Footnotes

• Giovanni Moretti was a skilled motorcycle mechanic who had started his own workshop in Turin in 1925. The building of racing motorcycle engines led to the production of three-wheeled vans and pickups, with car production beginning in 1945 with a two-cylinder 350 cc city car.
  Moretti’s competition background soon led to the production of small sports cars, and the barchetta offered here is powered by an overhead cam 750 cc unit built by Moretti. Indeed, unlike most small Italian sports car manufacturers of the time who relied on Fiat componentry, Giovanni Moretti designed and manufactured every mechanical element of his cars - engine, transmission, suspension - in his “small but complete Motor Works”, Fabbrica .Automobili Moretti SpA, at 38 Via Mantova in Turin. By 1955, annual production was running at an average of some 200 units a year.
  
  This car, which is fitted with Moretti-built barchetta bodywork, is powered by Moretti’s remarkable twin cam 750cc engine which it is believed was designed by a moonlighting Maserati engineer, possibly Alberto Massimino, as it bears similarities to prewar Maserati
  racing engines.
  
  These include the cast-iron block and head with a valves inclined at a 90 degree included angle in hemispherical combustion chambers and finger type cam-followers, and a crankcase in which the main bearings are carried in split ‘cheeses’, an extremely strong construction also used by the single cam Morettis.
  
  While normal Moretti coupes and convertibles used a fabricated steel platform frame, the Gran Sport chassis was an extremely strong welded structure of rectangular steel tubes made by Gilco, who also made frames for Ferrari, Maserati and OSCA. Front suspension was by superimposed quarter-elliptic springs forming a parallel arm assembly while trailing quarter-elliptics were used at the rear.
  
  The car offered here was sold to Agostino Gariboldi by Moretti on 22 April 1955 and given the Milan registration 269001. Gariboldi entered it for the 1956 Mille Miglia, in which he finished 159th. The same year he took part in the Coppa d’Oro delle Dolomiti and photographs of this car with competition no 38 appear in a recent book on this event. He again entered the Mille Miglia in 1957.
  In 1961 the little Moretti was sold to Giuseppe Tagnozi, but as it had become uncompetitive was stored away in the north of Italy and only came to light some 40 years later.
  
  This car was restored to compete in the Mille Miglia in 2001, 2002 and 2005 and it was also raced in the Le Mans Classic in 2003. It was while taking part in the Le Mans Classic that the owner was approached by a former Moretti mechanic who informed him that this was one of two cars entered for the 1955 Le Mans 24 hour race by Moretti Automobili. The cars had qualified for the race, but an accident to the transporter on the way to the race meant that they had arrived too late to take their place on the starting grid. In 1956, two Morettis participated to Le Mans making this car eligible for the prestigious Le Mans Classic. The current owner entered this car in this endurance race in 2003.
  During the 2005 Mille Miglia, this Moretti was closely inspected in Brescia by marque specialist Mr Andrea Curami, who informs us that it is undoubtedly a genuine race car with its square section frame. “The car is really good and original,” he commented.
  
  There is no doubt that the 750 cc Moretti is one of the most desirable small Italian ‘etceterini’ of the 1950s and the model’s record of class wins in contemporary racing like Montlhery, Monza and Palm Springs promises well for this nicely-presented example’s participation in modern retrospective events. It comes with its original libretto and Italian papers, FIVA papers and period photographs.
  
  La voiture présentée à la vente, vendue à Agostino Gariboldi par Moretti le 22 avril 1955, fut alors immatriculée 269001 à Milan. Gariboldi l’engagea à la Mille Miglia 1956 où elle termina à la 159e place. La même année, elle prit part à la Coupe d’Or des Dolomites et des photos de la voiture en course sous le numéro 38 figurent dans un récent ouvrage consacré à cette épreuve. Il l’engagea également dans la Mille Miglia 1957.
  
  En 1961, la petite Moretti fut vendue à Giuseppe Tagnozi, mais du fait qu’elle n’était plus compétitive, elle fut remisée dans le nord de l’Italie pour ne ressortir que 40 ans plus tard.
  
  Cette voiture a été restaurée en vue de sa participation à la Mille Miglia en 2001, 2002 et 2005 ainsi qu’au Le Mans Classic en 2003. C’est lors de cette dernière participation que le propriétaire fut approché par un ancien mécanicien de chez Moretti qui lui révéla qu’il s’agissait de l’une des deux voitures engagées aux 24 Heures du Mans 1955 par Moretti Automobili. Les voitures se qualifièrent pour la course, mais un accident survenu au camion transporteur qui les amenait au circuit les empêcha de prendre place à temps sur la grille de départ. Deux Moretti ont également été engages au Mans en 1956, faisant de cette barquette un ticket d’entrée certain pour le prestigieux Le Mans Classic. Au cours de la Mille Miglia 2005, cette Moretti fut examinée en détail à Brescia par le spécialiste de la marque M. Andrea Curami qui nous a fait savoir qu’il s’agit sans aucun doute d’une authentique voiture de course avec son châssis de section carrée, ajoutant même : ‘La voiture est vraiment très bonne et d’origine’.
  
  Il ne fait aucun doute que la Moretti 750 cm3 est une des plus désirables de ces petites ‘etceterini’ italiennes des années 1950 et le palmarès des victoires de catégorie à l’époque dans les épreuves disputées à Montlhéry, Monza, Mille Miglia, Le Mans et Palm Springs promet beaucoup en faveur de l’engagement de ce superbe exemplaire dans les épreuves historiques actuelles. Elle est accompagnée de son ‘ libretto’ et de ses papiers italiens d’origine, des documents FIVA et de photos d’époque. Un passeport pour les plus importantes courses historiques.