Monteverdi

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Monteverdi was a Swiss brand of luxury cars. Peter Monteverdi had already constructed several racing cars called MBM and ran a dealership handling Ferrari, BMW and Lancia cars in Binningen near Basel when in 1967, he started production of high performance cars powered by Chrysler engines and bodied by renowned Italian coachbuilders, first Frua, then Fissore. About 60 cars per year were made in the early 1970s, mostly four-seater coupes (375L), but also some two-seater coupes, convertibles and luxury sedans.

By the mid-1970s, after the oil crisis, Monteverdi started procuding “boutique cars”, technically unchanged serial cars with modified bodywork and tuned-up interior. His greatest success was a luxurious off-road car, the Safari, based on the International Scout, of which at least several hundred items were built between 1976 and 1982. The Sahara was another SUV with an only slightly altered body of the International Scout. Furthermore, Monteverdi used the boutique car system on two sedans, the Sierra (1977-1982) based on the Plymouth Volare, and the Tiara (1982-1983) based on the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

Subject ID: 1678

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Monteverdi was a Swiss brand of luxury cars. Peter Monteverdi had already constructed several racing cars called MBM and ran a dealership handling Ferrari, BMW and Lancia cars in Binningen near Basel when in 1967, he started production of high performance cars powered by Chrysler engines and bodied by renowned Italian coachbuilders, first Frua, then Fissore. About 60 cars per year were made in the early 1970s, mostly four-seater coupes (375L), but also some two-seater coupes, convertibles and luxury sedans.

By the mid-1970s, after the oil crisis, Monteverdi started procuding “boutique cars”, technically unchanged serial cars with modified bodywork and tuned-up interior. His greatest success was a luxurious off-road car, the Safari, based on the International Scout, of which at least several hundred items were built between 1976 and 1982. The Sahara was another SUV with an only slightly altered body of the International Scout. Furthermore, Monteverdi used the boutique car system on two sedans, the Sierra (1977-1982) based on the Plymouth Volare, and the Tiara (1982-1983) based on the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

Serial production ceased in 1984, and the Monteverdi facilities in Binningen became a museum. In 1990, Peter Monteverdi shortly ran his own Formula 1 team after having bought the Onyx racing team. His last car was the Hai 650 F1 super sports car presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 1992, a single piece using remaining parts from the Formula 1 project.

Subject ID: 1678

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Subject ID: 1678