1973 Fiat 500 Jolly Giardiniera Ghia

BACKGROUND

It was during his long tenure as Chairman of FIAT Sp A that Giovanni Agnelli commissioned coach builder Ghia to modify the classic FIAT Nuova 500

Coupe' into the creation that Agnelli had envisioned. the classic Jolly (Joker of the Beach). Ghia designed a sporting body for the FIAT 500. By removing the roof. doors and standard interior. Ghia created a smooth flowing and simple body for the 500 with a shortened wind screen. basic trim. a surrey roof with a touch of fringe and those now classic. wicker seats. Agnelli's creation quickly became a hit in Italy and along the Mediterranean Sea. as he would drive his Jolly along the sea shores. The Jollies were commonly used as Yacht Tenders. or as transportation by many of the resorts along the coast. The Jolly simply became a must-have automobile for the "Jet Set". Jolly owners included Aristotle Onassis. Grace Kelly. President Lyndon B. Johnson. and yes. even Mae West. Today. these Jolly automobiles are sought after and each year at Catalina Island they have a parade just for Jollies

Among a very few variants of the standard FIAT 500 Jolly and perhaps the rarest of all is the long wheel based version the Giardiniera at a whopping 4 inches longer wheel base. The Giardiniera Jolly's long wheel base provided ample room at the rear of the car for luggage and to move the resorts' guests to and from their villas. That extra luggage space was also provided by locating the very reliable. standard vertical. inline two cylinder. 599 c. c. engine. to the horizontal position. A full synchromesh four speed gear box will power the car to nearly 55 mph. Ghia constructed the Jolly automobiles from 1957 into 1965. Autobianchi. utilizing the Fiat bodies. took over the production of the car from 1965 until the last ones were built in 1974.

THIS VEHICLE

This car was imported in 2013. Prior to its importation. the Jolly underwent a full and extensive restoration in Italy. cosmetically. as well as mechanically. Just completed was a tune-up along with the repair of a few items that were not functioning (mainly the speedo). The car was registered and certified by Carrozzeria Ghia Club Italia. The homologation certificate is included with the sale of the car. It is important to note that the Ghia Club Certification simply states that the car is homologous to a Jolly and does not certify its authenticity or make any other guarantees or representations about the vehicle.

Mechanically. the car is very solid. the engine runs beautifully. with no issues. the transaxle shifts smoothly and precise. Cosmetically. the car sports a light (baby) blue paint job which does have imperfections here and there. To the best of my knowledge there is no rust on this car.

There are a few scratches on the wind screen. The rubber appears to be in fine condition as is the bright work.

The reserve is set far below of recent auction sales for FIAT Jollies. More photographs and information are available upon request.

You are invited to inspect this car. It is located in San Mateo. California. It is being sold as is and without warranty or any other representations. A $2. 00. 00 deposit via Pay Pal must be received within 24 hours of the close of this auction.

During this time I will also request that the buyer sign a Bill of Sale to confirm the transaction. If you'd like to see a copy of this before purchasing the vehicle. please let me know. The balance must be received within 7 days of the close of this auction. after which the vehicle will be made available to the buyer for pick up and/or shipment. It is the responsibility of the buyer to arrange and pay for shipment of this car. I will make myself available to the buyer to help facilitate pick-up.

On Mar-09-14 at 18:40:02 PDT. seller added the following information:

I neglected to add two things:

1) The Italian license plate is my personal plate and does not belong to the car. nor is it a part of this auction

2) If anyone would like to call instead of email. I can be reached at

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