Car of the Day

1953 Moretti 750 Gran Sport Berlinetta

The first time I ever saw a Moretti was when I was 15-16 years old. I was tagging along with the Bahtens (family of my friends that were twin boys) on their way to buy a small sail boat that they found in the classifieds of the paper. We saw the boat and the twin's dad, Jim, started talking about cars with the boat owner. So the owner says, "Well you have to see this then." and takes us into his garage. And that is where I first saw the Moretti. I had never heard of the Italian brand before but I was just amazed that someone could make a car so small, look so good. The proportions of this car are amazing to give you an idea of the size; this car has a 750cc engine that produces 75 hp (this is the same size used in street bikes) and has a 78 inch wheelbase. Tiny! There are probably only one or two of these in the US so I felt pretty darn lucky to see it. A little something changed in me that day...

Photos courtesy of: RM Auctions; photo credit, Pieter E Kamp © 2010 Courtesy of RM Auctions