1969 Fiat 500 Mare

In the late 1950s and 1960s, Ghia designed and built a special edition of the Fiat 500 and 600 called the Jolly. It had a light surrey top, wicker seats, and cutaways replacing doors. Inside, it was very sparse, with few amenities, as it was designed to be a beach car. It was given enough power to be driven on real roads, yet it was light enough to traverse a golf course or be on a yacht.

In the late 1990s, Giovanni Vernagallo's Carrozzeria Holiday began converting vintage Fiat 500s into the 'Mare.' These new special editions were intended to revise the beach car idea and were built in the tradition of the Jolly - excluding the wicker seats. This particular example has been recently completed its restoration. It is finished in blue with a two-tone white and blue interior. It is powered by a 479cc, air-cooled two-cylinder engine offering 16.5 horsepower. There is a three-speed manual transmission and four-wheel drum brakes.

In 2012, the car was offered for sale at the RM Auction's Monaco sale. The car was estimated to sell for €18.000-€25.000 and offered without reserve. Bidding surpasses expectations, settling at €33.600 inclusive of buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2012