Bird, that gearshift was the darnedest thing in the 300. You had to push down, to the left and back(?) for reverse. I don't exactly remember the sequence, but I found it about half of the time.
The Fiat 600 was a four passenger (based on midgets, I think) 2 door. It had a top speed of around 65mph...really, really pushin' the envelope in it! I got pretty good at setting up on the top of on ramps, waiting for a truck to come along. If you gauged it right, you could come onto a freeway, and draft behind the truck. It would pull you right along with the gearshift in neutral. Came off a hill one time at 70+mph, wound so tight that it split the crankshaft in half. Too many rpms for the darn little thing! Cost me a $105. bucks for the crank...don't remember what the bearings and qaskets cost. A water pump cost $100 on it too. Spendy little critter! The Abarths were a little sports rig, and really nice. Zippy as all get out, but there were only about 50 of them imported to the U.S., and parts were impossible to get. I traded the little 600 + $300 for a 37 Ford 5 window deluxe coupe that was in beautiful condition...except factory stock with out heater and defroster! Colllllllld in the winter!
