Fiat Jolly 500 by Ghia
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Ražotājs : |
Fiat |
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Modelis: |
Jolly 500 by Ghia |
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Gads: |
1964-1966 |
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Tips: |
Cabriolet |
The FIAT 600 (Italian: Seicento, pronounced say-chento) is a city car produced by the Italian manufacturer FIAT from 1955 to 1969. Measuring only 3.22 m (10 ft 7 in) long, it was the first rear-engined Fiat and cost the equivalent of about € 6,700 or US$ 7,300 in today's money (590,000 lire then). The total number produced from 1955 to 1969 at the Mirafiori plant in Turin was 2,695,197. During the 1960s, '70s and '80s, the car became very popular in countries such as Spain (as SEAT 600, where it became the icon, par excellence, of the Spanish miracle), Argentina, where it was nicknamed Fitito (a diminutive of FIAT) and former Yugoslavia where it was nicknamed Fićo or Fića.
In 1958 Fiat shipped a number of Fiat 600s to the Italian design house Ghia for conversion into the Jolly. Featuring wicker seats and the option of a fringed top to shield its occupants from the Mediterranean sun, these cars were originally made for use on large yachts of the wealthy (Aristotle Onassis owned one).
The car was designed as a luxury vehicle for wealthy Europeans and the US market.
With a cost of nearly double that of a standard "600", they were made in a very limited production. It is believed that fewer than 100 exist today. 32 Jolly cars were used as taxis on the island of Catalina off the coast of Los Angeles in the USA in the years 1958–1962.
Carrozzeria Ghia made a custom "Jolly" version of the 500 inspired by the limited edition Fiat 600 Jolly. As with its bigger sister, this was a chopped-roof doorless version with wicker seats, often seen sporting a canopy roof.
nown at home as a La Spiaggina, the Fiat beach-buggy was marketed worldwide as the Jolly. It was quite expensive costing around double that of a standard 500 and was bought by the rich and famous (Aristotle Onassis, Yul Brynner, President Tito) as yacht tenders, golf carts and estate runabouts. As a result, most surviving examples have covered low mileages only.
They were sold in the USA between 1958 and 1961. Considered a success, the model had a healthy run from 1958 to 1966. The cars’ specification included cut-down sides and windshield, a striped and fringed surrey top, and chromed body-pipework. They were available in pink, coral, white, pale yellow and sky blue. Mechanicals were standard Fiat. For a mere two years between 1964 and 1966 an “Economical” version was available.
