Fiat Campagnola Sporting 4×4

The Campagnola Sporting 4×4 was a one-off luxury SUV prototype built by Carrozzeria Moretti in 1978 on Fiat’s Campagnola 4×4 platform. It used the heavy-duty Campagnola chassis and mechanics but wore a sharp, boxy body very reminiscent of a Range Rover. Featuring three doors and an optional third-row seat for up to seven passengers, it was intended as a civilian “sport-utility” version of the military Campagnola. Moretti exhibited the Sporting prototype at the 1978 Turin Motor Show, but the coachbuilder went bankrupt shortly after, and production never commenced. The Campagnola was Fiat’s lightweight off-road vehicle, introduced in 1951 and widely used by the Italian military. In 1974 Fiat modernized it as the “Nuova Campagnola,” adopting a larger 1,995 cc petrol engine with 80 horsepower and a new all-steel body. The Moretti Sporting 4×4 took the updated Campagnola chassis and mechanicals and fitted a Range Rover–style station wagon body with expansive glass and more upscale touches. The Sporting’s angular body featured rectangular headlights, a deep cargo hatch, and large side windows on each of its three doors. A distinctive rear-facing bench seat sat just behind the second row. Some photos from the time show the vehicle finished in bright paint, with “Sporting 4×4” badging. Moretti was a Turin-based coachbuilder known for custom-bodied Fiats. The Sporting was shown in their 1978 catalog as a “Limited” model, but the company ceased car production by 1979, and the Sporting never went into series production. Its mechanical specs were based on the Nuova Campagnola. It used a 1,995 cc inline-4 petrol engine producing about 80 horsepower and 151 Nm of torque, mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. A Sofim 2.4-liter diesel engine producing roughly 72 horsepower may also have been available. The drivetrain was part-time 4×4 with a manual transfer case. Suspension was independent all around, using torsion bars. Brakes were drums front and rear. The wheelbase measured 230 cm, with an overall length of approximately 378 to 403 cm, a width of 158 cm, and a height around 195 cm. The curb weight was estimated at 1,750 kg. The interior was laid out in a 2+3+2 seating configuration, with the rear bench accessible via the tailgate. Although the Sporting was displayed at the Turin Motor Show and featured in Moretti’s materials, the company’s closure in 1979 prevented any formal production. Some sources claim between 20 and 30 units may have been completed, but these were likely pre-production prototypes or demonstrators. There is no definitive production total, and Fiat never officially marketed the model. No surviving examples are publicly known today. It’s possible that one or two prototypes exist in private hands, but none have appeared in classic car registries or public exhibitions. If any vehicles survive, they remain hidden in collections or may have been scrapped. Documentation on the model is extremely limited. No confirmed factory brochures are available, though a few period photographs and magazine features survive. The vehicle remains known primarily through archived photos and modern references in enthusiast blogs and forums. Italian off-road and Fiat enthusiast communities occasionally discuss the model, often sharing the few existing images. Classic car clubs, including Fiat-specific ones, have not documented any restored examples, suggesting its survival rate is effectively zero. For now, the Campagnola Sporting 4×4 stands as a curious and rare footnote in Italian automotive history—a striking but forgotten experiment in blending rugged mechanics with civilian refinement.