Hertz Model 3 rental? Too boring. Get the Fiat 500 Jolly Icon-e instead

So Hertz placed an order for 100,000 Teslas, adding a few more gazillion to Elon’s retirement fund. It’s a sound business move by the car rental giant, but it has EV previous. And they’re far more fun.

In 2019, Hertz’s Italian arm announced a partnership with custom house Garage Italia to produce five custom electrified versions of the iconic roofless Fiat 500 Jolly “Spiaggina” called the Icon-e.

You can rent them today in holiday hotspots such as Rome, Sardinia, Sicily, Florence and Milan through Hertz’s “Selezione Italia” – which sounds so exotic you could weep into your Campari.

The same Selezione includes the Maserati Ghibli, Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio and Abarth 124 Spider, but the little electric funster would offer a more memorable experience.

Expensive tastes

Sadly no prices are listed on Hertz’s Italian website for the Icon-e, it’s a booking you must call to chat to them about.

Renters have suggested a day rate of around €300 ($460), but you can bet holiday season will bump that up for you experience-hunting big-spending tourists.

While booking one, Hertz Italy will no doubt make you aware the cars aren’t loaded with the latest active safety kit, plus you’ll be sitting in woven wicker seats with a bit of rope in place of any doors.

The electric 500s are inspired by the Fiat 500 Jolly Ghia, built by Carrozzeria Ghia between 1958 and 1966. Around 200 were built, and of those surviving, they’re worth a fortune: over six-figures for a good one.

While modifying the 500s for Jolly EV conversion, Garage Italia said torsional rigidity was maintained after the roof and doors were ditched thanks to the insertion of a safety cell – though they don’t elaborate on how that works.

Little roll cage-esque bumpers adorn the flanks and look to be something of a concession, though the bits of rope where doors once were probably wouldn’t please the ADR inspectors.

But forget them. This is La Dolce Vita.

Each electric Jolly has a beautiful, minimalist body-coloured dashboard and period steering wheel. A 5-inch digital instrument panel in front of the driver is a subtle modern addition.

Old meets new

The 500’s original external lights remain, although the fronts have been given a modern boost with LED illumination. The tyres are from Michelin’s Vintage line.

Motor details aren’t revealed, but Italy’s Newtron Group provided them along with a little 9kWh battery. Range is up to 120km/h and maximum speed a leisurely 85km/h. But really, why go quickly when this is a car to be seen in?

The electric motor is mated to the Fiat 500’s original auto gearbox. There are two setting: Tortoise and Hare, with cute images of each on the shift knob.

Charging’s taken care of with a Type 2 socket hidden under the front grille and Fiat logo. It apparently takes eight hours to charge using a domestic socket or four hours with faster AC chargers.

The hardest part is still to come. Which colour to choose? Here’s Hertz Italia’s lyrical descriptions to get you in the mood for your European summer holiday:

“Acqua Turchese to Azzurro Cielo and intense Blu Mediterraneo; or Rosa Budelli that takes us to the pink shores of the crystal-clear Sardinian sea, and the bright Verdello di Sicilia to enjoy Sicily’s summer scents.

Still not Italian enough? Looks as though they’ve dressed one up as an Italian flag too.