Fiat 850 Spider Ellena

The Fiat 850 Spider by Carrozzeria Ellena was a one-off open prototype presented in 1964, using a Fiat 850-derived mechanical basis. It had a compact two-seat body with a low nose, glass-covered headlamps and a comparatively high, rounded rear section. The project remained a single known proposal and did not enter series production. No exact chassis number has been established.

Descriptions of its mechanical basis use two related names. Auto Italia’s coachbuilder history identifies a Fiat-Abarth OT 1000 chassis, while the photograph of the same project is captioned Fiat 850 Spider. Specialist Fiat 850 chronology likewise treats Ellena’s open car as one 850-derived project. These references support a qualified Abarth connection, but do not establish a second Ellena-built spider or justify transferring the history of Bertone’s separately documented OT 1000 Spider to this car.

The front body sloped down from the base of the windscreen to a narrow grille opening. The headlamps sat within elongated transparent covers, following the rising line of the front wings. An Ellena emblem occupied the centre of the bonnet. Slim bright bumper sections and a horizontal opening beneath the nose completed the front treatment, rather than a tall, separately framed radiator grille.

Along the sides, the upper body line fell away from the front wings before rising towards the rear. A narrow bright moulding ran low across the door and rear quarter. The windscreen had a bright surround, with a shallow, open cockpit behind it. The tail’s rounded upper surfaces stood higher than the nose. These visible shapes establish the prototype’s appearance without demonstrating a particular aerodynamic effect or the packaging purpose of its rear bodywork.

Ellena was responsible for the coachwork and the project’s public identity. The available account does not securely name an individual stylist. Detailed engine output, dimensions and performance have not been established for the car itself, despite the Fiat and Abarth descriptions of its underpinnings. The surviving history records the 1964 proposal and its distinctive open body, with the two model names appearing in accounts of the same project. An original purchase price, registered customer delivery and subsequent ownership sequence have not been documented.