May 8, 2022

1967-1972 Intermeccanica Torino/Italia

Initially in the automotive tuning kit business, Construzione Automobili Intermeccanica was founded in 1959 in Italy's automobile manufacturing capital, Torino. The man behind the company was Frank Reisner, an entrepreneur who would later move the company to Canada. The first cars produced were Formula Junior racers, fitted with Peugeot engines, but Reisner had bigger plans and soon started to import American V8 engines for installation in his road going chassis. These cars were the Apollo GTs that would ultimately pave the way for their successor, the Omega, and then the Italia.

The first Italia's came to the US in 1968. The cars were unlike anything else on the market and quickly gained the attention of discerning American sports car enthusiasts. Expensive for the time, few could hope to own one, and to many car lovers, the Intermeccanica Italia Spyder was an automotive masterpiece. The car's "prancing bull" badging was a gracious nod to Torino's coat of arms. Its styling, which was classic Italian with vintage Ferrari undertones, was striking yet elegant. Its performance was equally impressive, as it could reach 0–60 in 6.2 seconds and had a top speed of 155 mph, which was attained through a powerful and proven Ford V-8 engine. The Italia's steel body was hand-formed, and its chassis was made from tubular steel. With fewer than 400 of these models built during its production run from 1967 to 1973, the Italia has since taken on an appealing mystique as a rare automobile from one of the most exciting eras of Italian car manufacturing. The Intermeccanica Italia Spyder was among the most attractive and potent Italian-American hybrids of the 1960s and 1970s, and its sleek styling and sophisticated chassis made for a great combo.

Source: bonhams.com