Makes › Fiat › 850 › 850 Shellette (Michelotti) · Coachbuilt · 1968 Extremely Rare
Fiat
850 Shellette (Michelotti)
Michelotti beach car on the Fiat 850.
Still being researched: full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.
Photo: AlfvanBeem · CC0 1.0
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 80 Built
- Years
- 1968
- Engine
- Not yet verified
- Power
- Not yet verified
- Top speed
- Not yet verified
- Body
- Michelotti
- Designer
- Giovanni Michelotti (with yacht designer Philip Schell)
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- Not yet verified
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
A luxury beach car by Giovanni Michelotti and the yacht designer Philip Schell, built on the Fiat 850 and far more refined than the Fiat 600 Jolly. Only about 80 were built, and fewer than ten are known to survive, at least three of them in museums.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
Photos
Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.
Fiat 850 Shellette (Michelotti) (Wikimedia Commons: Fiat 850 Shellette in the Louwman Museum)
Photo: AlfvanBeem · CC0 1.0
Fiat 850 Shellette (Michelotti) (Wikimedia Commons: Fiat 850 Shellette in the Louwman Museum)
Photo: AlfvanBeem · CC0 1.0
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model productionShellette built | 801,2 | Factory production | Registry reported |
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
The 850 arrived in 1964 as the natural evolution of the 600, with the same rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, a more powerful and larger four-cylinder engine and squarer lines. The cached FCA Heritage page is about the 1968 Fiat City Taxi prototype and says nothing about this coachbuilt 850.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard 850 Shellette (Michelotti).
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | Not yet verified |
| Displacement | Not yet verified |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | Not yet verified |
| Power | Not yet verified |
| Power at | Not yet verified |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Gears | Not yet verified |
| Driven wheels | Rear3Base Fiat 850 figure from the FCA Heritage City Taxi story; the page does not mention this coachbuilt car. |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Fiat 850 chassis, substantially reworked1 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Not yet verified |
| Rear suspension | Not yet verified |
| Brakes | Not yet verified |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Wheelbase | Not yet verified |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
The Shellette keeps the 850 chassis but its body is substantially reworked and shows little resemblance to the Fiat; flat surfaces and strong horizontal lines distinguish it from the Jolly. It had heating and a stereo, and the drivetrain could comfortably cruise at 60 mph. A DAF 55-based version was also built for Aristotle Onassis.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
The Fiat Shellette was a luxury beach car designed by Michelotti Level B carrozzieri-italiani.com
- only 80 units produced
- Built on the 850 chassis, the Shellette was substantially reworked
-
2
Fiat 850 Shellette (Michelotti) – carrozzieri-italiani.com – Italian coachbuilder car database Level C
- 80 Shellette built
-
3
Fiat City Taxi - Fiat 850 spawns a new, futuristic design Level B FCA Heritage (Stellantis Europe)
- engine at the back and rear wheel drive
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