Fiat 850 fuoriserie wanted!

[Paul Jaray]

Not from there.
Here's what is in Lammerse's book:

Ed Martaré, reclameontwerper te Amsterdam, boekte zijn eerste succes op automobielgebied met een hardtop voor een Fiat 850 Spider., Maar toen het model bleek aan te slaan werd in Martaré's polyesterbedrijf MijMar in Aalsmeer een kleine serie voor de verkoop gemaakt. (...).

--automatic translation--

Ed Martare, advertising designer in Amsterdam, recorded his first success in automobile with a hardtop for a Fiat 850 Spider. But when the model appeared to strike was Martare's polyester business MijMar in Aalsmeer a small series of sales made. (...).

[Arunas]

Is this car now? 

[als15]

Nice car. I also got some info on the web. Martaré's son is offering on sale the moulds for both the 850 and the GT. By the way, does anybody know on what car was the GT based?

[75america]

I believe it was VW Beetle based.  Probably 8 cars were made.

[Paul Jaray]

...Martare's next project was a sports car just one meter high. The prototype was mounted on a own-design chassis , which consisted of welded steel square pipes. The bottom section and a proportion of the body, both of polyester, were as it were pasted around the chassis, so a rigid structure was established. The engine of a Fiat 125 was rear and linked with a gearbox and other transmission components of a Fiat-238 pickup. (...)

If I understood right, the high cost of this procedure made him choose the VW chassis for later production.

[faksta]

Maybe this page will help in contacting people who would know more about Martare GT?

http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/forum/classic-cars/9470-martar-anoraks.html

[FredrikB]

I found this picture on ebay.it, the model was for sale.
It was said to be a Viotti-bodied FIAT 850.
I guess no real car was made, though?

[Otto Puzzell]

Cool!

Welcome to AutoPuzzles, FredrikB 

[als15]

Thank you. It's very interesting. Can I ask you where this picture comes from?

[FredrikB]

I found the picture (together with several other, which I stupidly did not save) at the italian Ebay (www.ebay.it). It was an auction for the model, and it was stated it was a design study for a Viotti bodied FIAT 850. The starting price I think was 300 € (or 500€?) and it did not sell the first time. I downloaded the picture 20090701 (july first), while the auction was still active. The auction had the ebay number 130316108925. I do not recall the seller's alias.
Is it possible that Viotti did a design study on the FIAT 850?
When did they end their business (sometime 1964?)?
I am no expert, just interested in the 850.
I am sorry not to be of any more help

Best regards

Fredrik Bökman, Sweden

[als15]

Viotti actually ended its activity in 1964, so it's possible that a study for the 850 has been started and not completed.
Your info is very useful. I'll try to find out something more through other channels offline. If I find something I'll inform the community.

[Paul Jaray]

I found another racing car:
Kangaroo-Fiat:
Fred Plotkin built this Fiat-powered sports-racer in the mid-1960s. The car was constructed on a one-off monocoque chassis with the front suspension and drum brakes from an NSU Prinz. A highly developed Fiat 850-cc engine with elevated compression and dual SU carburetors provided the power, which was transmitted through a Fiat four-speed gearbox. The body was a fiberglass creation painted in a loud shade of yellow. The car was light, nimble, and responsive and was a real contender in its class.
(Source: Vintage American road racing cars, Harold W. Pace & Mark R. Brinker)

I don't know if it is a Fiat 850 engine or a tuned, smaller one. There is also a picture.

[als15]

Thanks for the info.
I have that book and I have also got a picture and a few info from Fred Plotkin. It's a Fiat 850 engine with PBS head, which was as much competitive while less expensive than the Abarth one in the USA.

[FredrikB]

Allesandro, have you asked at the Yahoo 850 group ?
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/fiat850/
It is a rather active group with a lot of knowledge of the FIAT 850s in several different forms

Have you had contact with the Danish owner of one of the FIAT 850 Zagatos? He is a active member on the alfabb
www.alfabb.com/forums

Just some suggestions.

Fredrik

[Paul Jaray]

Another racer with a Fiat 850 engine was the OLGA Formula 3 from 1967.

[Paul Jaray]

...and in 1967 in spain, there was a Seat 850 4-doors by Costa. (Quattroruote #139)

[als15]

Yes, under Francis Lombardi license.
But this one was an official Seat version and I've chosen to include in these books only conversions made by independent firms without involving the car manufacturers. This explains also why you won't find in this book neither the base 850 Spider Bertone (only the CL and Racer that weren't sold by Fiat) nor the Frua high-roof sedan made for NSU-Fiat.
However, thanks once again for pointing out for me so many models and versions. 

[als15]

Dear friend, finally the book is finished, packed and ready-to-print.
I must thank you very much for the enthusiastic and so helpful contribution you have given me! 

Now it's also time to award the free copies, as I promized, so if you want to vote for the best contribution please take part in the poll at http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=9651.0. I will close it in a few days.

Thanks again!

[Ultra]

Dear friend, finally the book is finished, packed and ready-to-print.
I must thank you very much for the enthusiastic and so helpful contribution you have given me! 

Now it's also time to award the free copies, as I promized, so if you want to vote for the best contribution please take part in the poll at http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=9651.0. I will close it in a few days.

Thanks again!

Classy.

Again, glad to have you aboard!

[Arunas]

Nice car. I also got some info on the web. Martaré's son is offering on sale the moulds for both the 850 and the GT. By the way, does anybody know on what car was the GT based?

VW Beetle chassis and engine / specially-designed chassis and Fiat 125 engine.

[faksta]

Alessandro, I have just stumbled upon some championship I have honestly never heard of before (or maybe just didn't give it much attention, althoug I believe the first reason was closer to the truth) - Formula 850. It is said that they used 850cc Fiat engines forced up to 80hp. Among the makes present in the results, I have found some names which were new for me: Biraghi, Lucky Genovese, Tony, Giuliani, Del Giovane, AZ De Sanctis, Fagioli, Barrelli, Paparusso, Zambarbieri. Pretty lot of cars which I have almost no idea about, other than I could find a picture of Lucky Genovese here: http://www.motorsportblog.it/post/7128/lo-scatto-in-corsa-la-formula-850-nel-1967. Maybe this information will come in handy somehow, or maybe I am just a man from a dark forest who states the obvious

[Paul Jaray]

Alloni, AMS, Bellasi, Bignami, Bonetti, BWA, CRM, Dagrada, Foglietti, Guerrini, Maco, MZ, Nigiopa, Patriarca, Poponi, Renzini, Repetto, Selene, Sozzani Tagliani, Tecno\Tecnokraft Vaccari and Zamba were other Formula 850 builders, just for the record.

[als15]

Thanks both to faksta an Paul Jaray: I'll carefully check if all the brands you mentioned are in the book, but I've already done a big work to find out info about this so little known cars.

[als15]

These are the Formula 850 manufactures I found out (at least, with a picutre or a short note; not just a name in the entry-list of some race):

- Agosti
- AMS
- Arrigoni
- Atecar
- Autotecnica (Macciantelli)
- AZ (Zedde)
- Bellasi
- Biraghi
- Birel
- Bonetti
- BWA
- CRM
- Dagrada
- De Sanctis
- Del Giovane
- Dema
- Di Rosa
- DSG (De Sanctis-Genovese)
- Facetti
- Fagioli
- Ferrazzi
- Fioretti
- Foglietti
- Genovese
- Giuliani
- GMS (Ciceri)
- Guarnieri
- IPS
- Lavazza
- Lucky
- Mantissa
- Marras
- Muccini
- MZ (Zambarbieri)
- Narvin
- Nipama
- Ogna
- Ol-Ga
- Paparusso
- Patriarca
- Poponi
- Prat
- Renzini
- Repetto
- Sanchini
- Silva
- Sozzani
- Spi-Car
- Stylauto (Bellasi & Viscardi)
- Tagliani
- Tanesini
- Tecno
- Tony Kart
- Vaccari
- Venaria
- Vico
- Wainer

Plus some who just worked on the engines and the tuning of these cars.
You will find all in the book... 

[als15]

You gave me and idea... so I just posted a puzzle about Formula 850. Let's try to identify them! 

http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=10418.0