Right now, Garage Italia is all about Icon-e: the new project that is bringing back iconic car spirit, making them contemporary, usable and fun, and projecting them into the future through electrical redevelopment. The project reflects the new attitude of the Milan hub towards the car and celebrates the car culture by giving new life to the great cars of the past. Endless creativity from Garage Italia, a hub which lives the present, conscious of global trends, respectful of tradition but determined to reconcile the desires of the new generations with modern needs. But the Garage Italia project is more than just that, it is also about bringing together the world of custom-made and creative car design.
Garage Italia are identifying and selecting the models that marked different eras, updating them with contemporary details and electrical conversion. “We know that people still love historic cars, but that some of those cars would be difficult to drive. So we wanted to make those vehicles that continue to excite entire generations usable, bringing Garage Italia’s signature quality, style and philosophy”, said Carlo Borromeo, Director of the Garage Italia Style Centre. With Icon-e, the restomod phenomenon becomes eco-friendly too, through re-use and upcycling, both central to the project. The cars created by Garage Italia are the perfect blend of past and present, combining timeless style with new technologies, integrated in a functional but discreet way.
The first drop in the series is the Fiat 500 Jolly Icon-e, a project developed entirely by Garage Italia to guarantee the high style and reliability standards that distinguish the brand. With the roof and the door sections removed, the torsional rigidity of the car is maintained by the insertion of a safety cell. The external panels, as well as the front and rear bumpers, are formed by hand. A substantial change from the original model comes with the windscreen, which maintains the reinforcement structure along the entire perimeter to ensure greater safety. The instrument panel becomes completely digital with a 5-inch screen and a custom graphic interface. The seats are made entirely by hand, in woven natural rope for outdoor style, developed based on material research conducted by the Baolab studio. The car maintains the original front and rear lights with the inclusion of LED lamps to the front, to ensure enhanced illumination. The tyres fitted are selected from the Vintage line by Michelin, Garage Italia’s partner on the Icon-e project.
