Many car enthusiasts may not be aware that there was a time in Fiat’s history when the brand used to partner with small independent coachbuilders and tuners to produce some of its cars. It was in the fifties, sixties and seventies.
Among these industrial relationships, stood out Moretti Motor Company, a historic and now defunct Italian coachbuilder that produced an impressive number of masterfully finished models, based on Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Maserati cars.
This coachbuilder was precisely the architect of one of the most special versions made with the popular Fiat 850 as a base: the Fiat Moretti Sportiva. Launched in 1967, it is a compact sports car with elegant sinuous lines that exudes elegance and style. For many, it is one of the most beautiful Italian sports cars of its decade, with a slender, aerodynamic profile and a nose reminiscent of the Fiat Dino Spider designed by Pininfarina.
Responsible for its refined design was the Swiss Dany Brawand, who had worked for the Giovanni Michelotti studio and later became director of the Moretti Style Center in Turin. In addition to the Sportiva, he created other historic cars, such as the Moretti 124 Coupé, the Midimaxi and the Panda Rock.
The Fiat 850 Moretti Sportiva was presented at the Turin Motor Show two years before the start of its production. It was based on the mechanics of the Fiat 850, a small and affordable car with a four-cylinder rear engine and rear-wheel drive, which allowed many customizations.
Thus, like its brother, the Sportiva came with a later 850 cc engine capable of delivering 47 HP at 6,000 rpm and with a four-speed manual transmission. The powertrain was basically identical to the two-door compact. It also had independent front and rear suspension and drum brakes on all four wheels.
The original Sportiva model, called the S2 and today considered a true collector’s item due to its rarity, was offered exclusively as a two-seat coupe. It was truly compact, having a wheelbase of 2.03 m and a curb weight of only 680 kg.
Between 1967 and 1971, Moretti built the Sportiva to customers’ specifications and wishes and added a two-seater convertible and a four-seater Sportiva. The later versions were powered by a 982 cc engine producing 61 hp, although the standard 850 cc four-cylinder was always available.
Only a few dozen units of this sports car were manufactured, and only twenty have survived the passage of time, preserving the original bodywork, as well as the instrumentation and decorative elements. In the following video you can see this exclusive car with Italian style and character and with more than half a century in its pistons.
