Tag Archives: moretti

Moretti Alger-Le Cap

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1954 Moretti 750 Alger-Le Cap

Offered by Finarte | Online | June 14-28, 2021

Photo – Finarte

Moretti S.p.A. was technically an automobile manufacturer. But maybe they could be better described as a boutique automobile manufacturer. It’s unclear if they built more cars of their own design, or modified more cars built by others.

That said, in the beginning, the company offered a couple of homegrown models, each powered by a Moretti-developed inline-four engine. The 71-horsepower, 750cc variant powers this car, which is named for its displacement. The 750 was available in limited numbers in a variety of body styles. This Alger-Le Cap is a two-door fastback.

The auction catalog states this is one of five known surviving examples of 200 built. It’s unclear if that’s of this body style or 750 production in total. Anyway, it’s rare. And the estimate is $73,000-$91,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Moretti 1200S

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1955 Moretti 1200S

Offered by Worldwide Auctioneers | Houston, Texas | April 25, 2015

Photo - Worldwide Auctioneers

Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers

Moretti was an interesting automobile marque. The early years were spent on commercial vehicles, motorcycles, and microcars. It wasn’t until after the WWII that things like this came around. Moretti rebodied a great many Fiat – usually becoming more attractive than the car they were based on. Production numbers were never high, but they were always interesting.

The 1200S Spyder was a prototype built by Moretti. Two were built, one in 1954 and this one in 1955. This car was on the Moretti stand at the 1955 Turin and Geneva Motor Shows. It is powered by a 1.2-liter straight-four making a mighty 85 horsepower.

After the show circuit, the car was sold to the Venezuelan Moretti importer who raced it before selling it to a Ford executive in Venezuela. The new owner took the car to Cuba and attempted to race it but engine issues sidelined him early. He swapped out the engine after the race. When Castro took over, the Moretti and its owner fled the country quickly.

The car was discovered in a barn in 1998, sold to a few new owners and was sent to Italy for restoration. The original engine was sought out, still in Cuba where the owner had left it. It was put back to factory specification and debuted at the 2004 Pebble Beach Concours. It is one of two and could bring between $750,000-$950,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

A Cool-Looking Moretti

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1954 Moretti 750 Spider Bialbero

Offered by Coys | Nurburgring, Germany | August 10, 2013

1954 Moretti 750 Spider Bialbero

Moretti built a number of small sports cars using a 750cc engine. This is one of them – but it seems like everyone I come across has a different body on it. The body here was evidently designed by Giovanni Michelotti. I’m not sure who built it. It kind of resembles a Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa – or at least that’s what I can see inspiring it. “Bialbero” refers to the engine being a “twin cam.”

1953 was Moretti’s first go at racing. Since the 750 was the larger of the two engines they used in their cars, it was a natural fit for the race tracks. This car was owned by the French importer for Moretti who raced it a little bit in Venezuela (where he was from), but  he preferred Ferraris and saved them for the big events, like Le Mans.

He sold it to one of his countrymen, who raced it until 1960. The car returned to Europe in the 1980s when it was restored and it was restored again a few years ago. Morettis are rare, but this is probably the only one bodied like this (just guessing). It should sell for between $315,000-$370,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Coys nice auction lineup.

Moretti 750 Gran Sport

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1953 Moretti 750 Gran Sport Berlinetta

Offered by RM Auctions | Lake Como, Italy | May 25, 2013

1953 Moretti 750 Gran Sport Berlinetta

Photo – RM Auctions

Turn-based Moretti built sports cars of their own design in the 1950s before moving on to becoming a specialist at re-bodying Fiats in the 60s, 70s and 80s before calling it quits in 1989.

The 750 was introduced for 1953. Giovanni Moretti wanted to build serious sports cars for competition and the 750cc straight-four in this car was the company’s ticket to its cars winning races in the hands of its customers. The 750 Sport was the base model of the 750 line, the Gran Sport being a lightweight version and they only ended up building a handful of Grand Sports between 1953 and 1954 – less than 25.

The body is by Michelotti. The other thing the Gran Sport (sometimes written as “Grand Sport”) has over its sibling other than lightness, is a little more power – a total of about 65 horsepower. It’ll do about 100 mph too. It’s tiny and it’s quick. And it’s apparently also sporting near-bicycle-like tires.

RM Auctions actually sold this exact car at their Monaco sale back in 2010, where it brought $151,200. The market is stronger now than it was then, so we’ll see what it brings this time around. Click here for more info and here for more from RM at Villa Erba.

Update: Sold $174,720.

Update II: Sold, RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2016, $132,000.

Moretti 2500 SS

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1962 Moretti 2500 SS Coupe

Offered by Bonhams | Greenwich, Connecticut | June 3, 2012

Moretti is one of those Italian auto companies with a somewhat hazy history of manufacture (yes, there are others, all to various extents: Abarth, Siata, Cisitalia and various other Etceterini). They began as a motorcycle constructor and then turned to microcars. They are also well known for building specially-bodied Fiats. But they did also build cars of their own – but they were mostly Fiat-based. The line between what is a Moretti and what is a Moretti-bodied Fiat can be a little confusing.

In this case, Moretti took a Fiat 2300 and reworked the straight-six engine to 2.5-liters and 170 horsepower. They also strapped this stunning body, designed in-house, to the chassis. It’s thought that only about 20 of these were built.

The car was recently serviced to the tune of about $18,000. Another interesting tidbit – this car was formerly owned by J. Geils of “Freeze-Frame” fame. The pre-sale estimate is between $65,000-$75,000. For the complete catalog description, click here. For more from Bonhams in Connecticut, click here.

Update: Did not sell.