TURIN, May 3 — In a workshop in Turin — the historic home of Italian carmaker Fiat — vintage 500 models are getting a makeover with electric engines.

Classic Fiat 500s, made between 1957 and 1975, are being brought “into the 21st century”, said Giovanni Gentile, owner of Officine Gentile.

A worker welds the frame of an old Fiat 500 model that will be transformed into an electric 500 Jolly Lido model at the Officine Gentile garage in Turin on April 30, 2026. — AFP pic

Outside the workshop, rusty hulks of the tiny, curvy cars are lined up waiting their turn.

Inside, sparks fly as workers cut and weld the metal. The cars then get re-painted, re-wired and the electric engines are installed.

The charging socket is hidden behind the vintage Fiat symbol at the front of the car.

Owner of the Officine Gentile garage, Giovanni Gentile (R) and marketing manager Giorgio Pagliero decide on the color of a Fiat 500 model that will be transformed into an electric 500 Jolly Lido model at Officine Gentile in Turin on April 30, 2026. — AFP pic

Many of the re-vamped cars are painted in pastel colours and some are convertibles.

The retrofitted cars sell for around €40-50,000 (RM185,448 to RM231,810), with convertibles for up to €80,000 (RM370,896).

The original Fiat 500 became a design icon and some 4.2 million models were made.

They are still popular with vintage car enthusiasts the world over and regularly attract large rallies around Italy and beyond.

Owner of the Officine Gentile garage, Giovanni Gentile sits at the wheel of a model of a Fiat 500 Jolly Lido at his workshop in Turin on April 30, 2026. — AFP pic

The model was relaunched in 2007 with some modern tweaks and is now also sold electric.

Giorgio Pagliero, sales director at Officine Gentile, said the workshop wanted to maintain “the legacy and historic nature” of the cars while giving them “a second life”. — AFP