Moretti 850 Sportiva - sports car with Swiss-Italian genes

Premium

Moretti 850 Sportiva - sports car with Swiss-Italian genes

This article was auto-translated. We apologize if some words are confusing or simply amusing. Would you like to help us improve?

Created on October 21, 2015

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

28

Bruno von Rotz

14

Werk / Moretti / Archiv Silvio Cibien

2

Archiv Silvio Cibien

1

Archiv

9

54 1

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - only 3.78 meters long

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - compact sports car

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - two sports cars from the same company, the 850 is significantly more compact than the 124 GS

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - a real sports car despite its small engine

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - two brothers on the road, the rear car is a Moretti 124 GS

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - similar design elements to its later bigger brother, the 124 GS

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - you can see just how compact the 850 is, especially when it is parked next to another car, here the Moretti 124 GS

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) and Moretti 124 GS (1967) - similar shapes, completely different technology platforms

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - 50 hp is enough to move forward quickly

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - particularly at home on narrow roads

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - only 1.16 meters high and 1.45 meters wide

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - generously glazed cockpit

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - certainly one of the most beautiful designs by the Swiss Dany Brawand

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - sporty cockpit

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - the sporty "black" dominates the cockpit

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - the thick leather steering wheel allows you to have the sports car under control

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - the rev counter is somewhat concealed behind the steering wheel

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - unlabeled toggle switches, large rev counter

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - Speedometer with an optimistic 180 km/h

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - Exhaust side of the engine

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - generous space in the engine compartment

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - in-line four-cylinder with side camshaft from the Fiat 850

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - fuel filler cap just above the engine under the hood

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - Chassis badge

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - together with its bigger brother Moretti 124

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - relatively low positioned headlights

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - the close cooperation can be seen in the emblem at the front

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - Emblem on the front

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - bulges above the wheels as a design feature

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - aluminum wheels from the time, the Sportiva was also available with steel and spoke wheels

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - the cooling openings reveal the rear engine

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - the "SS" probably stands for Speciale Sport

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - Rear detail

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - officially the car was called 850 Special

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Dany Brawand and Giovanni Michelotti discussing designs

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 S Coupé (1965) - close to the later 850 Coupé from Fiat's own production line

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 S Spider (1965) - the open version of the coupé, only built for a short time

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1969) - still with the first front variant

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - at the Turin Motor Show 1968, with wire wheels

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1966) - Presentation at the 1966 Turin Motor Show

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1967) - with wire wheels in Turin in 1967

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - with wire wheels on a test drive

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 SS (1968) - on the Swiss sales brochure

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 S4 (1970) - four-seater coupé variant based on the Fiat 850

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 S2 (1970) - modified front section with lamps built into the mudguards as on the Dino 246 GT

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 SS (1968) - Collection from the factory by the first owner

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Ferrari Dino 206 Berlinetta Speciale Pininfarina (1965) - Dino - at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Ferrari Dino 206 Berlinetta Speciale Pininfarina (1965) - Dino - at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Rare Fiat classics, note the Moretti on the right - Swiss Classic World 2015

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - built on the basis of the 850, in probably subsequently adapted paintwork between Fiat sales objects - Oldtimer and parts market Fribourg 2014

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - only 3.78 meters long

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - sporty rear end

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Moretti 850 Sportiva (1968) - Moretti lettering

You have only

5 out of 54

images seen in high resolution

Summary

It resembles a shrunken (Ferrari) Dino, but is unknown to most people. Yet the Moretti 850 Sportiva, also known as the Fiat-Moretti 850 Special, offered many attractions for comparatively little money at the time, not least thanks to the favorable Fiat 850 mechanics. This driving report shows one of the rare Morettis together with pictures from the time and an original brochure.

This article contains the following chapters

From self-build to special bodywork
A Swiss designer named Brawand
Who invented it?
Actually a mini Dino
Technology of the Fiat 850
Comparatively inexpensive
Continuous evolution
Up close and personal
Further information

Estimated reading time: 5min

Preview (beginning of the article)

It resembles a shrunken (Ferrari) Dino, but is unknown to most people. At the time, the Moretti 850 Sportiva offered many attractions for comparatively little money. Giovanni Moretti had caused a sensation in the 1950s with his own designs, but this approach did not allow for strong growth or survival in the 1960s. So he leaned on Fiat and from then on used the technical components of the Turin-based manufacturer, filling niches that mass production could not fill. This resulted in attractive coupés based on the platforms of the Fiat 500, 600, but also the 2300, 1500 (Spider) and finally the 850, for which a pretty coupé, a convertible and a four-door saloon were designed.

Welcome to Zwischengas!

Continue reading this article for free?

Images of this article

Source: