Unique period Spiaggina design with iconic wicker seats
The ultimate chic holiday runabout
Presented in beautiful running order, finished in attractive period colour combination
Ex-Topolino Museum car, Featured in Octane Magazine March 2016
Thanks to Fiat’s 500 ‘Topolino’,
built from 1936 to 1955, hundreds of thousands of Italians had the opportunity to
own a car for the very first time. After the war, it was its predecessor, the
600, that practically put the rest of the country behind the wheel during the
economic boom that swept Italy from the mid-1950s to the 1960s. As the economy
stabilised and the bon vivant began to make their way to the Italian Riviera once
again, cars started to be used as fun and exciting modes of travel instead of just
as necessities. With the abundance of Fiats on the road, it seemed only
practical to start turning them into fun, little spiagginas — Italian for beach car. The first to start this trend
is said to be the ever-stylish Fiat boss Gianni Agnelli, who kept his bespoke
Fiat 600-based example on his yacht and would winch it down every time he
docked at the marina.
Unsurprisingly, demand
grew and a variety of market alternatives were offered, including many
conversions by some of the best design houses, such as Pininfarina, Vignale and
Ghia. Although, there was no better candidate for conversion than the original ‘Topolino’.
This car first started
life as a 500C ‘Topolino’ Belvedere, but as was the fate of many of these cars
— affectionately nicknamed the ‘Little Mouse’, for the one and only Mickey — was
converted to spiaggia specification
in period. The car was eventually purchased by a Lake Como-based Topolino museum,
from which the current owner purchased the car 15 years ago. Later, in March
2016 this car was featured in Octane Magazine.
Along with an all-steel
chassis and a 569 cc, four-cylinder, OHV engine with a Weber 22DRS carburettor,
the car is fitted with an Art Deco steering wheel and a grab handle on the
passenger’s side. The doors were replaced with a secured woven rope, the roof
with a parasol, and all four seats with wicker chairs. With room for four
adults and all the equipment necessary for an enjoyable day at the beach, this
mint green Spiaggina will turn heads at any waterfront resort, from the French
riviera to the Amalfi Coast.
POA
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