1969 Fiat Moretti 500

1969 Fiat Moretti 500
Chassis no. 110FU972235
650cc OHV Inline 4-Cylinder Engine
Single Carburetor
Approximately 50bhp at 4,600rpm
4-Speed Manual Transmission
Independent Coil-Spring Front and Trailing Coil-Spring Rear Suspension
4-Wheel Hydraulic Drum Brakes

*Believed to be 1 of less than 50 examples produced
*Upgraded engine with Abarth bits
*Beautiful livery
*A hand built dose of Italian charm

MORETTI

Giovanni Moretti built the first Moretti motorcycles, light cars, and vans in the late 1920s. In 1945, Fabbrica Automobili Moretti SpA was established in Turin as a motor manufacturer, its first product being La Citta (The Town) a small two-seater "city car" powered by a 500cc twin-cylinder engine. (Moretti was unusual at this time in making its own power units rather than relying, like most of its Italian contemporaries, on FIAT engines). A range of small-capacity "fours" of 600cc and 750cc was developed; some with single overhead camshafts, others with twin-cam heads. For a small manufacturer, Moretti offered a bewilderingly diverse range of models including coupés, estate cars, commercials, and some electrically powered vehicles.

Being Italian, Moretti could not avoid involvement with motor sport, taking part in long-distance rallies and entering the Le Mans 24-Hour race with an attractive small sports prototype. In addition, the company built the occasional monoposto racer and later a Formula Junior car. By the early 1960s, it had become apparent that manufacturing was no longer sustainable. The firm turned exclusively to specialist coachbuilding, reorganizing itself as Moretti Fabbrica Automobili e Stabilimenti Carrozzeria SAS. A range of attractive sports coupés and cabriolets were offered on FIAT chassis, including an 850 that looked remarkably like a miniature Ferrari Dino. Then in the 1980s, Moretti introduced several small 4x4s on the FIAT 126, 127, and Panda platforms.

THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

Offered here is an undoubtedly charming and exceedingly rare Fiat Moretti 500. It is believed that fewer than 50 examples of the hand-built Moretti 500s left the factory, with far fewer having survived. This particular example is said to have spent the majority of its life in Italy, where it was lovingly resorted in 2005 before making its way Stateside. In search of some grunt to match the sporting looks, the 500cc engine was upgraded to a 650cc unit which has been massaged with an Abarth sump and sports exhaust. The fun, compact, and enjoyable Fiat 500 is an excellent vehicle in its own right. Add in the Sporting looks of the Moretti body, an upgraded powertrain, and the fact that you are almost certainly never going to be beside another, this hand-built Italian Coupe becomes the dose of La Dolce Vita that's been missing from your life.