Gianni Agnelli's own Fiat 600 Jolly beach car up for auction

When you're the owner and chairman of your own automotive empire, you can drive pretty much anything you want. No, not "pretty much" – absolutely. And this was Gianni Agnelli's choice.

Known as the Jolly, this custom 1959 Fiat 600 beach car was built to order by Carrozzeria Ghia at a price roughly double that of what a standard 600 went for back in the day. The custom body has no doors and no roof to speak of (save a fringed awning of sorts), a cut-down windshield and wicker seats.

Of course it wasn't the late Fiat chairman's only car. Nor was Agnelli the only international power player who drove one. Word has it that fellow industrial magnate Aristotle Onassis had one, as did President Lyndon B. Johnson. Between the two of them, it's not hard to imagine Jackie Kennedy being driven down to the shore in one of these.

This particular example, owned by Agnelli, is set to cross the auction block this weekend at Bonhams' Les Grandes Marques à Monaco, where it is expected to fetch between $35,000 and $50,000. Which you can bet is a fair bit less than what his grandson's denim-clad Ferrari would go for.