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Exclusive Fiat 500 “Spiaggina ’58” is the special birthday tribute to Fiat 500

Release Date: 06 Jul 2018
Please find the full press release in the download section.
German version available as well.
  • July 4th marks both the birthday of the Fiat icon and the 60th anniversary of the famous 500 Jolly Spiaggina, the legendary little car's first special series and symbol of the “Dolce Vita”.
  • For the dual celebration, the Fiat brand presents the new 500 “Spiaggina ‘58”, the exclusive special series with ultra-chic design touches and a lavish standard outfit.
  • Produced in a limited edition of 1,958 cars, the new “Spiaggina ‘58” is an authentic cult model that highlights the secret of Fiat 500's success: its ability to keep growing thanks to the 30 special series’ that have succeeded each other over the last 11 years.
  • Fiat's second tribute is a delightful video to the notes of the song "Volare", the ever-popular Italian classic sung by Domenico Modugno at the 1958 Sanremo Festival.
  • To mark the occasion, creative hub Garage Italia and design firm Pininfarina have also produced their own tribute on the basis of the 500C: the irresistible “Spiaggina by Garage Italia” showcar, featuring unique, sophisticated solutions that reinterpret the spirit of those years for today's world.
Summer 1958. A light breeze blows around the coast of Capri, caressing the hulls of the luxurious yachts moored in the harbour. On the quayside, the exclusive 500 Jolly, better known as the “Spiaggina”, awaits its illustrious guests for a journey into the glittering night life of the “Dolce Vita”.
Summer 2018. Coinciding with Fiat 500's birthday, the iconic "Spiaggina" makes an elegant return to Europe's most famous resorts. Its new lease of life comes courtesy of the Fiat brand, which presents the new 500 “Spiaggina ‘58” special series, produced in a limited edition of 1,958 cars - a tribute to the year of the birth of the first "Spiaggina", with ultra-chic design touches and a lavish standard outfit.
This is the first of Fiat's two tributes to celebrate both the legendary little car's birthday and the 60th anniversary of its first special series - the unforgettable 500 spiaggina dating from 1958, which became a universally acclaimed symbol of the “Dolce Vita”. By marking these two important dates, Fiat also celebrates the secret of the 500's eternal youth: its capability to renew itself continually, also through special series, without ever losing its identity. And the Fiat brand has produced a second "present" for these special milestones: a delightful video to the notes of the song "Volare", the ever-popular Italian classic which also appeared in 1958. Starring, of course, the new 500 "Spiaggina ‘58".
Luca Napolitano, Head of EMEA Fiat and Abarth brands, explains the project as follows: "The new “Spiaggina ’58” is our birthday gift to 500 for its birthday and the 60th anniversary of the “spiaggina”. It’s a real "time machine" incorporating many reminders of the Dolce Vita era, such as the vintage logos and wheels, the white waistrail, the convertible format only and the two-tone interior. Not to mention a special colour just for this series: Volare Blue. A name and a colour that take us straight back to 1958, to the Sanremo Festival of that year, when a young Domenico Modugno teamed up with Johnny Dorelli to give the first public performance of “Nel blu dipinto di blu”, the famous song also known as “Volare”, the soundtrack for the Dolce Vita years.”
What's more, two other Italian centres of excellence - creative hub Garage Italia and design firm Pininfarina - have celebrated the dual anniversary by producing the irresistible “Spiaggina by Garage Italia” showcar on the basis of a Fiat 500C, featuring unique, sophisticated solutions that reinterpret those unforgettable years for today's world.
Lapo Elkann, Chairman and Creative Director of Garage Italia: “Love at first sight, the kind that strikes deep into your heart and soul. This what I feel whenever I look at or drive a 500. I fell in love with the car when I was a boy, and as I grew up I was determined to bring it back to life. I am so happy about the model's relaunch, and hope it will convey the dreams and the magical years of the post-war economic boom and the Italian way of enjoying life.  Since 2007, year after year, I've always personalised 500s for myself, and the opening of Garage Italia has enabled us to design a multitude of one-off versions, all confirming the versatility and immense contemporary appeal of this vehicle, still one of the world's best-loved brands.”
The new Fiat 500 "Spiaggina ‘58" special series
Fiat's first tribute for the dual anniversary is the new Fiat 500 “Spiaggina ‘58” special series, produced in a limited edition of 1,958 cars and only available as a convertible, for full enjoyment of the summer weather and the appeal of a historic era indelibly imprinted on all our memories. And as befits a star of the “Dolce Vita”, the new special series "wears" a splendid Volare Blue livery, with beige soft-top, shown off by the white waistrail and the vintage-design 16" alloy wheels. This exclusive colour scheme is enhanced by other distinctive features, such as the side moulding with 500 logo, the chromed door mirror caps, the vintage logos and the chromed “Spiaggina '58” name, in elegant italic script, on the rear to "sign" the latest Fiat creation.
The interior has the same class and elegance, with original and authentic design touches. Starting from the dashboard, in the same Volare Blue colour as the exterior, with a refined two-tone look for the seats, with grey striped base and ivory upper section.  The chic interior is completed by specific mats and a steering wheel with vintage logo. The new "Spiaggina '58" special series offers the very best in connectivity technology, since it is equipped as standard with Uconnect 7" HD LIVE touchscreen radio, Apple CarPlay ready and compatible with Android AutoTM, as well as navigator with Tom Tom maps and DAB digital radio. Also standard are the largest-in-class 7" TFT display, automatic A/C, rear parking sensors, height-adjustable seats and seat-back pockets. Finally, the 500 “Spiaggina ‘58” comes with a choice of the 69 HP 1.2 and 85 HP 0.9 TwinAir petrol engines, both with the latest Euro6D rating.
Heir to a symbol of the "Dolce Vita"
Just a year after its launch on 4 July 1957, the Fiat 500 became a real cult object with the debut of its first special series: the 500 Jolly, better known as “Spiaggina”, or "beach buggy". Built by Carrozzeria Ghia and based on the Fiat 500, and later also on the Giardiniera version, this exclusive car was produced from 1958 to 1965 and sold in Europe, the United States and even South Africa. Costing twice the price of the normal version, the special seaside version found favour with the most influential personalities of the age - including shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis and actor Yul Brynner – who chose it as a "land tender" for their yachts or as a golf car on their country estates. A 500 Jolly can even be admired in the personal car collection of President Lyndon B. Johnson.
One of its distinctive features was the absence of doors - slender chains were not introduced until around 1965 - although the most innovative aspect of its design was inclusion of the chromed rails in the sides and along the top of the bodywork, supporting the sunshade-canopy. Equipped with the 22 HP air-cooled two-cylinder engine, the 500 Jolly had a top speed of 105 km/h.
Spiaggina by Garage Italia
Fun and carefree, these are the feelings conveyed by the Spiaggina by Garage Italia showcar at first glance. This is achieved thanks to its typical summer colours, Volare Blue and Perla White, which distinguish the two-tone livery of the body with Garage blue finishes and matching interior upholstery. The roof, juts like the traditional '60s Spiaggina, has been removed and the rear passenger space has been transformed into a generous compartment with a built-in “shower” to take all your beach essentials with you. This modification was possible thanks to the support of Pininfarina technicians, who assisted Garage Italia staff in the design of the structural reinforcement work, such as the rear roll-bar, to ensure the chassis was rigid enough.
From showcar to production, there won't be much longer to wait. The car can be ordered and customised with all the customisations featured on the one-off by Garage Italia, which offers the possibility of replacing the front windscreen as standard with a low nautical-type deflector like the one fitted on the showcar. The production car can be equipped with any of the engine versions currently available on the Fiat 500 range. Further information is available on the Fiat website, from any authorised Fiat dealer or from Garage Italia directly.
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