Gatto Motors is a fictional car maker based in Lugano, Switzerland.
Founded in 1946 with the motto “A Choice You Can Trust”, it got in a severe financial crisis in 1955, when it was bought by CosmoCat Technologies (later renamed CosmoCat Industries), a Swiss industrial behemoth active in the communication and aerospace fields.
Gatto Motors comprehends 3 other brands:
GattoWorks, the official tuning/racing division, founded in 1962, that started tuning Gatto production vehicles in 1982. GattoWorks tuned cars are identifiable by the light orange/matte white paint scheme and by the “Z” lettering in their series code. All Gatto’s except for the Landscape and Landscape Lite have a GattoWorks performance version
Felino, the luxury division of the brand. Started its life as the highest trim option for certain Gatto cars, has been spun off in an “independent” brand in 2015. All Felino cars are handmade by special personnel in a different plant than the regular Gatto production facility
SuoKanAu, a state-owned Finnish auto maker founded in 1965 that went bankrupt in 1992, bought by Gatto Motors in 2008, has became Gatto’s cheap cars division, with a special affinity for turbocharged engines, most notably the “TTR” series engine, currently installed in the Rovaniemi TTR hot hatch.
Early this year, Gatto Motors has started selling GattoWorks-tuned engines to Produzioni Automobilistiche Morelli SRL, a small Italian carmaker famous for making kit cars with Alfa Romeo parts. The Gatto Motors group has started the process of a merge with Japanese car manufacturer Iramitsu Jidōsha Kabushikigaisha (Iramitsu Motor Corporation), whose story I’ll cover in another post
The current Gatto Motors lineup is composed by 10 cars:
Gatto Gepard “G12”, the 12th generation of the second best-selling Gatto car ever, It’s a BMW 3-series size car, available in sedan, wagon (CargoBox configuration) or coupe body. First introduced in 1946, it has just been updated. For 10 years, the Coupe version of the Gepard were Gatto’s go-to choice for rally racing until 2006. Gepard is German for cheetah
Gatto Ocelot B7, the 7th generation of the best selling Gatto car ever, it’s a VW Golf size hatchback, lastly updated in 2018. First introduced in 1973, it replaced the 4th-gen Sandcat compact sedan. The later iterations of the Ocelot (from the “B5” series) were successful rally cars (since the 2006 Ocelot replaced the Gepard Coupe) and touring cars, getting GattoWorks may wins around the globe
Gatto Mainecoon “T12”, the 12th generation of Gatto’s BMW 5-series competitor, it’s available only in sedan form. First introduced in 1946, it has been updated in 2019
Gatto Felis “Q10”, the 10th generation of Gatto’s small sports car. First introduced in 1947, has just been updated this year and it’s only available as an hardtop, since Gatto has decided that for safety reasons, they will never build a convertible. The Felis was the car of choice for Gatto Motors for rally racing until 1995, when it was replaced by the Gepard Coupe “G7”. Felis is the scientific name of the common cat’s family
Gatto Neofelis “P11”, the 11th generation of Gatto’s medium sports car. First introduced in 1948, the Neofelis has always been faithful to its front-mounted, 6-cylinder RWD/AWD layout, and, like its smaller brother (the Felis) it has just been updated this year. Neofelis is the scientific name for the leopard family
Gatto RoCat “F7”, the 7th generation of Gatto’s flagship hypercar. It was first introduced in 1956 to celebrate the CosmoCat Technologies takeover of the company. It was discontinued in 1973 because of the Oil Crisis, but it came back with the “F3” generation in 1985. It was lastly update in 2019. In 1992, GattoWorks made a special series of 10 RoCat GT1 spec cars, in order to participate in the at the time new LMP-GTP category
Gatto Landscape “LS9” the 9th-generation of Gatto’s Toyota LandCruiser competitor. First introduced in 1951, it was overshadowed by the popularity of the Land Rover, and for some people the introduction of the first Landscape was one of the major reasons behind Gatto’s bankruptcy in 1955. Thanks to the SUV boom in the world market and to the fact that it combines the ruggedness of a true off-roader with the Swiss quality that characterizes Gatto’s products, the new Landscape (updated last year) is selling strongly, especially in markets that never rewarded Gatto products like China and the US
Gatto Luchs “O5”, the 5th generation of Gatto’s smallest and cheapest hatchback, first introduced in 1982 as a more basic version of the Kodkod, spun off in an independent model in 2000 and lastly updated in 2018. Luchs is German for lynx
Gatto Kodkod “A7”, the 7th generation of Gatto’s Ford Fiesta rival, first introduced in 1976 and lastly updated last year. In 2017, it has succeeded the Ocelot as Gatto’s main rally car. The name is derived from a small wild cat
Gatto Landscape Lite “LL5”, the 5th generation of Gatto’s small off-roader, created to compete against the Suzuki SJ410/Samuari/Jimny. First introduced in 1982, it has just been updated this year
The current Felino lineup consists of 5 cars:
Felino T12, the Felino version of the Mainecoon, as you have probably guessed by the car’s name
Felino G12, the Felino version of the Gepard
Felino LS9, the Felino version of the Landscape
Felino P11, the Felino version of the Neofelis
Felino Chicco “C8”, the flagship of all the Gatto Motors products, the Chicco is the only Felino with an actual name, since until 2015 it was a Gatto-branded car. The Chicco (first introduced in 1957) was always aimed straightly at the Rolls Royce Phantom and Toyota Century, being the most opulent and luxurious vehicle from Gatto Motors. This generation was presented to the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, and it was updated this year to remain above the competition, as always
All Felino cars except for the P11 and the Chicco use specifically tuned versions of GattoWorks’ DOHC modified 4.5L NA V8, distinguishable for an “L” in the engine code
The current SuoKanAu lineup consists of 6 cars:
SuoKanAu Galazia, a cheap Fiesta-like hatchback, based on the Kodkod platform
SuoKanAu Lapland, a cheap compact SUV based on the Landscape Lite platform
SuoKanAu Rovaniemi, a cheap VW Golf-like hatchback based on the CatNose platform, named like this in honor of the plant where the best selling SuoKanAu car ever (the 80’s Syntrex), built in the city of Rovaniemi
SuoKanAu Turku, a cheap crossover based on the Ocelot/Rovaniemi platform
SuoKanAu Espoo, the sedan version of the Rovaniemi
SuoKanAu Torica, a cheap small hatchback based on the Luchs platform
Historically significant models:
Gatto Gepard “G1”, the first car ever made by Gatto Motors, nothing special
Gatto Felis “Q5” ZWR85b, Gatto’s entry for the 1985 WRC Group B championship. Powered by a 1784cc turbocharged inline-5 capable of 586hp and 519Nm. With such figures, the 971kg rear-engined AWD car can go from 0 to 100km/h in 3.7s on every type of surface
SuoKanAu Syntrex TurboTron II TwinCam EFi GT, the sportiest version of SuoKanAu’s best selling car. The TurboTron II is the perfect 80’s car, fitted with pop-up headlights, an electronic dashboard, an electronically-controlled pressure system for the turbo, a water spraying system for the intercooler, electronic fuel injection a a stainless steel body
Gatto Ocelot “B1”, the first generation of Gatto’s best selling car, introduced in 1973, it was a hit from the start. The first Gatto hatchback replaced the at-the-time 4 years old Sandcat “E3”, in a desperate try by Gatto to fight with Fiat and VW in the small hatch market. It was available with either a 1.2 or 1.4L carburetted engine
Gatto Felis “Q5” Gr.B Stradale by GattoWorks, the road-going version of the “ZWR85b”, powered by a deuned version of the same turbocharged, 1784cc inline-5 found in the racing version. Thanks to a fine tuning of the suspensions, the differential, the engine and the gearbox, the Felis Stradale is brobably the best homologation special Gr.B car ever made
Gatto Sandcat “E1”, the first affordable Gatto, it carried the company out from the bankruptcy with its low prices and high safety records. It was considered “the most important Gatto car ever” by Gatto’s former president and founder Erminio Gatto
Gatto Felis “Q2” Rallye, the first real Gatto rally car (here represented with the road-going version unveiled to the 1960 Geneva Motor Show).
