You know you’ve made it when you own vehicles designed specifically for leisure. Yachts, chartered jets, hell, even golf carts — the world really is a playground if you have the means to play.
But is there anything so utterly embodying the essence of a no-to-do-list than a beach buggy?
And the beach buggy nonpareil may well be the legendary Jolly aka Spiaggina, a spendy, customized Fiat 500 that was a popular beachgoing mobile among the wealthy and yachty from 1958-1965. To celebrate the Jolly’s 60 birthday, Fiat has made two commemorative models in collaboration with Garage Italia: the Fiat 500c Spiaggina (pictures 4-5 below), of which 1,958 will be produced, and the more historically accurate 500 Spiaggina, which doesn’t have a production run announced (although they will make you one to order).
The two-seat 500 has the most to offer: a small wood-lined cargo area with a tailgate, enough space for a cooler, beach chairs and/or rogue passengers … even a hand-shower for cleaning up afterwards. There’s no windshield save for a few inches for your knuckles, though, so eyewear may be in order.
Both Spiagginas sport a humble but mighty 68-horsepower, 1.2-liter engine, confirming that this really is an errand-mobile purely for beach days. As Jalopnik writes, it’s “probably the classiest way to make people suspect you own a yacht.”
Speaking of Jalopnik, another reason this beach cruiser caught my eye is for its resemblance to the rides in Pixar’s Cars universe. As it turns out, Jalopnik has been doing long-term coverage of the Cars universe, and if you’re ever in search of a rabbit hole to climb into, this one is highly entertaining.
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