SEAT 850

SEAT does not build many cars like the SEAT 850 with 843&nbsp, built from 1966 to 1974 in the decade that gave the world the pony car and the mid-engined supercar. Its designer of record is Dante Giacosa (2-door saloon) / Antonio Amat (4-door saloon largo) / Felice Mario Boano and Gian Paolo Boano (Coupé) / Giorgetto Giugiaro at Gruppo Bertone / Bertone (Spider).

The background

The SEAT 850, also popularly known as "ocho y medio" ("eight and a half", 8.5), was a supermini produced by Spanish automaker SEAT and based on the Fiat 850. The car was produced in Spain from April 1966 to 1974 in four different body styles.

The engineering

Under the skin sits 843  other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. Kerb weight is 650 kg. The gearbox is a 4-speed manual. The layout matters: the engine hangs behind the rear axle, a layout that gives ferocious traction out of a corner and a reputation to match on the way in. The wheelbase is 2027 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.

Where it sits

Where it sits in SEAT's history is not in doubt: the SEAT 133 / SEAT 127 / SEAT 1200 Sport (for SEAT 850 Sport) followed it; it was built at Zona Franca, Barcelona. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Alfa Romeo Spider, the Lamborghini Miura, the Dodge Charger. Its SEAT stablemates include the SEAT 124 and the SEAT 133.

The money

There is no federal ownership record for the SEAT 850 — it predates the complaint database or was never sold in the United States — so MotorJury publishes no running-cost figure for it. For a car of this age the price is set by the collector market and the condition of the individual example, not by a formula.