English
Italian
5 FIAT For An Unforgettable Summer
Words Carlo Brema
Italy is a wonderful country. An obvious, rhetorical sentence heard millions or even billions of times. Seems right to me. Ours is a country that has given birth to personalities who have written the history of mankind, which preserves an unrivaled artistic heritage and which, despite being aimed at the future, holds firmly to the bond with its own traditions. Sometimes it almost seems that we Italians forget it, but just a few meters from our borders, everyone knows very well that a trip to Italy is not a simple holiday, but a journey capable of involving the senses and touching the soul, creating an indissoluble connection that intends to lead to the discovery of a place proud of its extraordinary whimsy. Italy is a place to live, roads to discover and art to admire, obviously without forgetting good food, good wine and a healthy dose of conviviality, an aspect that never as in this historical moment confirms how much every small gesture covers a crucial role.
We will never get tired of celebrating beautiful Italy and with summer just ‘round the corner we imagined being in the middle of a daydream, in one of those places where the days are not marked by the nagging needles of a clock, but from the desire to live life to the fullest and enjoy the little things. A small piece of life away from the frenziness of this digital and increasingly hybrid era, where happiness is measured in smiles and these are unleashed by simple moments such as exploring the seafront of some village behind the wheel of a small Italian car that smells of those golden years in which the whole town was a member of one big family. Join us on this journey that is thrilled by a wicker seat, hair in the wind and small engines capable of giving great joys and living a wonderful Italian summer.
FIAT 600 EDEN ROC PININFARINA (1956)
Let’s start with what is perhaps the most epic beach car (or “spiaggina” as we say here) ever produced. Built in only 2 – perhaps 3 – specimens, the Eden Roc was commissioned by Gianni Agnelli to make special even the simplest movement around his holiday resort, like the case of his villa in Nice. The work was entrusted to the always inspired hands of the Carrozzeria Pininfarina, which starting from the chassis of the FIAT 600 Multipla, removed the doors and roof, replacing the interior with a front sofa and a large bench in teak wood, this to accentuate the reference to the nautical world and in particular to the motorboats produced by Riva. More wood, this time mahogany, running all around the wedge body of the Eden Roc, while the engine was increased to 962 cc, with a power of about 50 horsepower. In addition to all that wood, the absolute protagonist of this very special model, the cabin of the Eden Roc sports typical colors that go well with seaside areas, such as blue and white, for a car that knows how to snatch a smile and make the journey from home to the shore something a bit more special.
FIAT 500 JOLLY GHIA (1957)
Like the 600 Jolly – which was the first undergoing a production series – the FIAT 500 Jolly Ghia, commonly known as the Spiaggina, is the model that more than any other identifies that taste of sea capable of catapulting us into a swimsuit and shirt with sleeves rolled up to the elbows, travelling a few kilometers towards the restaurant for a fresh fish dinner. Based on the 500, it removes doors and roof once again, the latter replaced by a simple awning useful to protect from the sun, while the seats leave room for wicker seats, making the Spiaggina a real cult object desired by prominent figures in the world of finance and entertainment. Built by Ghia, the 500 Jolly maintains the mechanics of the original FIAT 500, the air-cooled twin-cylinder that moves just 485 kg of weight, making every moment spent on board a great little adventure capable of writing beautiful pages from 1957 to 1965, year in which production was stopped.
FIAT 600 MULTIPLA MARINELLA FISSORE (1957)
Absolutely unique in its kind, above all because unlike the other beach cars provided a rigid roof, which not only guaranteed a better rigidity of the frame, but also allowed to place extra luggage over the heads of the passengers, thus obtaining more space compared to that already offered in the rear area of the car, just above the engine compartment. Based on the FIAT 600 Multipla, designed by Michelotti and bodied by Fissore, the 600 Marinella keeps all the seats in wicker, offering improved accessibility for those who sit at the back, thanks to the presence of two small doors and ample space due to a very advanced driving position. Finished with two-tone white and blue paint, the 600 Multipla Marinella was powered by a 650 cc 4-cylinder.
FIAT 500 SPIAGGINA BOANO (1958)
The passion of Gianni Agnelli for beach cars was now a proven fact, to the point that at the end of the 50s he commissioned designer Mario Felice Boano in order to create another model, again based on the FIAT 500, but with a deep difference as far as dimensions concern, since the elongated wheelbase of the chassis would have hosted illustrious guests who were lucky enough to get on board, mainly for the usual short trips to the resort areas. Of the two units produced, one was given by the lawyer to his dear friend Aristotele Onassis, who would have enjoyed this splendid object, always embellished by the two-tone contrast and wooden profiles to recall the clear combination with the motorboats of the time and with a differentiation for the seats, at the front with two wicker armchairs and at the back with a dark leather sofa, intended to accentuate comfort reserved for guests, without forgetting the lightness and joie de vivre that this model was able to enhance.
FIAT 850 SHELLETTE MICHELOTTI (1969)
In 1968 it was now taken for granted that the interest in beach cars was something representing a peculiar way of living holidays in the right places. The collaboration between Giovanni Michelotti and yacht designer Philip Schell confirms that to fully enjoy a trip to the sea – yep, better if in Italy – there was no need for powerful sports cars, but for a FIAT 850 Spider with or without canvas top and the inevitable wicker seats. The most substantial difference compared to the 500 and 600 was that in this case we’re talking about a car that was perfectly able to move even on non-seaside roads, to the point of boasting a heating system and a radio. Built in approximately 80 units, it obviously aimed at those customers who needed a carefree toy that could be mainly left at their beach house. The engine is a 52 horsepower 903 cc, the gearbox a 4-speed manual and also in this case the passenger compartment is focused in the numerous stylistic details and charms that sport a dashboard entirely in wicker and wooden profiles on the internal panels of the sides.
Related tags to article
