1960 Michelotti Nardi-Plymouth Silver Ray 06

Giovanni Michelotti (6 October 1921 – 23 January 1980) was one of the most prolific designers of sports cars in the 20th century. His notable contributions were for

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...

Lancia Lancia () is an Italian car manufacturer and a subsidiary of FCA Italy S.p.A., which is currently a Stellantis division. The present legal entity of Lancia was formed in January 2007 when its corporate parent reorganised its businesses, but it ...

Maserati Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...

and Triumph marques. He was also associated with truck designs for Leyland Motors, and with designs for British Leyland (including the Leyland National bus) after the merger of Leyland and BMC. Born in Turin, Italy, Michelotti worked for coachbuilders, including

Stabilimenti Farina Stabilimenti Industriali Farina (Turin, 1906–53) was an Italian automotive coachbuilder established by Giovanni Carlo Farina (1884–1957) in ''12 Corso Tortona''. Among famous employees was his brother Battista Farina, who was here from the ...

, Vignale, Allemano, Bertone, Ghia, Ghia-Aigle, Scioneri, Monterosa,

Viotti Giovanni Battista Viotti (12 May 1755 – 3 March 1824) was an Italian violinist whose virtuosity was famed and whose work as a composer featured a prominent violin and an appealing lyrical tunefulness. He was also a director of French and Italia ...

, Fissore and

OSI OSI may refer to: Places * Osijek Airport (IATA code: OSI), an airport in Croatia * Ősi, a village in Veszprém county, Hungary * Oši, an archaeological site in Semigallia, Latvia * Osi, a village in Ido-Osi, Ekiti State, Nigeria * Osi, Ekiti ...

, before opening his own design studio in 1959. He also cooperated with manufacturers producing their own cars based on

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...

or other mechanicals, like Siata, Moretti,

Francis Lombardi The Carrozzeria Francis Lombardi was founded in 1947 in Vercelli, Italy, by noted pilot Carlo "Francis" Lombardi. They originally engaged in some aeronautical design, but this soon ended. Their most famous car was the Lombardi Grand Prix, which w ...

and Nardi. From 1962, Michelotti concluded cooperation with Carrozzeria Vignale and began his own coachbuilding activities. Towards the end of his life, asked whether he had ever designed anything other than cars, Michelotti acknowledged that virtually all of his design work had involved cars, but he admitted to having designed a coffee making machine shortly after the war.

Alfa Romeo

* Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Coupè and Cabriolet for

Alfa Romeo 1900 The Alfa Romeo 1900 is an automobile produced by Italian car manufacturer Alfa Romeo from 1950 until 1959. Designed by Orazio Satta, it was an important development for Alfa Romeo as the marque's first car built entirely on a production line and f ...

''La Fleche'' Spider and Coupé for Vignale; Coupè and Spider for Ghia; ''Lugano'' Coupé and Spider for Ghia-Aigle * Alfa Romeo 2000 Vignale Coupé, Ghia-Aigle Coupé and Cabriolet * Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Veloce Michelotti ''Goccia'', 1961 *

Alfa Romeo 2600 The Alfa Romeo 2600 (Tipo 106) was Alfa Romeo´s six-cylinder flagship produced from 1962 to 1968. It was the successor to the Alfa Romeo 2000. It has become historically significant as the last Alfa Romeo to have been fitted with an inline six- ...

Berlina De Luxe for

62° Coppa Intereuropa - Autodromo Nazionale Monza - 21-06-2015 (19204364616).jpg, 1947 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS

Cabriolet Alfa 1900 CSS.jpg, 1955

C SS Ghia-Aigle Cabriolet

Lancia

* Lancia Astura

Coupé, 1946; Cabriolet, 1947 * Lancia Aprilia Berlina Gran Lusso and Cabriolet for Stabilimenti Farina, 1947; Coupé for Vignale, 1949 *

Lancia Aurelia The Lancia Aurelia is a car produced by Italian manufacturer Lancia from 1950 to the summer of 1958. It is noted for using one of the first series-production V6 engines. Several body styles were offered: 4-door saloon, 2-door GT coupé (B20), ...

B50 Vignale Coupé; B52 Vignale Coupé, Bertone Coupé, Balbo Coupé 2+2; B53 Allemano Coupé *

Nardi Blue Ray 1 and 2, for Vignale, commissioned by

Enrico Nardi Enrico Nardi (1907 in Bologna – 23 August 1966) was an Italian racing car driver and designer. He worked at Lancia between 1929 and 1937 as a truck engineer, racing car driver, and later, advisor to Vincenzo Lancia. He was moderately successful ...

* Lancia Appia Allemano Coupé; Cabriolet, 1957; Lusso Coupé, prototype and series production cars for Vignale *

Lancia Flavia The Lancia Flavia (Tipo 815/819/820) is an executive car produced by Lancia in Italy from 1961 to 1971. Production continued as the Lancia 2000 from 1971 to 1975. The Flavia was launched with a 1,500 cc engine at the Turin Motor Show#1960, ...

Vignale Cabriolet, would become the last Michelotti design for Vignale. * Lancia Mizar concept, 1974, based on Beta featuring four gull-wing doors * Lancia Beta Carrera, 1975 for Felber * Lancia Beta Felber FF, 1976 1952_Lancia_Aurelia_B52_-_Flickr_-_exfordy.jpg, Lancia Aurelia B52 Lancia 1955 Aurelia Nardi Blue Ray 1.jpg, Aurelia-based Nardi Blue Ray 1 Lancia Appia Convertibile Vignale at Schaffen-Diest 2018 01.jpg, Lancia Appia Cabriolet 1965 Lancia Flavia Cabriolet Vignale Milleotto fvr.jpg,

Vignale Cabriolet Lancia Mizar.jpg, Lancia Mizar concept

Ferrari

Ferrari 166 MM :''See also the 166 Inter GT car'' :''See also the 166 MM Berlinetta Le Mans'' :''See also the Ferrari-Abarth 166 MM/53'' The Ferrari 166 S was a sports racing car built by Ferrari between 1948 and 1953, an evolution of its ''Colombo'' V12-pow ...

Coupé and Spider for Vignale * Ferrari 166 Inter Coupé and Cabriolet for Stabilimenti Farina; Coupé for Ghia; Coupé for Vignale * Ferrari 212 Export Barchetta, Spider, Cabriolet and Coupé for Vignale * Ferrari 212 Inter Coupé, Spider and Cabriolet for Ghia; Coupé, Spider and Cabriolet for Vignale; Coupé for Ghia-Aigle * Ferrari 225 S Coupé and Spider for Vignale *

Ferrari 250 S The Ferrari 250 S was a sports racing car produced by Ferrari in 1952. It was the first in the long lineage of Ferrari 250 road and race cars powered by a ubiquitous 3.0-litre ''Colombo'' V12 engine. In 1952 the 250 S won the Mille Miglia and 12 ...

Coupé for Vignale *

Ferrari 250 MM The Ferrari 250 MM was a sports racing car produced by Ferrari in 1953. After the initial racing successes of the 3.0-litre ''Colombo'' V12 engine, introduced in the 250 S one-off, Ferrari produced a serial racing model. It is best recognisable f ...

Coupé and Spider for Vignale * Ferrari 250 Europa Coupé and Spider for Vignale *

Ferrari 250 Europa GT Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...

Coupé for Vignale *

Ferrari 340 America Ferrari America is a series of top-end Ferrari models built in the 1950s and 1960s. They were large grand touring cars with the largest V12 engines and often had custom bodywork. All America models used a live axle in the rear, were front-eng ...

Coupé and 2+2 Coupé for Ghia; Coupé and Spider for Vignale *

Ferrari 340 Mexico :''See also the 340 F1, a Formula One racer, and 340 America, a GT car'' The Ferrari 340 Mexico was a Ferrari sports racing car which was intended for the 1952 Carrera Panamericana. It used 4.1 L '' Lampredi'' V12 engine producing around at 66 ...

Coupé and Spider for Vignale *

Ferrari 340 MM :''See also the 340 F1, a Formula One racer, and 340 America, a GT car'' The Ferrari 340 Mexico was a Ferrari sports racing car which was intended for the 1952 Carrera Panamericana. It used 4.1 L '' Lampredi'' V12 engine producing around at 6 ...

Spider for Vignale (one later uprated to 375 MM spec) * Ferrari 342 America Cabriolet for Vignale *

Ferrari 625 TF The Ferrari Monza is one of a series of cars built by Ferrari. In the early 1950s, Ferrari shifted from using the compact Gioacchino Colombo-designed V12 engine in its smallest class of sports racers to a line of four-cylinder engines designe ...

Coupé and Spider for Vignale * Ferrari 375 MM Coupé for Ghia *

Ferrari 375 America Ferrari America is a series of top-end Ferrari models built in the 1950s and 1960s. They were large grand touring cars with the largest V12 engines and often had custom bodywork. All America models used a live axle in the rear, were front-eng ...

Coupé for Vignale * Ferrari 330 GT Michelotti Coupé *

Ferrari 275 P2 The Ferrari P was a series of Italian sports prototype racing cars produced by Ferrari during the 1960s and early 1970s. Although Enzo Ferrari resisted the move even with Cooper dominating F1, Ferrari began producing mid-engined racing cars in ...

Speciale (1968 re-body of an existing 1963 250 P, converted to 275 P and 330 P specification, commissioned by Luigi "Coco" Chinetti Jr. and Robert Peak) * Ferrari 365 GTC/4 Beach Car for Felber, 1976 * Ferrari 400i Meera S, 1983 *

Ferrari 365 GTB/4 The Ferrari Daytona, officially designated the Ferrari 365 GTB/4, is a two-seat grand tourer by Ferrari from 1968 to 1973. It was introduced at the Paris Auto Salon in 1968 to replace the 275 GTB/4, and featured the 275's Colombo V12 bored ...

Michelotti N.A.R.T. Spider (re-body of an existing Ferrari 365 GTB/4 commissioned by Luigi Chinetti, 4 built for road use) *

Michelotti N.A.R.T. Spider Competizione (re-body of an existing Ferrari 365 GTB/4 commissioned by Luigi Chinetti, 1 built for N.A.R.T.'s entry in the

1975 24 hours of Le Mans The 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 43rd Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 14 and 15 June 1975. Colloquially called the “Le Mans Economy Run”,Spurring 2011, p.171Clausager 1982, p.167-9Clarke 1997, p.10: Motorsport July 1975 stringen ...

) 1952 Ferrari 212 Vignale Coupe.JPG, Ferrari 212 Inter Vignale Coupé Paris - Retromobile 2014 - Ferrari 225 S Berlinetta - 1952 - 001.jpg, Ferrari 225 S Vignale Berlinetta Ferrari 340MM Vignale Spyder.jpg,

Vignale Spyder Ferrari 375 Vignale 1.jpg,

Vignale Coupé Ferrari 330 GT by Michelotti.jpg, Ferrari 330 GT Michelotti Rear View of 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB4 NART Spider by Michelotti.jpg, 1972

NART Spider Competizione, bodied by Michelotti

Maserati

Maserati A6G Maserati A6 were a series of grand tourers, racing sports cars and single seaters made by Maserati of Italy between 1947 and 1956. They were named for Alfieri Maserati (one of the Maserati brothers, founders of Maserati) and for their straight-six ...

2000 Vignale Coupé, Paris Show car. * Maserati A6G/54 2000 Allemano Coupé. * Maserati A6GCS/53 Vignale Spider Corsa, commissioned by Tony Parravano and rebodied by Scaglietti in 1955. * Maserati 3500 GT Allemano Coupé, 2 units; Spyder, prototypes and series production cars for Vignale. *

Maserati 5000 GT The Maserati 5000 GT is a 2-door coupé car, made by Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati from 1959–1966. A total of thirty-four were produced with bodies made by eight different Italian coach builders. The first car in the ''Tipo 103'' ser ...

Coupé for Allemano; One-off Coupé realised by Carrozzeria Michelotti, commissioned by Briggs Cunningham. * Maserati Sebring 1962, prototype and series production cars for Vignale. 1956 Maserati A6G 2000 Allemano Coupe - fvl1.jpg, Maserati A6G/54 2000 Allemano Coupé 1959 Maserati 3500 GT Spider fl.jpg, Maserati 3500 GT Spyder prototype 1962 Maserati 5000 GT Allemano - fvl.jpg,

Allemano Coupé, 22 made in total Paris - Bonhams 2016 - Maserati Sebring 3.7 litre série II coupé - 1967 - 001.jpg, Maserati Sebring series II

Standard Triumph

From the late 1950s Michelotti was responsible for all new models produced by the British company Standard Triumph, starting with a facelift of the Standard Vanguard and going on to design other models for Triumph such as: * Triumph Herald * Triumph Spitfire * Triumph GT6 * Triumph TR4 *

Triumph TR5 The Triumph TR5 is a sports car built by the Triumph Motor Company in Coventry, England, between August 1967 and September 1968. Visually similar to the Michelotti-designed TR4 roadster it was derived from,TR for Triumph, Chris Harvey, the ...

Ginevra *

Triumph 2000 The Triumph 2000 is a mid-sized, rear wheel drive automobile which was produced in Coventry by the Triumph Motor Company between 1963 and 1977. It was introduced on 15 October 1963. It was styled by Giovanni Michelotti. It competed with the c ...

* Triumph 1300 * Triumph Vitesse * Triumph Stag *

Triumph Dolomite The Triumph Dolomite small saloon car was produced by the Triumph Motor Company division of the British Leyland Corporation in Canley, Coventry between October 1972 and August 1980. Background The Dolomite was the final addition to Triumph's ...

He also created a number of prototypes which did not go into production, such as the

Triumph Fury The Triumph Fury was a two-door convertible prototype by the Standard-Triumph Company of Coventry. It was the first monocoque sports car to be made by Triumph. Body design was by the Italian stylist Giovanni Michelotti and the car used componen ...

. The only Triumphs after 1960 that were not his work were the TR6 and the TR7, plus the Honda-based Acclaim. Triumph TR4 (Hudson).JPG, Triumph TR4 1964 Triumph Fury.jpg,

(prototype) 1973.triumph.gt6.red.arp.jpg, Triumph GT6 1965TriumphSpitfire.jpg, Triumph Spitfire 4 Mark 2 Concours d'élégance Suisse 09.jpg, Triumph TR5 Ginevra prototype 1972 Triumph Dolomite Michelotti Prototype 2.0.jpg,

(original concept)

British Leyland

After Triumph's parent company Leyland Motors became a part of British Leyland, Michelotti undertook a facelift of the

BMC 1100 The BMC ADO16 is a range of small family cars built by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and, later, British Leyland. Launched in 1962, it was Britain's best-selling car from 1963 to 1966 and from 1968 to 1971. The ADO16 was marketed under va ...

– which became the Spanish-built

Austin Victoria Victoria may refer to: Common meanings * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom (1837–1901), Empress of India (1876–1901) * Victoria (state), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a ...

and also the South African-built

Austin Apache The Austin Apache is a small family car that was produced by Leykor between November 1971 and 1978. The Apache was the last BMC ADO16 car to be produced. The Spanish manufacturer Authi also built a version of the car, called the Austin Victoria ...

. He also designed the Leyland National bus and the Australian-made Leyland P76.

BMW

Giovanni Michelotti's BMW association started with the

BMW 700 The BMW 700 is a small rear-engined car which was produced by BMW in various models from August 1959 to November 1965. It was the first BMW automobile with a monocoque structure. The 700 was a sales success at a time when BMW was close to finan ...

(1959) and later the successful BMW New Class series of designs of which the most notable is the BMW 2002. His sport sedan designs later became the BMW design language, that was continued and refined by Ercole Spada well into the 1980s.

DAF/Volvo

Michelotti also worked with the Dutch firm

DAF Daf ( fa, دف) also known as Dâyere and Riq is a Middle Eastern (mainly Iranian) frame drum musical instrument, used in popular and classical music in South and Central Asia. It is also used in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Iran, Uzbe ...

, starting in 1963 with redesigning the ageing Daffodil 31 model into the Daffodil 32 and

DAF 33 The DAF 33 is a compact saloon car produced by the DAF company of Eindhoven, in the Netherlands between 1967 and 1974. Outwardly and technically it differed little from its predecessor, the DAF Daffodil. 1966 had seen the introduction of the ...

. The Shellette beach car was also originally developed to use DAF underpinnings. The

DAF 44 The DAF 44 is a small family car that was introduced in September 1966 by the Dutch company DAF. It was the first car to be built at the company's new plant at Born in Limburg. Styled by Michelotti, it represented a cautious move upmarket fo ...

(1966) was a completely new design from his hand and he also helped form its derivatives 46, 55 and 66, which culminated in the Volvo 66 (1975). In 1968, Michelotti built a concept car based on his DAF 55 design, called Siluro ( Italian for torpedo), which remained in his possession until his death. The car has since been restored and is in possession of the DAF museum in

Eindhoven Eindhoven () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of North Brabant of which it is its largest. With a population of 238,326 on 1 January 2022, Michelotti did present a few cars under his own name. The Shellette was a beach car with wicker seats and dashboard in the spirit of Ghia's, Fiat 500 and 600 Jollys. The Shellette was designed in collaboration with yacht designer

Philip Schell Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who populariz ...

. Originally constructed with DAF underpinnings, this was later changed to Fiat 850 mechanicals. Unlike the Ghia Jolly, the more powerful Shellette was a reasonably useful car having a heater and various other creature comforts. It was also capable of a cruising speed. Only about 80 were built, with around ten still in existence. Famous buyers included the Dutch Royal Family, who used an early DAF-based Shellette at their summer property in

Porto Ercole Porto Ercole () is an Italian town located in the municipality of Monte Argentario, in the Province of Grosseto, Tuscany. It is one of the two major towns that form the township, along with Porto Santo Stefano. Its name means "Port Hercules". Ge ...

, and

Jacqueline Onassis Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A pop ...

, who employed a later model on the Onassis' private island Skorpios. Around 1980, the Fiat 127-based "Every" appeared, a light buggy-styled vehicle. Michelotti also marketed a luxurious version of the Daihatsu Taft. In 1985 the Michelotti PAC was presented, a one-off citycar prototype (PAC = "Project Automotive Commuter") based on the Daihatsu Cuore.

Scammell

In the 1960s, Michelotti designed a

glass-reinforced plastic Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...

(GRP) cab for certain lorries made by Scammell, who had become part of Leyland Motors in 1955. The cab was used for the Routeman, Handyman and Trunker models. The Townsman also had a Michelotti designed cab.

Other manufacturers

For other companies he designed the following (this is an incomplete list): *

Abarth 205A Berlinetta The Abarth 205A Berlinetta was a coupé sports car, also known as the Abarth 205A Monza built by Austrian born tuning expert Carlo Abarth in 1950. It was a development of the Abarth Cisitalia 204A but with a new platform chassis, still using the ...

Arnolt In the automotive industry, S.H. Arnolt Inc. of Chicago and Warsaw, Indiana, sold four different manufacturer's cars with Bertone bodies during the period 1953 to 1968. Stanley H. "Wacky" Arnolt was a Chicago industrialist, who began importing f ...

MG for Bertone *

Bentley Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded as Bentley Motors Limited by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Cricklewood, North ...

for Bertone * Aston Martin DB2/4 Bertone Drophead Coupé * Aston Martin DB2/4 Vignale Coupé *

Alpine A106 The Alpine A106 was the first of a line of light-weight glass-fibre bodied, rear-engined two-door coupés produced for a young competition-oriented Dieppe based Renault dealer called Jean Rédélé. The car was based on mechanical components fr ...

(1955) *

Alpine A108 The Alpine A108 was a light-weight glass-fibre bodied, rear-engined two-door coupé produced for a young competition-oriented Dieppe based Renault dealer called Jean Rédélé. The car replaced the Alpine A106 and was based on mechanical components ...

* Alpine A110 * Armstrong Siddeley (a one-off car based on the Sapphire 234 chassis for a Spanish client) * Bugatti Type 252 * Cunningham C-3 Vignale Coupé and Cabriolet * Duple Dominant II coach body * Fiat 8V Coupé, Cabriolet and ''Demon Rouge'' for Vignale * Ford Anglia Anglia Torino 105E * Ford- Cisitalia 808 roadster * Jaguar XK140 Coupé Ghia * Jaguar XK-D, 1963 * Lola Ultimo concept, 1981 * Matra 530 (1970) facelift *

Hino Contessa The Hino Contessa is an automobile which was produced by Hino Motors from 1961 to 1967. The Contessa was developed largely from the 1947-1961 Renault 4CV powertrain under license to Hino Motors. Offered in both coupe and sedan bodystyles, it r ...

Sprint 900 (1962) *

1300 (1965) * Prince Skyline Sport (1960) * Reliant Scimitar SS1 (1984) which was his last design to reach production, four years after his death. * Siata 208s (Bertone) * Siata 1500 TS * Plymouth Silver Ray commissioned in 1960 by

Packard Packard or Packard Motor Car Company was an American luxury automobile company located in Detroit, Michigan. The first Packard automobiles were produced in 1899, and the last Packards were built in South Bend, Indiana in 1958. One of the "Thr ...

Eight 'Victoria' Vignale Cabriolet * Hillman Hunter Paykan

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

Giovanni MichelottiMichelotti studio website

Giovanni Michelotti on the page with an overview of automotive designers working for BMW.
Lancia Aurelia B52 Vignale
designed by Giovanni Michelotti
Michelotti World. 1921-2021
{{DEFAULTSORT:Michelotti, Giovanni 1921 births 1980 deaths Italian automobile designers Triumph Motor Company BMW designers Lancia people Maserati people Ferrari people