This Fiat 600 Multipla And Its Tiny Fiberglass Camper Might Be The Cutest Camping Rig I’ve Seen All Year

So much of the RV world focuses on living large, from colossal motorhomes to big trucks that tow massive trailers. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can be impressively comfortable camping in a rig that barely takes up a parking space. I think I found one of the cutest examples of this idea. This 1959 Fiat 600 Multipla and 1975 Lander Graziella 300 Caravan is the most adorable camping couple I’ve seen all year, and you’ll soon be able to buy it.

Truth be told, this camping rig is not very practical. You will not be going very fast, and I cannot imagine that a cross-country trip behind the wheel of that Fiat would be very comfortable. However, countless camping trips actually happen very close to home, and I think this setup could be absolutely fantastic to take to a state park or small campground.

What I really enjoy about this Fiat 500 Multipla and its matching Lander Graziella is just how brilliantly the combination works. Both vehicles were made in Italy, both are correct for the period, and both were lovingly restored. Perhaps even better, both the car and the camper are ready for fun, not garage queens. You can actually take them for a camping trip!’

Getting Italians On The Road

The first part of this equation is a 1959 Fiat 600 Multipla, and this little guy is an important part of automotive history because it’s arguably the first MPV or people carrier.

The 600 Multipla came at a crucial point in Italian car history. Much of Italy’s manufacturing capacity was reduced to rubble in the aftermath of World War II. Italy went through a revolutionary economic expansion after the war, and one of the problems that needed solving was transportation. Crafty engineers responded to the demand with scooters like the Vespa, while Fiat opened the door to mass car ownership in 1955 with the 600.

The 600’s development began in Turin in 1951, and the idea was to create a car to replace the old Fiat 500 “Topolino” with a space-efficient car that could carry a family of four in something resembling comfort. Fiat chief engineer Dante Giacosa selected a rear engine and rear-wheel-drive layout for practical reasons. This layout took up less space than a front engine, rear drive layout and cost less money to develop than a front engine, front drive layout.

The 600 was a basic people’s car, so Fiat cared more about practicality and affordability above most else. Fiat even toyed with the idea of air-cooled V-engines and semi-automatic transmissions, but ultimately went with a tried and true water-cooled inline-four, a four-speed manual, and independent suspension.

The 600 launched at 590,000 Lire (10.663,62 € today, or $12,521) at just the right moment, as Italy’s economic boom began lifting citizens out of poverty. The 600 hit the roads with only a 21 HP 633cc engine and a top speed of 60 mph, but that was more than enough.

How do you improve on a great idea? Make it even more practical! That’s exactly what happened with the 600 Multipla. From Fiat:

In January 1956, the Brussels Motor Show saw the debut of the original “multipurpose” version designed by Dante Giacosa: the 600 Multipla.

It shared the mechanicals of the 600 sedan, with engine mounted just behind the rear axle, but the cabin was extended to include the whole of the front of the car. It is hard to envisage it without seeing it: instead of the front bonnet – covering a boot housing the fuel tank and spare wheel in the sedan – the Multipla had a two-seater bench. The front of the car was almost completely vertical, rather like a minivan. The result was a car which seemed to be travelling backwards, with the rear more streamlined and aerodynamic than the front, but which was able to accommodate three rows of seats and up to six people inside.

The 600 Multipla had four doors: two rear-hinged at the front, and two at the rear. This very basic but effective car’s versatility meant that one or both rear rows of seats could be folded down to produce a uniform load surface almost two metres long. This meant the car could also be converted into a tiny camping van by creating a “double bed”, as the advertisements of the time describe it.

The 600 Multipla would sell for 11 years, moving 243,000 copies over that time.

Tiny Campers For Tiny Cars

The other part of this equation is a 1975 Lander Graziella 300 Caravan, and it’s another quirky part of Italian history. According to a handful of Italian blogs I’ve found, as the economy in Italy boomed, the people who bought cars like the Fiat 500 and the Fiat 600 wanted to go on camping holidays. This created demand for compact camping trailers that could be towed by these tiny cars.

Lander was founded in Padova as Levante, and the company’s first camper arrived around 1960. The Graziella 300 had a body only 9.8 feet long and weighed only 881 pounds. Crucially, it was designed to be towed by the cars of the day like the Fiat 600. The original Graziellas were built out of two fiberglass tubs joined at the middle. These trailers also had a pop-top, which increased room without adding too much weight or drag. Check out this brochure page for an export model:

These trailers were very basic, with only a tiny galley kitchen, a dinette that converted into a double bed, and a wardrobe. Allegedly, these campers (caravans if you’re one of our European readers) were insulated with enough high-density polyurethane that some people used them in relative comfort during the cold of winter and the peak heat of summer.

By 1973, Levante changed its name to Lander, and over time, the company’s campers got more amenities like toilets, Truma stoves, and Electrolux refrigerators. Lander also sold larger and heavier fiberglass campers for more capable cars and larger families.

Sadly, Lander’s run lasted only a couple of decades, and by the late 1980s, it left the camper business to make dumpsters (adorable dumpsters, I’d like to think). While Lander might not be a known entity here in America, the campers are collectible in Italy, with many enthusiasts restoring them to tow with their favorite people’s cars.

A Perfect Match

That brings us to the whole combination, the 1959 Fiat 600 Multipla and 1975 Lander Graziella 300 Caravan. It’s up for grabs on Car & Classic in an auction that will begin on December 19.

According to the listing, the Fiat was with its original owner from 1959 to 2016, and it has had only three owners over its entire life. That life was colorful on its own, the ad says, as the car was used as a taxi in Genoa from 1959 to 1974, and then stayed with its original owner as a private car afterward.

The 600 Multipla was reportedly given a high-level body, transmission, and engine restoration. The date of this restoration isn’t said. However, it is said that the 1975 Lander Graziella 300 was restored in 2023 and 2024 to match the Fiat. The camper was acquired by the seller in 2015, and it isn’t said how many hands it’s passed through to get here.

The camper sports a convertible dinette, a single basin stainless steel sink, and a single-burner gas-cooker. It’s a largely period-correct reinterpretation of the Graziella, and since it uses some modern appliances, should be easy to live with in the real world.

Now, before you get super excited, I must remind you that the Fiat here still has only a 633cc four with 21 ponies to its name, and Fiat quotes a top speed of only 56 mph – and that’s when you aren’t towing an 881-pound camper. So, I would expect this camping rig to be properly slow. But that’s also exactly how these campers were pulled in the past; Italians hooked up their 600s and 500s to these campers and then hit the road.

So, if you’re taking this on a retro road trip, you’ll want to stick to the backroads. Ah, that’s fine, because some of the coolest parts of America are found outside of interstates, anyway.

A Few Speedbumps

The bigger problem will be the rig’s location. Both of these vehicles currently reside in Italy. That means whatever price you pay when the hammer falls won’t be the end of your spending. You’d have to pay to ship the camper and then pay a 15 percent tariff on both vehicles. Considering that you could buy a restored Fiat and Lander pair for around $27,000 in Italy, I would expect the final cost to rise dramatically by the time it gets to your place. But if you can stomach all of that, I think you’ll probably have one extremely cute camping rig.

Every square inch of this car and camper is unfathomably cute. I love everything about it, from how tiny the car looks next to its equally diminutive camper to the brilliant color matching. This is a matchup that I bet could win some vintage shows. But at the same time, it’s not just for show, and you could take it on a real camping trip. I love it when restorations are functional. Now, excuse me, I have to open a window because I’m feeling too warm and fuzzy.

Top graphic image: Car & Classic Auction