The beach cars? The most veteran people may remember having seen them in the glamor magazines of the 60s. Great fortunes and famous people owned or posed with one of these cars in colorful glossy newsprints. Such was the case with Giovanni Agnelli, the all-powerful patron of Fiat; actress Brigitte Bardot; the tycoon Aristotle Onasis or the former US president Lyndon Johnsson.
The Mehari immediately caught on in the Spanish market. It represented the joy of living, the sun, the ease. Although it was not going to be a big-selling car, it should be noted that 12,000 units left the Vigo factory alone, while some 140,000 were manufactured in France.
It had the virtues to be a powerful ally as a second family car, to be used for leisure, a summer car, a second home or a beach car. It had many interesting things. It was a very simple car, based on the platform of a 2 CV van, but with the air-cooled twin-cylinder engine of the Ami 6. Its longitudinal trailing arm suspension also allowed it to drive on roads in not very good condition, which gave it some off road qualities.
The body was made of plastic, like a bathtub, and a hood was added to protect the occupants from the rain, who could travel in the vehicle with their bathing suits soaked and their bodies without fear of damaging the seats. He is so fondly remembered that the French brand presented a modern electric reinterpretation of the model five years ago, the E-Mehari.
And precisely now Stellantis has presented a proposal with the essence of that popular French car. We are referring to the new Fiat Topolino, which shares the base with the Citroën Ami, but whose design is somewhat more casual, with some touches of style reminiscent of the first 500 and even 600, which in their day were transformed by some coachbuilders to become the first beach cars.
The invention of the ‘beach car’ is Italian. The original idea was for them to act as a ‘navette’ between the yachts and cruise ships, and the hotels in Ischia and Capri. But they quickly became popular on the Riviera and the Côte d’Azur.
They say that its creator was precisely Giovanni Agnelli, who asked Pininfarina for a practical and elegant vehicle to take his guests from his famous Villa Leopolda, in Villafranche-sur-Mer, to nearby beaches or to a nearby restaurant.
Pinifarina created the Fiat 600 Multipla Eden Roc -the name was taken from a luxury hotel in Antibes-. It lacked both a roof and doors, and the rear area had a U-shaped bench. They say it was inspired by the luxurious Riva boats.
It was presented at the 1956 Paris Salon, where it drew a lot of attention. Only two copies were officially made, one for Agnelli and the other for the president of Standard Oil, although there are those who maintain that Henry Ford obtained a third to take on his yacht.
Ghia, another great coachbuilder, followed suit with its Ghia Jolly based on the Fiat 500 or 600. It was presented in 1957 and between them it made 1,300 units until the mid-60s. The Jolly saga continues in force on the basis of small cars current; in its day it even made this transformation on the basis of the Renault 4/4.
The upholstery was made of a material that resisted the water from wet bathing suits and the sand; In addition, it was easy to clean and dry. And Giovanni Agnelli, once again, ordered two, but with more exclusive and sporty bodywork.
The ‘beach car’ saga could have ended the Mehari, which democratized the concept. But in 1967, the Mini Moke arrived unexpectedly. This one was based on the Mini in terms of mechanics and which became famous because Brigitte Bardot used it in Saint Tropez.
Its bodywork was inspired by an SUV, almost a jeep, because its origin was a military car. But its small wheels did not offer as many possibilities on the roads. A journalist defined it as “a war car for refined and snobbish people.”
Only about 50,000 examples were made, half of them in Australia. The last examples were built by Cagiva. Today, an electric version of it, a light quadricycle, is produced in France.
Renault also wanted to have its own ‘Mehari’. In fact, the creator of the famous model had initially thought of taking the Renault 4L as a base, but he finally chose the 2 CV van. Renault finally launched the Rodeo, but late, in the 70s, also the result of an external coachbuilder, ACL, which began to launch it as its own until the diamond brand adopted it in 1976.
There were many, many more examples. Various coachbuilders made more or less successful transformations on these basic cars that could be reborn today. On occasions, brands have resorted to the ‘beach car’ for a concept that would draw attention to a certain model. From Renault to Smart they have used it recently.
