"The new Spiaggina is a tribute to our most important car"

TORINO. After 60 years, the 500 Spiaggina is back, a modern interpretation of the legendary citycar built by Fiat. Do you remember? It was a car off the chorus, without a doorman, with wicker seats and an umbrella instead of the roof. At the time, in truth, it was called Jolly, but it became famous as "beach car", ideal for beach holidays, so Spiaggina. He was twice the size of the "normal" 500 and used characters like Aristotle Onbadis, Lyndon Johnson, Yul Brinner. It was the symbol of a carefree era, the dawn of Dolce Vita, years of economic growth and the desire to live. The current Spiaggina is a bit different: in fact it's a "special series" derived from the 500 Cabriolet, less seaside is more conformist, but characterized by touches of style that make it more trendy than ever, making still an object of worship, symbolic, evocative

How is this return to the past?

"It's our gift to 500 for his birthday, fallen on July 4th, and for Spiaggina's 60th birthday" replies Luca Napolitano, Fiat's head for the EMEA zone (Europe, Africa and Middle East) . "A machine to travel in time, full of quotes, as evidenced by the vintage logos and circles, the body exclusively cabrio and interior two-tone.And then – adds the Director Fiat – we have dedicated a special color, Blue Volare, which brings us back to this Sanremo of 1958, when Domenico Modugno sang, with Johnny Dorelli, for the first time, "In blue painted blue", song by everyone known as Volare. again the melody in a video for the television we made for the occasion ".

More than a commercial launch, this seems a message of optimism for the country

"In fact, we are in the summer, on the eve of the holidays, and I really hope that many Italians will enjoy a well deserved rest. A car like this one, discovery and original, evokes a feeling of freedom, a pleasure to travel, a desire to have fun. Among other things, it can already be ordered from dealers, with prices starting from € 16,650 "(engine with a 69hp gasoline, ed.) And I hope to see you soon in places like Capri, Taormina, Viareggio, Portofino – That said – adds Napolitano – do not forget that thanks to the Menomille financing the 500 range starts at 9950 € and you can access the 500 world starting to pay from September, with all the additional options on a delivery fast. "

sale?

"Della Spiaggina & # 39; 58 we will only make 1958 copies, inspired by the year of birth.And of course, we expect to sell them all, as for all the other special series of the 500, those dedicated to the world of fashion, Diesel, Gucci, GQ, until the last born, which we called Collezione, going through the world of boating, with the Riva 500 and rival Abarth. also occupied the millennium territory and connectivity, with the Mirror that knows how to mirror the smartphone application on the touch screen of the car.But apart from the special series – guard Napolitano to remember – The 500 has become a worldwide phenomenon, as evidenced by the more than two million copies sold in over a hundred countries in the world, with 80% of volumes produced outside the world. Italy

Garage Italia, Lapo Elkann's luxury workshop, also created a Spiaggina in collaboration with Pininfarina. What do you think?

"We are grateful to him and we feel very close to his initiative.On the contrary, we celebrated together the 60th anniversary of this symbol of lightness, with many friends in Milan at the headquarters of Garage Italia. the 500 are better than one, and that of Lapo is certainly a special gift: the Garage Italia Spiaggina, in fact, is a unique example, a showcar destined to become just as iconic, for the style and details that interpret in the key modern spirit of those years.The Spiaggina di Lapo and Pininfarina – Napolitano adds – no roof, the windshield is in the nautical style, the front seat is a bench and the l & # 39; space for the rear pbadengers has been transformed into a large compartment with a shower, while the floor is teak, as on luxury yachts.This is all very beautiful, the result of the great love that Lapo has for the 500. It claims that the showcar to the prod If this is possible, we will cooperate to put some examples in place. "