Giovanni Michelotti
Encyclopedia
Sports car
A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
s in the 20th century. His notable contributions were for Triumph
Triumph Motor Company
The Triumph Motor Company was a British car and motor manufacturing company. The Triumph marque is owned currently by BMW. The marque had its origins in 1885 when Siegfried Bettmann of Nuremberg initiated S. Bettmann & Co and started importing bicycles from Europe and selling them with his own...
and BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
marques. He was also associated with truck designs for Leyland Motors, and with designs for British Leyland (including the Leyland National
Leyland National
The Leyland National is a British single-deck bus built in large quantities between 1972 and 1985. It was developed as a joint project between two UK nationalised industries - the National Bus Company and British Leyland. Buses were constructed at a specially built factory at the Lillyhall...
bus) after the merger of Leyland and BMC
British Motor Corporation
The British Motor Corporation, or commonly known as BMC was a vehicle manufacturer from United Kingdom, formed by the merger of the Austin Motor Company and the Nuffield Organisation in 1952...
.
Born in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Michelotti worked for a number of design houses, notably Vignale
Vignale
Vignale was an Italian automobile coachbuilder company. Carrozzeria Alfredo Vignale was established in 1948 at Via Cigliano, Turin by Alfredo Vignale in Grugliasco, near Turin ....
, before opening his own design studio in Italy. He was also one among the automobile designers who would work for across manufacturers, as an independent designer rather than executing the same from established studios.
Standard Triumph
Standard Motor Company
The Standard Motor Company was founded in Coventry, England in 1903 by Reginald Walter Maudslay . The Standard name was last used in Britain in 1963, and in India in 1987.-1903–1914:...
Triumph
Triumph Motor Company
The Triumph Motor Company was a British car and motor manufacturing company. The Triumph marque is owned currently by BMW. The marque had its origins in 1885 when Siegfried Bettmann of Nuremberg initiated S. Bettmann & Co and started importing bicycles from Europe and selling them with his own...
, starting with a facelift of the Standard Vanguard
Standard Vanguard
The car used a conventional chassis on which was mounted the American inspired semi-streamlined four-door body, which resembles a Plymouth. Suspension was independent at the front with coil springs and a live axle and leaf springs at the rear. Front and rear anti-roll bars were fitted. The brakes...
and going on to design models for Triumph
Triumph Motor Company
The Triumph Motor Company was a British car and motor manufacturing company. The Triumph marque is owned currently by BMW. The marque had its origins in 1885 when Siegfried Bettmann of Nuremberg initiated S. Bettmann & Co and started importing bicycles from Europe and selling them with his own...
such as the Herald
Triumph Herald
The Triumph Herald was a small two-door car introduced in 1959 by the Standard-Triumph Company of Coventry. Body design was by the Italian stylist Michelotti and the car was offered in saloon, convertible, coupé, van, and estate models....
, Spitfire
Triumph Spitfire
The Triumph Spitfire is a small English two-seat sports car, introduced at the London Motor Show in 1962. The vehicle was based on a design produced for Standard-Triumph in 1957 by Italian designer Giovanni Michelotti...
, GT6
Triumph GT6
The GT6 was a 6-cylinder sports coupé built by Standard-Triumph and based on their popular Triumph Spitfire convertible. Production ran from 1966 to 1973.- Development history :...
, TR4
Triumph TR4
The Triumph TR4 was a sports car built in the United Kingdom by the Standard Triumph Motor Company and introduced in 1961. Code named "Zest" during development, the car was based on the chassis and drivetrain of the previous TR sports cars, but with a modern Michelotti styled body. 40,253 cars...
, 2000
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. Larger-engined models, known as the Triumph 2.5 PI and Triumph 2500 were also produced.-Engine:...
, 1300
Triumph 1300
The Triumph 1300 was a medium/small 4-door saloon car made in Coventry, England by Standard Triumph under the control of Leyland Motors. Produced from 1965 and intended as a replacement to the popular Triumph Herald, it was re-engineered in the 1970s to become the Dolomite range.The Triumph 1300...
, Stag
Triumph Stag
The Triumph Stag is a British car that was sold between 1970 and 1978 by the Triumph Motor Company, styled by the Italian designer Giovanni Michelotti.-Design and styling:...
, and Dolomite
Triumph Dolomite
The Triumph Dolomite was a popular small saloon car produced by the Triumph Motor Company division of the British Leyland Corporation in Canley, Coventry between October 1972 and August 1980.-History:...
. He also created a number of prototypes which did not go into production, such as the Fury
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...
. The only Triumphs after 1960 that were not his work were the TR6
Triumph TR6
The Triumph TR6 is a British six-cylinder sports car and the best-seller of the TR range built by Triumph when production ended in July 1976. This record was then surpassed by the TR7...
and the TR7
Triumph TR7
The Triumph TR7 is a sports car manufactured from September 1974 to October 1981 by the Triumph Motor Company in the United Kingdom. It was initially produced at the Speke, Liverpool factory, moving to Canley, Coventry in 1978 and then finally to the Rover plant in Solihull in 1980...
, plus the Honda
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
-based Acclaim
Triumph Acclaim
The Triumph Acclaim was a front-wheel drive medium-sized family car made by British Leyland from 1981 to 1984. It was based on the Honda Ballade and used a Honda-designed engine, but met United Kingdom component-content requirements...
.
British Leyland
After Triumph's parent company Leyland Motors became a part of British Leyland, Michelotti undertook a facelift of the BMC 1100BMC ADO16
ADO16 is the codename for the development of what became the Morris 1100, a small family car built by the British Motor Corporation and, later, British Leyland...
– which became the Spanish-built Austin Victoria
Austin Victoria
The Austin Apache was a small family car which was produced by British Leyland Motor Corporation's South African subsidiary, Leykor, between November 1971 and 1978. The Apache was the last ADO16 car to be produced...
and the South African-built Austin Apache – and designed the Leyland National
Leyland National
The Leyland National is a British single-deck bus built in large quantities between 1972 and 1985. It was developed as a joint project between two UK nationalised industries - the National Bus Company and British Leyland. Buses were constructed at a specially built factory at the Lillyhall...
and the Leyland P76
Leyland P76
The Leyland P76 is a large car that was produced by Leyland Australia, the Australian subsidiary of British Leyland. Featuring what was described at the time as the "standard Australian wheelbase of 111 inches", it was intended to provide the company with a genuine rival to large local models like...
.
Scammell
Glass-reinforced plastic
Fiberglass , is a fiber reinforced polymer made of a plastic matrix reinforced by fine fibers of glass. It is also known as GFK ....
(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.
BMW
Giovanni Michelotti's BMW association started with the BMW 700BMW 700
The BMW 700 was a small rear-engined car 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 financial ruin...
(1959) and later the successful BMW New Class
BMW New Class
The BMW New Class was a line of compact sedans and coupes produced by German automaker BMW starting with the 1962 1500 and continuing through the last 2002s in 1977....
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
Ercole Spada
Ercole Spada is an Italian automobile designer. His most notable designs were made in the 1960s, for the Zagato design studio house, where Spada was chief stylist...
well into the 1980s.
DAF/Volvo
Michelotti also worked with the DutchNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
firm DAF
DAF Trucks
DAF Trucks NV is a Dutch truck manufacturing company and a division of PACCAR. Its headquarters and main plant are in Eindhoven. Cabs and axle assemblies are produced at its Westerlo plant in Belgium...
, starting in 1963 with redesigning the ageing Daffodil 31 model into the Daffodil 32. The DAF 44 (1966) was a completely new design from his hand and he also helped form its derivatives, which culminated in the Volvo 66
Volvo 66
The Volvo 66 was a Swedish automobile. It sprang directly from the DAF 66, which was originally styled by Michelotti. The compact car was introduced in August 1975, almost exactly a year after Volvo Cars bought DAF, and before production of the Volvo 300 series began.The Volvo 66 was known for its...
(1975).
Other manufacturers
For other companies he designed the- Lancia ApriliaLancia ApriliaLancia Aprilia is automobile manufactured by Lancia, one of the first designed using wind tunnel in collaboration with Battista Farina and Politecnico di Torino, achieving a record low drag coefficient of 0.47....
Coupè (1949) - MaseratiMaseratiMaserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...
A6GCS/53Maserati A6Maserati A6 were various cars made by Maserati of Italy, named for the Alfieri brothers and for the straight-six engine....
(1955) - Maserati A6GC/54 Coupè
- Maserati 3500Maserati 3500Maserati 3500 was a 2-door coupé and convertible made by Maserati of Italy. It was the company's first attempt at the Gran Turismo market and large-volume production.- History :...
GT Coupè and GT Spider - Maserati 5000 GTMaserati 5000 GTMaserati 5000 GT were thirty-four 2-door coupé automobiles, made by Maserati of Italy.The first car in the Tipo 103 series, was the Shah of Persia, delivered to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who had been impressed by the Maserati 3500...
Coupè - Alpine A106Alpine A106The 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...
(1955) - HinoHino Motors-External links:Global* * * Overseas offices****.*.***.*.* - Philippines**...
Contessa Sprint 900 (1962) - HinoHino Motors-External links:Global* * * Overseas offices****.*.***.*.* - Philippines**...
Contessa 1500 (1965) - Prince Skyline Sport (1960)
- Armstrong SiddeleyArmstrong SiddeleyArmstrong Siddeley was a British engineering group that operated during the first half of the 20th century. It was formed in 1919 and is best known for the production of luxury motor cars and aircraft engines.-Siddeley Autocars:...
(a one off car based on the Sapphire 234 chassis for a Spanish client). - Reliant Scimitar SS1Reliant Scimitar SS1Aiming to fill a gap in the small sports car market, Scimitar SS1 was launched by Reliant in 1984 at the British International Motor Show in Birmingham. It was Michelotti's last design. The name was reported to stand for Small Sports 1. Despite plans for production of 2000 a year, only 1507 models...
(1984) which was his last design to reach production, four years after his death.
External links
- Giovanni Michelotti
- Some Michelotti design studies
- Michelotti studio website
- BMW Designers Giovanni Michelotti on the page with an overview of automotive designers working for BMW.