Italy’s lengthy Mediterranean coastline, with its innumerable beachfront cities, inspired the creation of the specialised ‘beach car’, most famously embodied by Ghia’s FIAT 600-based Jolly.

A novel and quintessentially Italian concept that transformed these humble saloons from basic transport into conspicuous indicators of wealth, the Jolly was a ‘beach buggy’ before that genre was popularised by scores of Volkswagen-based specials.

The Jolly found favour as courtesy transport for patrons of luxury hotels and golf courses or for use ashore after one had docked one’s yacht on the Italian or French Riviera.

Lacking doors and equipped with wickerwork seats, the Jolly was only practical as leisure transport, thus confirming its owner’s status as someone who could afford a car ‘just for fun’.

In more recent times this niche market has been catered for by the Italian coachbuilder Holiday, also responsible for the Renault Twingo beach buggy, an example of whose FIAT 500 Mare is offered he...