DIM 652

The DIM Motor Company of Acharnes near Athens was the successor to Bioplastic S.A., from which the Greek small car Attica had come earlier. Behind both firms stood Georgios Dimitriadis, who for more than twenty years tried to put a car of his own design into production in Greece – against an administration and laws whose costs made local car manufacture practically impossible. The DIM 652 was his last attempt.

The DIM 652 was meant to be an entirely in-house design, engine included: an air-cooled two-cylinder of 400 cc and 30 hp was developed by the company itself. As that development fell behind, the car was introduced instead with a 600 cc engine and further mechanical parts of the Fiat 126. An improved version later used a 650 cc Fiat engine. Which parts other than the engine came from the Fiat 126 is not recorded.

The car made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in 1977. The appearance abroad earned it more attention than most Greek vehicles received: it was covered in many international publications. In the Greek press the company advertised it as the «new Greek automobile»; further versions were planned.

All development work took place in a factory at Acharnes intended for series production. That never came: the costs – largely caused by red tape – and the poor prospects on the Greek market led to production being abandoned after only about ten cars had been built. The project was finally given up in 1982 and remained Georgios Dimitriadis’ last venture in vehicle manufacture.