to north of Amsterdam in the Netherlands and back several times. Two up with a stack of luggage. They were all very reliable but the early 600s rotted like there was no tomorrow and to keep the engine cool in hot weather the radiator flap was usually either removed or propped open. Happy days

Totally agree that the 600 shaped cars are massively overlooked. Similar situation with the Fiat 133 , lived in the shadow of the 126. That OHV engine saw service way past early Pandas and Uno's, as it was used in the smaller engined Seicento, sold in UK well into the new millennium. It was also the only engine ever fitted to the Fiat 850 too. A true legend of a power unit amongst Fiat followers, tough, robust , reliable and didn't sound bad either.

This is the first car I drove in as a child in the 80s; even today, those impressions are unsurpassed.

I daily a 1969 Zastava 750 and I can vouch that they are temperamental little cars. If taken care of, and by that I mean driven daily and maintained, they will serve you no matter the weather or age. Mine has been in the family since it left the factory, and its been both a smugglers car and a rally car. And to this day it sparks up instantly. Truly marvelous little bastards they are. To me, mine is like an old family friend

That absolutely beautiful whine sound. HubNutery turned up to eleven.

My childhood in Yugoslavia and trips from Bosnia to see side in Podgora Croatia, 1989-1990 we loved our Fićo ❤️

Your pronounciation of "voda" and "gorivo" were actually spotless. So happy to see Fičo in such a good condition again. In Slovenia they rusted away, and became very rare.

Indeed, a sweet little car for enjoyable little bimbles down country lanes. She seems quite well built and solid too. 🙂

Cute little car Ian. What a wonderful charity the money's going to They do wonderful work.

HubNut quite literally on a roll! Thank you Ian for the great review videos lately, impressive work ethic and great variety of motoring stars (you included) gracing our screens 👍

Lovely sound coming from that 759 engine

I completely agree with you about the (let's call it) 600 range being overlooked in favour of the 500. I think both are beautiful classics and the one you are driving looks to be in superb condition.

My dad bought a Lada in early 80's Belfast to get to work as buses had a habit of blowing up then. He parked it up one day and went into a pub to get change for the parking meter and someone had put a timed device on the counter after robbing the place. He ran out and it wouldn't start so made a run for it. The device went off and the whole wooden cladding of the pub was lying on top of the Lada. Next day he arrived to collect it and the fire brigade had removed most of the debris. The bloody tank of a Lada only started up and he continued on his way.

Such an awesome little car, so much better than you would imagine it to be.

This is just the kind of review I like. Thank you very much Ian.

The gearbox whine alone makes me want that car.

Wonderful review of a wonderful little car, always been one of my favourite Fiats but never quite managed to own one. Engines finally ended up at 1050cc in the fab Autobianchi A112 Abarth (70 BHP !!), the SEAT version put Spain on the motoring map too, Santa has been notified of the auction date ........

Cute as box of kittens, water-cooled refinement, and go-faster checker-plate in the footwell - delightful in every way!

Sounds absolutely delightful! I like it!

Honeymooned in Yugoslavia in 1985 and these were everywhere. Great video as always 👍🏻

What a great looking little car, that gearbox Whine, excellent review as always Ian.

Another great review as normal Ian , what a lovely little car, had never heard of it before this.

Well done! Yet again another car that I have never come across. Never cease to amaze me.

Absolutely brilliant video Ian 👍what a beautiful car love it

Classic hubnut review, excellent 👌

I have good memories of this, I had a FIAT 600, a white, a nice and very reliable car. Except for a grain of sand in the idle sprinkler (easy repair), a perfect holiday through Luxembourg done from the Netherlands many years ago.

Our Fiat dealing friend had a 600 in his back garden for a while. Adore this era of Fiats. ❤️ I don't remember Brightwells being there in the late eighties, or I know where I'd have been every auction. I did attend a rather grubby car auction in Leominster at that time. It was all Mk3 Cortinas, Marinas and early Renault 5's

Nice review. I'm glad you corrected yourself about the Eastern Bloc because Yugoslavia was not part of that bloc because of the conflict with Stalin in 1948. It's a wonderful reminder of what a small car it was. Thank you.

What a lovely wee motor. Quarter light windows need to make a comeback.

Fantastic Ian! Well done,😍❤

You are spoiling us this week Ian...Two vans and an FSU beauty.

What a lovely little car Ian, it's the sort of car you don't want to get cold over the winter nights and park it in a hutch.... err... I mean garage. This has so much character. The only real downside of a left hand drive car is seeing for overtaking but I guess this little character is unlikely to want to do too much of that (apart from that VW that pulled out in front of you). I love that it survives from those much simpler times. Many thanks for sharing.

Awesome! My (much older) Stepbrother had a Fiat 770 in the 70's. As far as I remember this car was orange or yellow... He wrecked so many cars, I tell you...

What jolly little car! Love the transmission whine!

My dad had the old style fiat 500 used to Go to school in it i It was very slow and noisy but economical cream in colour he always used to say wait for the rubber band to break after that he bought a Renault Dauphine that was a good one as well not many about now fair play to you for bringing us this gem

A mate gave me a 600. He had skimmed the head and added a stainless banana bunch exhaust. Went like the clappers. A bit like driving a boiled egg in the wet. Never had fumes. lovely little car.

Thank you. Brings back the memories 😂

How cool is that sound

At last a car from my homeland. I used to own a 750, was my second ever car, wasn't bad but highway cruising definitely wasn't an option, but that was also the only instance where it would ever overheat, after it I went on into a Zastava 101 which honestly felt like coming from a Ford Fiesta into a brand new Tesla. I'd still want to own a good old Fićo as we call it, way better and cheaper to own than a Beetle, preferably the 850 and maybe put a newer Fiat gearbox in it with a 5th speed.

Hi! So funny watching you trying to read the writings in the car. This car was known for good uphill driving performance (or rather ability) in the snow. Regards from Slovenia!

Cute and delightful, as you say, it should be a legendary car in it's own right.

I like it a lot and it looks great in that colour.

We see loads of them in Croatia and the other night my partner said she wants one. So this could be the next car I drive across Europe. Stay tuned.

Many sweet memoried of me sitting in the back of my parents' Fiat 600. Usually sideways with cushions in my back. Quite comfy! With original seats it is surprisingly roomy...

What a LUVVELY little car. 😍 What a legacy, leaving your old car to charity. 👍

That car looks like a riot. Much fun

What a little bit of heaven on four wheels.

...great presentation sir...greatings from Yugoslavia

What a little beauty, love it. 👍

Having just bought a Lada Riva, this excites me greatly.

Hi, Ian. You finally tested the classic car that I own. ¡Congratulations! I am also glad that you liked it. I own the Spanish version: the SEAT 600. It is the most popular classic car in Spain, with a production of almost 800,000 units. It is easy to find parts either used or new (either recently made or old stock).

Great review on a great wee car, i hope it does well at the auction. Best wishes.

I owned a 1957 Fiat 600. Here in New Zealand in the early 1980s. It was such fun and could carry 4 of us about. In heavy rain, in traffic. I slide across a bit of,flooded road and into the back of a new Holden Commodore (some midsized Vauxhall based rubbish). Well that was the end of the 600. OH NO it wasn't. The big Holden was the write off.i,hit it at,about 12mph and the Commodore (crapadore in NZ slang) had a towbar!. The 600 kept running on the road for several more months before any repairs. I always say that having the spare wheel in it's correct space under bonnet absorbed some of the impact .

My grandfather in early 70s had the same and also Zastava 850 AK which was bigger but with same engine and parts

What a cool little car! That engine soldiered on as late as the seicento in 899cc injected form, if I'm not mistaken. Can't wait to see what's up for review next!

What a charming little car. I'd happily own one :)

voda=water, gorivo=fuel tank. My first car, bought used in 1989. Lasted two years and another one in my yard before towed to scrapyard. Once in majority on the road, nowadays a rare seen. A basic car, not to be driven fast, 70 km/h is the best option. Mortal, if you have an accident driving as fast as you were.

It's delightfully surreal to listen to an Englishman explaining about a Croatian Fiat and seeing an AU lurking in the background...

Beautiful one

These were the SEAT 600 in Spain manufactured from 1957 to 1973, the car that motorised Spain in thw 60s and an icon here too. Each and all Spanish family owned at least one SEAT 600 at some time.

A thoroughly enjoyable video Ian. It really is a peculiar thing just how engaging these old cars are. Obviously cars have always had an element of styling but I find myself more and more engaged by the notion of cars being functional tools to get from A to B rather than a vainglorious fashion accessory. There's all kinds of shades in-between but I can't help feeling that it's all just gone too far.

Nice video. 903cc engine was used in Yugo 45 as well. My family had owned it for 18 years, a 1991. model. 45 hp (engine made by DMB), 4 forward gears, no brake booster. We did around 100.000 km / 60.000 miles in it, the 4 of us.

Great timing for lunch viewing 👍

OMG, that's a real nice Zastava 750 u got there :D

Another lovely video, can't wait for the next, around Brightwells

It's certainly got plenty of characterful transmission whine, something modern cars just can't replicate... :)

Perfect Zastava 750👍

You are very brave for driving a 600 al 60 miles and using only one hand! Hahaha. Here in argentina 500000 of them were sold between 1960 and 1982. I own a 1979 one with a 903 cc engine. Greetengs from buenos aires

Glad that didn't end with you slumped over the wheel. Great video

Brilliant I hope the sale goes well for a worthwhile charity

It was national car of Yugoslavia that motorised the country. Whole familyes went to vacations on long jurneys with full ruf racks. Yugoslavs loved this car, just like Poles loved their Fiats 126s Also made in Spain by milions as Seat 600 One more interesting fact. Soviet Zaporozec (garbatiy) was also based on Fiat 600

Interesting car another great video has always Ian and miss hubnut and hublets and hubmutts 👍

The same engine came into up to 965 cc on the A112 and even 1050 cc - 70 HP on the A112 Abarth! One of those Abarth engines went into my 1985 Panda 4x4 many many years ago, it was amazing!

What a lovely looking car ..yes it’s cute

Zastava car factory in Kragujevac lasted till 2008 (Zastana 10 or licenced Fiat Punto 2 was the last model produced) when FIAT bought the factory and now is Fiat Serbia. They produced Fiat 500L till some years ago, now there are news that they will produce FIAT Pandina (electric version of FIAT Panda)

Zastava 750, often called Fića (Fitja) make Yugoslavia mobile, just imagine a family of 5, full luggage for vacationroped onto it, going 1000+ km to the seaside. Generations drove them, it costed brand new 15 average working joe salaries, plus you could get it on loan. Parts were dirt cheap, and everyone could fix them anywhere, in one afternoon you could tear it apart, clean oil up and put back together. If i would have to compare it, its like Moris was in UK, pride of days gone..

Ah, the good old Fića. Sadly, they're even becoming a rare sight on the roads here in Serbia. If I was still in the UK, I'd definitely be putting a cheeky bid on this little scamp.

What a lovely little thing. Would be very tempted to bid if I had anywhere to keep it.

What a lovely little car. Love it. Aussie Graham.

It's a little gem, but it's also in such fine condition (never mind its age as well) that I'd be reluctant to ever take it out on a wet day.

If there are any in the UK it would be great to see a road test of a Zaporozhets as this is another economy car from the same era. They were manufactured in Ukraine and I suspect probably designed there as well. They look like a cross between a Fiat 600 and a Renault 4CV. The construction is ultra simple and rugged, intended for maintenance by the owner where in Soviet bloc countries you could not rely on there being a competent mechanic in your town. Very unusually for a car intended for mass-market basic transportation, they have a V4 engine.

‘And that’s 60mph’…nerves of steel😀👍

The Zastava 750 was imported to Turkey but never made there. The Fiat 124, 131, Tempra ,Tipo, Uno and so on were more popular.

3 years ago I'm in Singapore, staying at the Fairmont. Heading to the restaurant for breakfast. The restaurant was called Prego (there's a clue!). As I walk in, what should be parked in the restaurant but a Fiat 600 as part of the Italian theme. And that's the last time I saw one!

What a characterful little car. Hopefully it’s new will give any necessary TLC. Having owned Skoda Estelle and Lada Riva it’s nice to see an Eastern block car that’s been preserved.

Nice car! I see that you've taken a page of other Ian's playbook and feature auction items 😊 (Ian of Forgotten Weapons for those who don't know of him)

Saw a lot of these when I visited friends in Croatia a few years back, including the Police Car or "Milicija" version.