Fiat 850 Sportiva Moretti

Vehicle Overview

The Fiat 850 Sportiva designed by Dany Brawand, who had worked for Giovanni Michelotti before being hired by Moretti. The small coupe with gon fenders like those of the Ferrari Dino was very popular. In 1964 Moretti began working with the Fiat 850, releasing in that year a four-door three-box saloon, a two-door coupe (very similar to the 500 based design) and a spider. In 1965 the Sportiva emerged at the usual venue, the Turin Motorshow. It was powered by the 843cc engine with 47bhp, straight from the Fiat 850 and clothed in a body borrowing heavily from the design of the Dino spider. Numerous options were available to allow customers to personalize the car. In addition to the usual choice of colors and fabrics for the interior, options included the possibility of obtaining finishes and equipment of great prestige for the time, such as electrically operated windows, metallic paintwork, or Borrani wire wheels. It was also possible to install a special engine with an increased displacement of 982 cm³. Due to the aerodynamic profile, it became necessary to position the spare wheel horizontally in the front compartment, occupying it entirely. This forced the designers to create a luggage compartment, closed by a taut canvas, between the seats and the engine compartment. The lack of rear seats was not well-received by buyers, and the following year, Moretti introduced the “S4” model, which featured a 2+2 seating arrangement, potentially allowing for homologation at the time. The base price for the “Sportiva” in 1967 was 1,095,000 lire, which could significantly increase depending on the desired configuration, approaching two million lire. For comparison, consider that the much more prestigious and modern Fiat 124 had a list price of 1,035,000 lire in the same year. Versions were also available with an engine tuned by Giannini (70bhp) or a 982cc engine with 62bhp, the latter being known as the ‘1000SC’. It was changed very slightly in 1968, then in 1969 the second series was released which featured new headlights and grille. Around 400 Fiat 850 Sportiva Moretti cars were built, and 300 series II. A four seat ‘berlinetta sportiva‘ was also built, which had similar styling to the 2 seat coupe.