Despite the fact that today the Fiat Moretti Sportiva is little known to even the most dedicated automotive history buffs, it was considered by many to be one of the most beautiful Italian sports cars of the 1960s. He owes his birth to the now defunct company specializing in the production of bodywork - Moretti Motor Company. At one time it presented an impressive number of masterfully converted models based on Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Fiat cars.

Not the smoothest start

And its story, which cannot be called very successful and easy, began in the 20s of the last century. The founder of the company, Giovanni Moretti, was passionate about creating motorcycles in the 1920s, and later, in the early 1930s, he tried to experiment with microcars. Then he tried to adapt to wartime demands.


During World War II, Moretti seemed to have “caught the wave” and even achieved some success due to the fact that he began producing commercial vehicles. These included electric-powered trucks. But when demand for this type of transport subsided, the company again had to switch gears and start producing conventional cars, the first model of which was the Cita.

A good idea

This business model was also not sustainable enough. And then Moretti turned to his old friends, the Agnelli brothers, and in the late 1950s struck a deal to produce small-scale updated Fiats under his own name. It was this event that became a serious shift in the company’s activities.

As a result of this agreement, the Moretti Sportiva was born, an original two-seater sports car with sinuous lines and a compact form factor that exudes elegance and style.


It was first presented to the public at the Turin Motor Show in 1965, and went into production in 1967. The car was based on the mechanics of the recently launched Fiat 850, a small and affordable car with a rear engine and rear wheel drive. Dani Bravand, a Swiss stylist who eventually became the head of the Moretti Style Center in Turin, was responsible for the design of the new product. Besides the Sportiva, he created many other memorable cars such as the Moretti 124 Coupe, Midimaxi and Panda Rock.

"Augmented Reality"

The original Fiat 850 underpinnings were almost entirely retained, so the Sportiva also received a rear-mounted 850cc engine. cm, which is capable of developing power up to a maximum of 48 hp. With. at maximum torque 6000 rpm. The chassis was essentially identical to that of another affordable two-door compact car, the earlier Fiat 600 of the 1950s.

Power was sent to the rear wheels through a four-speed manual transmission. The car was also equipped with independent front and rear suspension and drum brakes on all four wheels.

As for the body, it has been completely updated and improved, with many experts rating it as one of the most deceptive design projects ever. At the same time, such an update increased the cost of the sports car several times. The price turned out to be twice as expensive as what was asked for the new Alfa Romeo, which was both a more powerful and more sophisticated car in terms of comfort.


Interestingly, many have pointed out some similarities between Fiat's Sportiva and the Pininfarina-designed Fiat Dino Spider. It consisted in a thin aerodynamic profile and a characteristic nose shape. But the Sportiva's design is said to have been conceived by Bravand several months earlier.

Like inside

The original Sportiva was offered exclusively as a two-seat coupe. Since the spare wheel was located horizontally in the bow, the rear seats had to be sacrificed for the luggage compartment. In general, the car turned out to be really very compact. To give you an idea, its height was only 41 inches (about 1 meter). The wheelbase was 80 inches (just over 203 cm), and the curb weight was only 680 kg.

But despite all the apparent miniature, thanks to careful design, a person even taller than 180 cm could easily fit in it. Of course, this does not mean that the driver can simply “plop down” on the seat - he will still have to try when landing. And, perhaps, once inside, he will want to open the window to give more freedom to his left hand. But the door to the car opens very wide and the steering wheel is small enough to comfortably stretch your legs under it. Visibility does not suffer either - the position of the seats and the location of the windshield are well thought out.

Later, Moretti added a two-seater convertible and even a four-seater Sportiva to the original version. At the same time, later models were equipped with a more powerful engine with a volume of 982 cubic cm, and it already produced up to 61 hp. With. power.

Between 1967 and 1971, Moretti produced the Sportiva according to customer wishes, but the 850 cc four-cylinder engine remained available as standard. cm. However, owners often modernized their cars and installed larger Fiat or Abarth power units, thereby improving the driving characteristics of the car.

How much does Sportiva S2 cost?

According to some sources, only about 300 copies of the Sportiva were built. At the same time, as Giovanni Moretti himself stated, much fewer were actually produced - 40 copies. Of these, less than half are said to have survived to this day, making them very attractive lots for collectors.


The rarest models are the two-seat coupe Moretti Sportiva S2. One of these, produced in 1968, recently underwent a complete restoration, and is currently being auctioned in Calabria. This example is powered by an 843cc inline-four engine. see with the corresponding number.

The motor has been overhauled and is in perfect working order. In addition to this, they offer another, recently refurbished original engine with ultra-light aluminum pistons and an increased displacement of up to 1000 cm³. Work was also done to completely rework the car's brake system and restore the transmission.

The leather interior of the Sportiva S2 also looks like new and is fully consistent with the original design. The real highlight is the steering wheel, which is a completely original NARDI part of the era. Nowadays it’s almost impossible to find one like this. The wood panels are also intact and in good condition. It is noteworthy that the odometer of this car shows a figure of 44 miles (about 040 km), which, you see, is quite a bit for a vehicle whose age has exceeded 70 years.


As for the cost of the Fiat 850 Moretti Sportiva S2 put up for auction, now, after two days of bidding, the bid has increased from the initial 5000 to 20 dollars. But this, as we understand, is still not the final result.