Description
Moretti Motors began building motorcycles in 1925, and introduced their first conventional production car, the Cita, in 1946. During the late 1950s, in an effort to maximize profits, Moretti ceased designing and creating their own vehicles. Instead, they switched to building special-bodied Fiats, using existing Fiat engines and chassis. During the 1960s and 70s, rugged utility cars had become very popular with the public in Europe. Manufacturers seemed to share a common design for these cars: take an existing model, strip it down to its most basic components, and market it as “rugged” and “fun”. Many of these Jeep-like vehicles were sold as convertibles, and a few had light off-road capabilities. Vehicles in this category included the Volkswagen Thing, the Citroën Méhari, and the Mini Moke. The Fiat Moretti 500 “Minimaxi” was a lesser-known car in this class. Specific to this car, it utilizes the underpinnings and drivetrain from a Fiat 126, which means a 23 horsepower, 596cc two-cylinder gasoline engine, rear-mounted and mated to a four-speed transmission, driving the rear wheels. Earlier Minimaxi used Fiat 500 components, but that type was discontinued in 1974. The car on offer is totally restored in Italy and came to the Netherlands in 2016 where it made part of a private car-collection.
