1971 FIAT SHELLETTE
DESIGNED BY GIOVANNI MICHELOTTI
COURTESY OF THE PETERSEN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM
PHOTOS BY TED7
Increasing prosperity in Italy and Europe in the 1950s meant luxuries like second homes at the seaside could be equipped with vehicles designed purely for fun. FIAT dominated the “beach car” market with their Jolly, but yacht designer Phillip Schell commissioned Giovanni Michelotti to design a more stylish shoreline runabout. Using the FIAT 850 platform, the Shellette was a modern and almost luxurious example of the genre, as standard specs included a heater and stereo.
843cc 4-cylinder OHV, 4-speed, 1600lbs, 47hp @5300rpm, 85mph top speed
80 built in 1971
