Fiat Shellette Beach Car

I have never been a big fan of beach cars. The most popular was the Fiat Jolly. Coachbuilder Ghia lopped off the tops of Fiat 500s, added some wicker chairs, and sold them to millionaires who used them on their yachts or Mediterranean estates.

But yesterday, while skimming through the NYT Sunday magazine, I saw an odd, and yet strangely beautiful, beach car. It was a lime green Fiat Shellette. The current owner, designer Philippe Starck, is seen behind the driver's wicker chair with his girlfriend/wife, a Frida Kahlo lookalike, standing in the foreground. The car used to belong to soprano Maria Callas.

The Fiat Shellette is a masterpiece. The wheels are the only giveaway that the car is a Fiat. Everything else is unique, understated, and elegant. The rigid but flowing lines of the non-existent door opening. The grill-less amphi-car front end. The subtle crease that bisects the car from the front fender to the rear bumper. It's just pure awesome.



CKY