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1200 Sport Spider
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  Moretti 1200 Sport Spider      

  Article Image gallery (16) 5007 Specifications  
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Country of origin:Italy
Produced in:1955
Numbers built:2
Designed by:Giovanni Michelotti
Author:Wouter Melissen
Last updated:January 17, 2019
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Click here to download printer friendly versionDuring the late 1940s and early 1950s, many specialist Italian companies produced small sports cars. Most of these were based on readily available mechanicals from major manufacturers; in most cases Fiat. Among the few exceptions was Turinese company Moretti, which had stepped up from building motorcycles and three-wheeler delivery vans after World War II.

One of the finest products built by Giovanni Moretti was the proprietary twin-cam four cylinder engine. Initially the exquisite engine displaced 750cc but by the mid 1950s, the Moretti 'four' had grown in size to just over 1.2 litres. Breathing through a pair of Weber carburettors, it produced 80hp. It was mated to a four-speed gearbox.

The 'big' engine featured in the Moretti 1200 Sport, which was built on a platform chassis. This boasted lower wishbones with a transverse leaf spring at the front and telescopic shock absorbers. The rear-end consisted of a live axle with leaf springs and telescopic shock absorbers. Aluminium drum brakes were fitted on all four corners.

Moretti, famously, not only produced their own mechanicals but also did not rely on the services of specialist coach-builders to body the cars. Instead the small company also built their own bodies, using designs of the likes of Giovanni Michelotti. For the 1200 Sport, Moretti offered a Coupe body and also a Spider.

Even though the cars were highly acclaimed, the cost of building these delicate machines from scratch proved too high to make a profit. Giovanni Moretti finally caved by the late 1950s and switched to modifying existing cars like many of his rivals. The 1200 Sport remains as a testament of the great, bespoke machines produced by Moretti for a decade.

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  Article Image gallery (16) 5007 Specifications