Biography of Giovanni Michelotti (1921–1980) and the story behind his 1,200+ car designs: Ferrari coachwork, Triumph TR4, Spitfire and Stag, BMW 02 Series, and the Alpine A110.

The 2021 centenary and the exhibitions that followed

The celebrations continued into 2022. The Michelotti Historical Archive's retrospective records the exhibition at Turin's MAUTO from 6 October 2021 to 20 February 2022, the display at the DAF Museum in Eindhoven, and the exhibition in Aigle, Switzerland, from 14 May to 26 June 2022.

Our report on the «Genie et Elegance» exhibition, published in June 2022, covers the Swiss event. Its dates and visitor information refer to that historical exhibition.

Design and coachbuilding: understanding the credits

A car can carry its manufacturer's name, have been drawn by a designer and have a body built by another company. Keeping those roles separate helps readers follow Michelotti's work, rather than looking only for cars bearing his name.

The Archive's list of cars distinguishes production models, projects built on Michelotti's own account and coachbuilt specials. Examples available to consult include:

  • Triumph Spitfire: listed among production cars, with separate entries for its different evolutions.
  • DAF 44: appears in the DAF section of the production-car list.
  • Fiat 600 Rendez Vous: listed among coachbuilt specials under Vignale.

This distinction helps frame a precise question: does a claim concern the design of a model, the construction of its body or the history of an individual car? Each calls for its own supporting records.

Where to explore Michelotti's work

The Historical Archive holds original drawings, photographs, negatives, tools and scale models. A design sketch, a photograph and a three-dimensional model offer different views of the design process; considering them together helps readers follow the development from an idea to a shape.

For a personal portrait and an account of his working methods, see our article «Giovanni Michelotti, 1921–2021». This centenary article instead provides a route into the sources used to explore design credits.

From design history to individual cars

To explore one of the model families mentioned here, browse the Triumph Spitfire listings on OldCar24. Each listing describes an individual car: confirm its version, work carried out and documentation with the seller. A model's historical connection with Michelotti does not authenticate a particular car's configuration or provenance.

Illustrative photograph: Triumph Spitfire, 2006. Photo by Thomas doerfer, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. File reproduced unchanged; it does not show a centenary exhibition.