I dug out my June 1991 issue of Classic and Sportscar (U.K.). They did a
story on the Moretti 750 Grand Sport Berlinetta. It is identical to the one
you photographed Larry, except this one is Blue two tone. The year is 1954
and this one is the actual Road and Track road test car. Now restored by
Vintage Auto restorations in Ridgefield, Connecticut for owner Karl
Ludvigsen (who is 6 ft. tall BTW).
The article does not mention production numbers but very few were made.
Giovanni Moretti built electric buses in Italy before and after the war, he
also built very small commuter cars with twin cam engines as small as 350cc.
His twin cam 750cc engine was thought to have been designed by Massimino
moonlighting from his Maserati job. The little twin cam engine breathed
through twin webers and gave 65 horsepower at 7000 rpm (whoa!). The
suspension was (get this Bugeye fans) by twin quarter elliptics at all four
corners. The aluminum bodies were coachbuilt by firms like Vignale and
Zagato; the one in Larry's pictures was done by Michelotti. The little car
could run 100 mph with 0-60 in 15.5 sec.
Little was an accurate description: the car was 129.5 inches long. According
to the artlcle, there is ample room inside even for the 6 ft. owner.
Morettis ran in the Mille Miglia in Italy and were popular in SCCA racing in
the U.S. in the fifties.
If anyone ever finds one of these sleeping in a barn somewhere, CALL ME
FIRST!
Daniel58612
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Larry Miller [SMTP:millerls@ado13.com]
> Sent: Monday, August 30, 1999 11:44 AM
> To: Spridgets
> Subject: 1954 Moretti Super Sport Berlinetta
>
> Anybody ever seen one of these http://www.ado13.com/ls99/moretti.html
>
> It's a gorgeous little fastback coupe with a beautiful 750 cc DOHC engine.
> The engine is so small that it would be lost in a Sprite.
>
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