The Seat Ronda is considered the first own model of the Spanish brand once it became independent from Fiat. However, before its launch, the Martorell firm already produced cars initially intended exclusively for the national market, although the Italian firm also ended up marketing them with its emblem in other countries.
The first “indigenous†model was the Seat 800, the four-door version of the popular 600, which was launched on the market to compete with the Renault 4 and Citroën 2CV. The project was carried out with the help of CarrocerÃas Costa, from Terrassa, in 1962. The commercial managers of the brand liked it so much that they decided to manufacture it in series and presented it at the Barcelona Trade Fair in 1963. In 1964 it was put on sale. sale for 75,000 pesetas, 10,000 more than what the 600 cost (two years later it became more expensive to 90,000 pesetas).
It is not a car that many remember because it was available for a short time. During its three and a half years of commercialization, 18,200 units were produced -many of them were used as taxis-, a figure that at that time was not negligible. The handicaps of the model were the difficulty of its manufacture and its high price.
The bodies were taken from the Zona Franca factory to the aforementioned Egarense company, where they were lengthened by 18 centimeters, a new roof was mounted and the sides were adapted by hand to add the two rear doors; the front ones were the original ones, slightly shortened. Once this was done, the body was returned to the Barcelona factory for painting, glass assembly, mechanics, finishes, etc.
The name 800 came from the displacement of the engine, rounded up: the car was equipped with the same block of 4 cylinders and 767 cc that mounted the 600 and developed 29 CV. The launch of the Seat 850 put an end to the Seat 800, but not to the idea of ​​a four-door car that was more livable than the 600. The brand repeated the bizarre manufacturing process based on the 850 again.
Initially, some 400 units of a 4-door version were manufactured that kept the original measurements, without lengthening the battle. With this, access to the rear seats was improved but the interior habitability was not expanded. Then they turned to outside help again.
At CarrocerÃas Costa they lengthened the wheelbase, so that the total length of the car went from 3.57 to 3.73 meters and, in addition to the 850 motorcycle, it was also offered with the 47 CV 850 engine, ten more than the basic. This model was marketed until 1974, when it was replaced by the 127.
Shortly after came the 133, the first Seat with an exclusive style. That model was produced after the brand realized that there was a market gap below the popular 127. Thus, it decided to take advantage of the latter’s production chain to develop its first own car.
The mechanics and the frame were identical to the 850, although with a few centimeters less. The design incorporated details from the Fiat 126 and 127. The round headlights were replaced by square ones, to clearly differentiate it from the 850. There were two versions, the 133 and the 133 Special, with 37 and 44 CV, respectively.
The most powerful equipped 13-inch wheels, instead of 12â€, to be able to mount disc brakes in front. A restyling led to the adoption of polyurethane bumpers instead of the original metal ones. It was exported and in some countries it was sold as the Fiat 133. It was also manufactured in Argentina and Egypt. In total, in the Free Zone, just over 200,000 units were produced between 1975 and 1980.
