Italian car customizer Garage Italia has recently transformed a classic Fiat 500 Jolly into a stunning, modern electric car. The vintage beauty is part of the studio's Icon-e project, which celebrates Italy's strong design and automotive culture and is dedicated to contemporizing vintage cars and turning them into custom-made electric models.
"We know that people still love historic cars, but that some of those cars would be difficult to drive," Carlo Borromeo, Director of the Garage Italia Style Centre tells New Atlas. "So we wanted to make those vehicles that continue to excite entire generations usable, bringing Garage Italia's signature quality, style and philosophy."
The 1958 Fiat 500 Jolly classic has received a stunning make-over, and was transformed by removing its roof and door sections and inserting a core safety cell to maintain the car's torsional rigidity. Key features such as the external panels, front and rear bumpers were all hand crafted. The seats were also hand-made from woven natural rope.
The windscreen was completely re-modeled to improve safety and includes reinforcements along the entire perimeter. The dashboard is fitted with a five-inch digital screen and custom graphic interface. Original front and rear lights (with the addition of LED front lamps) were maintained and vintage Michelin tires replaced the old ones.
"Our desire was to create a classic Jolly that would look perfectly at home on the Riviera while updating the style and details to match current stylistic trends and quality expectations," says Borromeo. "My favorite key design elements include the white powder coated bumpers, the hand-woven rope seats, the seamlessly integrated digital display. My personal favorite detail is the shifter knob with the hare and tortoise to represent the two speed settings because it synthethizes well the spirit of the project."
An electric motor, developed in collaboration with the Newtron Group, replaces the original combustion engine and has been incorporated into the original gearbox, allowing drivers to select from the car's two speed settings. The driving range is approximately 120 km (74.5 miles) with a maximum speed of 85 km/h (52.8 mph). The car's batteries can be recharged within four to eight hours by simply connecting from the power socket to the type 2 plug located under the front grille.
The Fiat 500 Jolly conversion is part of Garage Italia's broader vision of becoming a fundamental player in the modification of classic cars into electric vehicles. The classic is just the first example of what Garage Italia has in store for the Icon-e project, with the institutional Fiat Panda next in line.
"The next drop will involve a big fave of Garage Italia: the mighty Fiat Panda," reveals Borromeo. "We started with the cars we are more familiar with, but the idea is to branch out and go bigger. We are building a lot of invaluable experience along the process, expect greatness in the near future."
Source: Garage Italia