1959 Fiat 600 Jolly

Specifications

Engine Inline-Four Cylinder

Displacement: 633 cc

Horsepower: 28 hp @ 4,800 RPM

Transmission: 4-speed manual

The Fiat 600 was a mini car, or city car, produced by Fiat from 1955 to 1969 - the first ever rear-engine Fiat, with over 2.5 million units sold in the span of its production. The 600 was so popular that Fiat released two other variations within one year of initial production: the 600 soft-top and the 600 Multipla – a 6-seater micro van.

Gianni Agnelli, the man who brought the Jolly idea to fruition, wished for a land tender that would fit on the stern of his 82 ft. yacht, Agneta.  The Jolly cars cost nearly double what a typical 600 did back then and were made primarily to be stored on the fronts of yachts, then lowered onto the beaches when island-hopping in the Mediterranean.

In 1958, Fiat shipped approximately two hundred 600s to the Italian design house Ghia. 32 of the completed Jolly cars were used as taxis on the island of Catalina off the coast of Los Angeles from 1958 to 1962. The remainder were privately owned by very wealthy and famous people, including Aristotle Onassis, the second husband of Jacqueline Kennedy, and President Lyndon B. Johnson.

The Jolly was designed to fit four passengers and their luggage, with the ability to effortlessly cruise through the narrow and often treacherous Italian streets at a speed of no less than 85 km/hr. Denuding the 500 of its roof required a fair amount of fabrication work by Ghia’s artisans, a latticework of steel tubing being installed to counter the lack of rigidity once the lid was removed. This is noticeable when driving a Jolly, as there is little to no body roll when entering a turn.

Only 440 Jollys are estimated to have been produced, and only about 100 of them left in existence today. Each Jolly is unique, as they were custom-made to their buyers’ requests. Every example featured wicker seats, eliminated doors and a handrail along the perimeter to make up for the lack of seatbelts, friendly reminders to owners of the Jolly’s yachting DNA.