Author: John-Joe Vollans
Yet another automotive dynasty that seems to owe its existence to the abrasive attitudes of Enzo Ferrari; from 1967 to 1982 Peter Monteverdi returned Switzerland to the automotive manufacturing map.
In company with Ferruccio Lamborghini and Giotto Bizzarrini, Monteverdi fed his frustration with Ferrari into automotive fertility. Reports are mixed on the source of the angst – some saying it started with Enzo crushing Monteverdi’s dream to drive for the Scuderia, while others suggest it was due to Enzo’s demands surrounding his Ferrari franchise. Whatever the reason, Peter Monteverdi took the bold decision to create his own car company, largely to spite Ferrari. The firm that bore his name went on to create luxury GTs, sports cars and even an SUV, long before the latter became the norm in Europe.
Things really kicked off for Monteverdi when he took over running his father’s garage business in 1956. Monteverdi senior ran a small automotive repair business in the Swiss town of Binningen, just outside Basel. Rather than simply continuing his late father’s work, Monteverdi junior (at the age of 22) had higher aspirations.
Obsessed with speed and motor racing – building his first special as a teen from parts pillaged from a wrecked Fiat 1100 – Monteverdi’s privateering in motorsport eventually led him to Maranello. Here, he bought several Ferraris, racing them in hill climbs and even endurance competitions such as the Nürburgring 1000km. His success and ambition brought him to the attention of Enzo Ferrari, with the young Monteverdi turning his association with the prancing horse into an advantage. He managed to secure Swiss distribution rights for the brand in 1957, making him the world’s youngest official Ferrari importer (23) at the time.
And times were good in Binningen where the young Monteverdi, expanding to new premises in 1961, added further premium marques to his dealership’s stock and trade, including Lancia, Jensen, Bentley, Rolls-Royce and, eventually, BMW. Continuing to juggle selling premium sports cars and GTs during the week, with racing machines of his own design at the weekend, Monteverdi ultimately took building competitive Formula Junior race cars – which he sold across the world under the MBM brand – to its logical conclusion, debuting Switzerland’s first Formula One racer at the non-championship 1961 Solitude GP. As a keen driver, Monteverdi couldn’t resist the chance to compete however, a subsequent crash at Hockenheim almost proved fatal, and ultimately ended his competition dreams.
After his recovery and retirement from racing, Monteverdi faced another hurdle, Enzo Ferrari’s demands. Apparently, old man Ferrari stipulated that Monteverdi bought 100 new Ferraris – and pay for them upfront – to retain his import privileges. Clearly furious at this presumption, Monteverdi refused and duly lost his franchise. Deciding, just as Ferruccio Lamborghini had, that the best form of revenge was to make his own cars to rival Ferrari’s, Monteverdi’s attention and considerable enthusiasm turned towards the drawing board, with his first road-car creation arriving in 1967.
Christened the Monteverdi High Speed 375 S, this big GT came with bespoke bodywork – designed and hand-built by carrozzeria Frua (later tweaked by Fissore) – with power courtesy of Chrysler’s 440ci (7.2-litre) V8. The High Speed won many an admirer upon its debut at the 1967 Frankfurt Motor Show also, incidentally, it was the first Swiss-made model to be presented for three decades.
Naturally, the level of luxury and performance Monteverdi offered didn’t come cheap, with first-time 375 S owners having to cough up an eye-watering 58,000 Swiss Francs (£176,640 today). To put that into further perspective, a new Aston Martin DB6 cost £4995, with a Ferrari 275 GTB/4 £6000; Monteverdi’s first creation cost £10,250. Mind you, for that hefty wedge, you did get 375bhp (hence the name) – with an optional 450bhp Hemi engine – and a claimed 0-60mph time of just over 6 seconds. The High Speed’s appropriate enough top speed of 152mph was more than enough to raise a few eyebrows in Maranello, yet Enzo was likely reassured by the 375’s use of an American V8 engine – shared with the Jensen Interceptor. While easier to maintain and more reliable than, say, a British six-pot or rival Italian V12, the large and lazy American motor lacked the glamour or wailing high-rpm thrills of either; peak power delivered at a leisurely 4700rpm. Rather than a hindrance, however, attainable torquey performance was seen as a benefit for many a fan of mid-century Grand Touring.
It wasn’t all good news however, with early quality issues reported in period publications, yet it didn’t stop Monteverdi expanding 375 S production from a projected 20 cars per year to 100. Lacking capacity, coachbuilders Frua made way for Fissore, with the latter Savigliano-based carrozzeria co-developing a four-door 375 L spin-off from 1969.
Fuel crisis concerns effectively outlawed large displacement GTs by the mid-1970s, with Monteverdi’s creations far from immune. The last – of what’s thought to be over 200 – 375/4s was delivered in 1975. By that time, however, two very different Monteverdi creations were either already on sale or were on the drawing board. The first was the 1970 Monteverdi Hai 450SS mid-engined supercar. Looking like a prototype Alpine A310 – but with a far more exciting 450bhp Chrysler Hemi engine in the middle – the Hai (German for shark by the way) was meant to catapult Monteverdi to the dizzying heights of exotic car manufacture. With just two of these 180mph (claimed) machines thought to have been produced, however, it failed utterly. Seemingly even more of a missed opportunity, considering the subsequent success of the similarly themed De Tomaso Pantera that followed just a year later, the Hai has since slipped into obscurity.
Monteverdi was down, but far from out, picking himself up and spotting a niche in the luxury SUV market. In 1976, the Monteverdi Safari – based on the International Harvester Scout – was introduced to compete with the likes of the Range Rover (in Europe) and went on to sell well, despite its 39,000 Swiss Francs price (5000 more than a contemporary Range Rover).
Speaking of Solihull’s finest, Monteverdi would also famously go on to convert Range Rovers into four doors from 1980, long before Land Rover got around to it. Monteverdi granted them more luxurious interiors, with the extra pair of doors added at Fissore. Converted Range Rovers were then sold via select Land Rover dealerships and were even backed by factory warranties. Even this lucrative contract work wasn’t enough to keep Monteverdi afloat however, with the company finally closing its doors in 1982.
Peter Monteverdi staged a comeback a decade later, following his Formula One foray in 1991, but demand for a resurrected Hai – even one powered by a 650bhp F1 engine – proved to be non-existent.
Peter Monteverdi passed away in 1998 leaving an indelible mark on motoring history. The firm that bore his name blazed a trail, attempted to break Ferrari’s dominance of the luxury GT market, competed in the top tier of motorsport, twice, and has resulted in some of the most highly collectible and coveted classic cars on the market. Not bad for a former mechanic from a small Swiss town.
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