SEAT is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the production of its first car, the SEAT 1400 . On November 13, 1953, three years after SEAT was founded, an elegant luxury high-end car inspired by the American cars of the time rolled off the assembly line at the Zona Franca plant in Barcelona. Since the launch of the 1400 , SEAT has produced more than 16 million vehicles , including a number of legendary models such as the 600 , 127 , Ibiza and Leon . The company exports more than 80% of its production and is represented by 1,800 sales points worldwide.
The impressive sedan 1400 did not become the first model by chance. Government officials needed a means of transport and at the same time it was a very suitable car for taxi services. In 1953, when the SEAT 1400 hit the roads, the sale of gasoline under the rationing system was ended in Spain.
The price of the car when delivered from the factory was 121,875 pesetas (equivalent to 41,735 current euros), the original production was 5 cars per day , 925 employees participated in the production. These numbers subsequently grew exponentially and were the prelude to the mass motorization of Spain .
By the end of 1954, 945 SEAT 1400s had been delivered. SEAT first launched the model at the Barcelona trade fair in June and received orders for 10,000 cars, allowing it to reduce the ex-factory price of the car to 117,000 pesetas (€39,648).
SEAT responded to the great interest by increasing production. A year later, the annual production approached the limit of 3,000 cars , while practically 100% of the components were produced in Spain . On May 5, 1955, the Zona Franca plant was officially opened. In 1956, production increased to 7,000 vehicles , and in the following year, 10,000 cars were produced, or 42 cars per day . After two years, SEAT employed 5,000 people.
Production of the 1400 model ended in 1964 and during that time more than 98,000 of these cars were sold. At the beginning of the new decade, Spain was experiencing rapid economic development and SEAT played a leading role in the development of the Spanish automotive industry. It maintains its leading position to this day thanks to its production facilities, which are among the most modern in Europe, and a clear focus on design, research, development and quality.
SEAT 1400: key data
– Body: 4-door (also station wagon, taxi, 7-seater version and closed van)
– Engines : petrol (44/58k)
– Gearbox: 4-speed
– Start of production: 1953
– End of production: 1964
– Number of cars produced: 98,114
2013: the year of jubilees
The launch of the first SEAT 1400 model is just one of a number of anniversaries that the Spanish car manufacturer is celebrating this year. The successor to the 1400 – the SEAT 1500 , also with a very American design – was one of the most striking executive cars of its time and a favorite choice of taxi drivers. It was followed by the SEAT 132 , the epitome of contemporary ideas about a luxury car. This model came on the market in 1973 and became the first SEAT model to be equipped with an automatic transmission and air conditioning in its final version.
The Ronda model, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary , is another distinctive SEAT car. Ten years later, the Spanish carmaker introduced the second generation of the Ibiza model, which continued the successful career of its predecessor. It was the first car produced in Martorello, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. And ten years ago , the second generation of the Cordoba model saw the light of day.
Source: SEAT
