One to Buy: 19,000km From New Single Owner 1959 Fiat 600 Jolly
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Alongside Abarth’s high performance conversions, the Jolly beach cars coachbuilt at the Ghia works from 1957 remain arguably the most sought after iteration of Fiat’s ubiquitous 600.
Reputedly the brainchild of soon-to-be Fiat boss and noted playboy, Gianni Agnelli, the Jolly was conceived as a fun and glamorous runabout that could easily be hoisted onto a yacht. In addition, Ghia marketed the Jolly as having been equally at home on the golf course or for hunting expeditions.
Despite a not inconsiderable price and an engine that produced around 12bhp, Ghia managed to shift somewhere in the region of 450 Jollys by the time production came to an end during 1966. In addition to Agnelli, other high profile customers included Aristotle Onassis, Grace Kelly, John Wayne and Lyndon B. Johnson.
Set to go under the hammer at Bonhams’ Monaco auction on May 10th is a Jolly with fabulous provenance: chassis 606324.
Purchased new in 1959 by a Milan-based realtor, chassis 606324 served as land transportation for when the owner’s yacht stopped off at various destinations around the Mediterranean. Retained by the same family since new, this matching numbers example has covered a little over 19,000km.
Having at some stage been the recipient of a repaint and more recently a service during which a new exhaust was fitted, this fabulous example represents a rare opportunity to purchase a single ownership 600 Jolly.
