Yahoo Finance The Topless Fiat 500 Spiaggina Has Loads of Colorful Italian Style
Lapo Elkann, the grandson of Fiat titan Gianni Agnelli, launched Garage Italia in 2015, but the creative design firm already has much to show for itself. It has dabbled in numerous arenas including furniture, planes, and boats. And with a Fiat heir captaining the ship, it has put its special touches on a number of automobiles as well. The latest is this Fiat 500 Spiaggina (beach car), an aquatic-inspired tribute to a concept that first debuted 60 years ago.
July 4, 2018, marked the 60th anniversary of the day the 500 Jolly Spiaggina hit the streets with wicker seats and without doors or a roof. The open-air buggy was and is a representation of the popular cultural idea of la dolce vita, Italian for the sweet life, that was immortalized with a movie of the same title. The new Spiaggina by Garage Italia attempts to convey this same mood with customizations made to a Fiat 500-although those alterations do not include removing the doors, and wicker seats are nowhere to be seen.
The bold color scheme is a two-tone blend of Blue Volare and Perla White on both the exterior and the leather-upholstered interior. Even the wheels and tires are white, for that Fifties style. The entire profile of the car has been altered, thanks to the chopped roof, and a new look has been born in its place. A giant white roll bar behind the front seats preserves a measure of rigidity, and a stubby windshield mimics those seen on boats.
Rather than wicker seats, the front chairs have been replaced by a single bench. The floor is covered in a slatted cork material, as has the rear storage compartment, which takes the place of the rear seats. The slat design is meant to recall the inlaid paneling of boats. The rear, which comes with a two-tone cover, also features an integrated “road shower.”
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If the color scheme looks familiar, it may be because it recalls the light blue that made its debut at the 2013 Los Angeles auto show. There’s another car that will feature that Volare Blue paint: Fiat will be commemorating the same anniversary that Garage Italia is honoring with its own car, the Spiaggina ’58. Only 1958 examples will be built, a nod to the Spiaggina’s own debut year, and this Fiat Spiaggina has its own set of special features. Based on the 500 cabriolet, it wears a beige soft top, chrome accents, 16-inch wheels, and vintage logos. Both of these cars are meant for the Italian coast, but something tells us they’d fit right in on California shores.
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