Carrozzeria Motto

Carrozzeria Motto was an Italian coachbuilding company established in 1932 by Rocco Motto in Rivarossa, near Turin. The firm belonged to the tradition of independent Italian carrozzerie that designed and constructed special bodies for manufacturers, racing teams, private clients, and specialist automotive commissions rather than producing mass-market cars under its own name. Its early location was in Rivarossa, but the company moved to Turin shortly after the Second World War, placing it within the industrial and design environment that made Turin one of Europe's most important centers for automobile body engineering and styling. The company worked across a broad range of chassis and marques. Its reported bodywork included vehicles based on Cadillac and Delahaye chassis, demonstrating that its work was not limited to a single manufacturer or national product line. In 1946, Carrozzeria Motto began constructing aluminium bodies for Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Cisitalia, Bandini, and Ermini. Aluminium construction was especially valuable in the postwar specialist and competition-car sectors because it could reduce weight while allowing highly individual forms to be shaped in small production runs. This work connected Motto with several of the Italian marques and racing-oriented manufacturers associated with lightweight sports cars during the period. Carrozzeria Motto's commissions also extended to notable one-off or limited-production sports cars. In 1963, it produced a body for a Porsche-Abarth 356 Carrera GTL berlinetta designed by Franco Scaglione. The collaboration brought together a German Porsche-based mechanical package, Abarth's performance-oriented identity, Scaglione's styling, and Motto's coachbuilding execution. The company also bodied a small number of Ferraris, although the available reference material does not identify all of those cars or provide a complete production total. Motto is best understood as a specialist coachbuilder rather than a conventional automotive brand with a broad retail product range. Its importance lies in the craftsmanship, flexibility, and lightweight construction associated with bespoke Italian bodywork. Publicly documented information about its later ownership, exact output, closure, and present corporate status is limited; the historical record primarily preserves its founding, postwar relocation, aluminium work, and selected commissions.

Carrozzeria Motto was founded in 1932 by Rocco Motto in Rivarossa, in the Turin area of Italy. It was created as an independent carrozzeria, or coachbuilding business, operating in a sector where specialist firms designed and fabricated bodies on rolling chassis supplied by automobile manufacturers or other clients. Such companies could work on individual commissions, racing cars, prototypes, and small series that would not have been economical for a large-scale factory to build. The firm's documented work covered a wide variety of chassis and marques. It produced bodies for cars ranging from Cadillacs to Delahayes, indicating an ability to adapt its construction and styling work to different mechanical foundations and customer requirements. This breadth also reflects the international character of the prewar and postwar coachbuilding market, in which Italian body specialists could receive commissions for both domestic and foreign automobiles. Shortly after the Second World War, Carrozzeria Motto moved from Rivarossa to Turin. The relocation placed the company in a major center of Italian automotive manufacturing, engineering, and design. In 1946, the firm began making aluminium bodies for Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Cisitalia, Bandini, and Ermini. These marques included manufacturers and specialist constructors active in sports-car and competition-car development. Aluminium bodywork offered a useful combination of low weight and the ability to create complex shapes in small numbers, making it suitable for the lightweight performance cars associated with the period. Motto continued to receive specialized commissions beyond its aluminium work for Italian manufacturers. In 1963, it built the body for a Porsche-Abarth 356 Carrera GTL berlinetta designed by Franco Scaglione. The car represented a collaboration across several specialist disciplines: Porsche-derived engineering, Abarth performance development, Scaglione styling, and Motto's body construction. The coachbuilder also produced bodies for a handful of Ferraris, further associating its name with high-performance and collectible Italian automobiles. The available historical material does not provide a full chronology of Carrozzeria Motto's operations, a definitive production count, details of later management, or a documented closure date. As a result, the firm is principally remembered through its surviving commissions and its role in the Turin coachbuilding tradition. Its historical significance rests on the combination of independent craftsmanship, aluminium construction, and work for a range of specialist and prestigious automobile marques.

• 1963

  Porsche-Abarth 356 Carrera GTL body

  [1]Carrozzeria Mottoen.wikipedia.org

  Motto builds a body for a Franco Scaglione-designed Porsche-Abarth 356 Carrera GTL berlinetta.

• 1946

  Aluminium body production begins for Italian marques

  [1]Carrozzeria Mottoen.wikipedia.org

  The company commences construction of aluminium bodies for Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Cisitalia, Bandini, and Ermini.

• 1932

  Carrozzeria Motto is established

  [1]Carrozzeria Mottoen.wikipedia.org

  Rocco Motto establishes the coachbuilding company in Rivarossa, Italy.

A specialist Italian coachbuilder focused on bespoke automobile bodies, lightweight aluminium construction, and low-volume sports and competition-car commissions.

• Automotive coachbuilding · 1932

  Bespoke coachbuilt automobile bodies

  Motto's principal output was custom bodywork built on supplied automobile chassis. The company worked across a broad range of vehicles, with documented commissions extending from Cadillacs and Delahayes to Italian sports and competition cars. This low-volume model allowed clients and manufacturers to commission distinctive designs without creating a dedicated mass-production program.

• Lightweight automotive bodywork · 1946

  Aluminium automobile bodies

  Beginning in 1946, Carrozzeria Motto constructed aluminium bodies for Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Cisitalia, Bandini, and Ermini. The material was well suited to specialist sports and racing applications because it reduced weight and could be shaped in small numbers by skilled craftspeople. These bodies formed an important part of the firm's postwar identity.

• Special commission sports-car body · 1963

  Porsche-Abarth 356 Carrera GTL berlinetta body

  In 1963, Motto built the body for a Porsche-Abarth 356 Carrera GTL berlinetta styled by Franco Scaglione. It was a highly specialized commission combining Porsche-based mechanical engineering, Abarth performance development, Scaglione's design, and Motto's coachbuilding execution.

• Special commission sports-car body

  Ferrari coachbuilt bodies

  The company also bodied a handful of Ferraris. The available reference material does not identify every Ferrari commission, its exact dates, or the total number of cars, but the work places Motto among the independent Italian coachbuilders used for selective high-performance and luxury-car projects.

• Focus on independent, low-volume coachbuildingStrategy

  Background

  Motto operated as a specialist bodybuilder rather than as a mass-market automobile manufacturer, accepting commissions across multiple chassis and marques.

  Action taken

  The company produced bespoke and limited-run bodies, including aluminium bodies for Italian sports and competition-car manufacturers and special bodies for international chassis.

  Aftermath

  This approach gave Motto a varied portfolio, but the available sources do not document its complete output or later corporate development.

  Source

1. 1Carrozzeria Mottoen.wikipedia.org