The Moretti-Cadillac Revealed

By Frédéric Levaux, Moretti Registry Curator
All photos courtesy of Jay Nichols except when otherwise noted

After reading Part 1, it is easier to understand who we were dealing with; you see why a modified Cadillac wearing Moretti emblems could actually make sense.
But why would Moretti customize a Cadillac for a Nicaraguan client?

Moretti was no stranger to one-offs, after the end of their mass production as a full-fledged car manufacturer at the end of the 50s, Moretti switched to body making exclusively on Fiat chassis. But there were exceptions, the most notable one being the Maserati 3500 GT rebodied by Moretti in 1965 as pictured in Part 1. This was based on an accident-damaged customer car from Denmark that had left the Maserati factory in Modena in 1962 as a normal coupé. Instead of simply having the car repaired, the owner at the time decided to have an independent fastback body built at Moretti. Moretti rebuilt the body but the car kept its original Maserati ID plates.

But the Gallo Cadillac is a totally different breed. The most visible modifications to a 1963 Deville convertible are the rear wings that have adopted a much more discrete line than the original one, then we notice the horn button, the wheels’ center hub caps and more generally the lack of chrome lines even though that might be due to theft or loss. Overall the Cadillac is barely modified. I am no Cadillac expert and maybe a more accurate expert might notice other differences with a standard 63 model.

The most troubling facts about this modification are the ID plates. Someone took the trouble to stamp the Cadillac chassis number on Moretti plates. By the way, these plates were reserved for Moretti cars, meaning before 1960. The logo on the back and front is also the pre-1960 logo of Moretti. For their Fiat-modification, Moretti used a different logo and the chassis plates remained the Fiat ones.

Also the papers tell two different stories, the license plate number refers to a 1959 Cadillac even though it is clearly a 1963, and the papers from the ministry of the interior refer to a 1959, 6 cylinder Moretti… both with same chassis number! You have got to admire the South American administrative creativity, almost rivaling the Italians.

So we can fantasize about a story whereby Fabio Gallo purchases a 1963 Cadillac, sends it to Italy for modifications by the renowned Moretti factory in Torino, known for its custom bodywork on Fiat cars. If there was a meeting between Fabio Gallo and Giovanni Moretti, the founder of the Moretti factory, it must have been a fascinating encounter. Giovanni Moretti, a visionary in the automotive world, was known for his innovative designs and willingness to take on unique projects. Gallo, with his flair for the dramatic and love for luxury, would have found a kindred spirit in Moretti. The collaboration between Gallo and Moretti may have also been fueled by a personal relationship, with mutual respect and admiration for each other’s talents and ambitions. But this is only speculation.

I guess we will never know the real story, because as of today we have not been able to find any documentation and/or memories in the Moretti archives of this one-off Cadillac. (One might think it would have been a job to remember!) We have exchanged information with several experts of the brand in Italy, the USA and across Europe and none of them had heard of this car.
Alternatively, we have not been able to exclude the possibility of a later modification of the car as a personal customized job, in Italy, Nicaragua? Or elsewhere?

We do know that Fabio Gallo was alive when this Moretti-Cadillac came to be, but the reasons behind the decision to modify the Cadillac remain speculative, could it be just some kind of elaborated import tax-avoidance scheme? If it is just a tax avoidance scheme why choose Moretti? Or was Gallo such a vibrant Moretti fan that he wanted his Cadillac to be stamped as such? Did this customization take place at the factory? Or is this just some kind of (very elaborate) car-guy joke (marrying the manufacturers of the biggest and smallest cars)?

Whatever the truth was, we have no way to know for sure, for Fabio Gallo passed away in 1991, leaving behind a legacy that was as enigmatic as his life. His property in San Marcos, including the famous Gallo house, was eventually converted into a hotel, now known as the Hotel Boutique San Pedro. The house, with its grand staircase reminiscent of Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, remains a tourist attraction, a testament to Gallo’s larger-than-life persona. The current owners of the car have no precise documentation to rely upon and would be interested to learn more about their car.

What is certain is that we now have a very special Cadillac, sleeping somewhere in Nicaragua with some minor bodywork modification and a good-looking set of non-period-correct Moretti badges on the hood and trunk waiting for a generous soul to take care of her.