Garage Italia and Hot Lab have joined forces to reinterpret the Fiat 500 Spiaggina as a yacht-inspired beach car designed to feel equally at home on land or beside the water. The collaboration brings together Garage Italia’s approach to automotive customisation and the Milan-based yacht studio’s nautical design language.
The Fiat 500 Jolly was never really about getting somewhere quickly. Introduced in 1958 and built by Carrozzeria Ghia, the doorless beach car became one of the more playful symbols of Italy’s ‘La Dolce Vita’ era. Costing around twice as much as a regular 500, it often served as a land tender between yachts, beach clubs, and villas.
Nearly seven decades later, Garage Italia and Hot Lab have returned to that same idea. Their latest Spiaggina has been conceived specifically as a yacht toy, bringing nautical design cues into a modern interpretation of the Fiat icon.
The link is clearest in the bodywork. Finished in white above and blue below, the two-tone treatment visually divides the car along an imaginary waterline, while the open sides, compact proportions, and fabric canopy preserve the carefree appearance associated with the original Jolly.
Marine references continue inside. A wooden Heritage Tunnel takes inspiration from classic speedboats and incorporates magazine slots, with an optional bottle holder. A Nardi Classic wooden steering wheel complements blue-and-white marine-grade ItalDek flooring, while knotted side ropes add another nautical detail. The seats and canopy use ‘Scia’, a new indoor-outdoor fabric developed by Garage Italia with Mariaflora, featuring a wavy pattern inspired by a boat’s wake.
Beneath the nostalgic styling, the Spiaggina is fully electric, with Garage Italia listing a power output of 10 kW, rear-wheel drive, a top speed of 75 km/h and a WLTP range of up to 140 km. For MY26, a redesigned digital instrument display also brings speed, battery level and driving information into the otherwise deliberately simple cabin. This modern beach car certainly captures the appeal that made the original an icon.
