Spain's 'economic miracle' from the late 1950s transformed an economy that had been battered by war and which hadn't then been helped by a policy of autarky and by international isolation. The technocrats who oversaw the miracle earmarked sectors for development. Tourism was most obviously one of these. Car manufacture was another.
The iconic car of the era was the Seat 600. Manufactured under licence from Fiat, production started in 1957 and was to end in 1973. Almost 800,000 600s were built. When the last ones rolled off the production line, a banner in honour of the car read: "You were born a prince; you die a king."
There is nostalgia for the 600. Hence there are collectors and enthusiasts. But in Mallorca there is also a criminal interest. Thefts of Seat 600s are a matter of concern. Two were recently stolen in Palma's Son Ferriol district - one from a garage, the other from a private property. One enthusiast says: "We don't understand it, but it looks like we're dealing with a mafia."
He rules out the possibility that thefts are for scrap or for selling parts on the second-hand or black market. "Spare parts aren't expensive, and those of us who own a 600 know each other and know where to get them." One of the 600s stolen in Son Ferriol didn't have brakes; it was waiting to be repaired.
The possibility is that the cars are being sold as decorative objects on the black market in countries other than Spain. If so, it is feared there may be other targets, such as the Vespa Primavera scooter that was first unveiled in 1967.