Sometimes, the story is not the car. Sometimes, it’s the people behind the car. This car boasts a long pedigree of artists, scientists, and manufacturers. Its shape sprang from research conducted by Alberto Morelli (no relation to the coachbuilder of the same name founded in Ferrara, Italy), a professor at the Polytechnic University of Turin, who began conducting experiments in automotive and aeronautical aerodynamics in the 1950s. His work generated the lowest coefficient of drag seen to that date – 0.20 on an automobile, and altitude/distance records on gliders he built. His Morelli M-1000 was a droplet-shaped, finned car crafted in 1956 on a Fiat 1100 chassis. It achieved phenomenal efficiency but was impractical to produce. Still, it caught the eye of Pininfarina, so Morelli was asked to design a series of cars to inform future styling. Morelli’s first iteration was the “X”, with wheels in a diamond pattern – one at the front, one at the rear, and two on either side – also built on the 1100 platform, with rear fins for stability. Despite styling precautions, this arrangement proved precarious on the road. The second example was the finless “Y”, built on Fiat’s upgraded 600D platform, and now for sale here at Bonham’s in a no-reserve auction with an estimate of $100,000 to $200,000. This one-off concept car comes from the former Harrah Collection, now distilled into the National Automobile Museum. The museum, having updated its facilities, finds itself with less space; consequently, a selection of its inventory will be sold in Reno, Nevada, on June 13.
Like its older sibling, the Y was created as a running, driving machine, and is now represented as “fully functional after recommissioning”, despite its long residence on a display floor. The rear-mounted 600D engine is unaltered despite the Y’s fancy Pininfarina clothing – it’s a four-cylinder displacing 767 ccs generating about 30 hp with a top speed of about 68 mph. The new slippery shape boosted performance to almost 80 mph. Independent suspension, a four-speed manual gearbox, and four-wheel drum brakes round out the mechanicals. The odometer reads just shy of 5000 miles.
Inside, black vinyl upholstery is punctuated by light blue carpets and a wood-trimmed instrument panel. Multiple gauges, a padded dash, an AudioVox radio, and the Nardi steering wheel are upgrades over the pedestrian but popular 600D. The sales description notes that the surfaces are fragile but original.
This car was gifted by Sergio Pininfarina to Harrah in 1970. The Bonahm’s sale is accompanied by documentation attesting to the transfer, signed by Pininfarina himself. Meanwhile, Morelli’s efforts weren’t just geared to placing product on the ground. He was instrumental in the construction of Pininfarina’s wind tunnel, one of very few in the world with broad analytical and variable environmental capabilities. This wind tunnel has been used to measure the aerodynamic qualities of everything from buildings to athletes. Morelli’s ideas have resonated through the decades, influencing generations of vehicles. The buyer of this tiny bug of a car will be the fortunate caretaker of an essential chapter in automotive history.
When BF reports on the Weird, Wonderful or just plain Wacky, who can they turn to but Michelle?
Morelli seems to have been carrying on the work of Kamm and Jaray, and perhaps even Ledwinka. I’d say the “Y” is prettier than the cars designed by the other three, even if looking a bit narrow thanks to the Fiat 600 platform.
It would be a lot of fun to have, although difficult to resist the temptation to find and install an Abarth-modified engine. Otherwise, wouldn’t change a thing (well, except maybe the seedy blue carpet which I’m guessing is not original).
Michelle does it again!