My Car Quest

March 19, 2024

The Intermeccanica Italia: Has It Been Too Long Ignored?

Another case where a hybrid (European chassis and body with American power) was slow to appreciate.

by Wallace Wyss –

Founder Frank Reisner was a Hungarian born engineer who, although he had a good job in Canada, that had nothing to do with cars, decided to move with his wife, Paula, to Italy in the late 1950s and began building sports cars. Actually their first project was tuning kits, then they went into Formula Junior, using a Peugeot engine. That was around 1960. They were into sports cars, with twenty-one alloy-bodied Intermeccanica-Puch (IMP) 500 cc-engined cars being made, one of which won at event at the Nürburgring.

Intermeccanica Italia

Intermeccanica Italia

Then came some American would-be sports car builders, one group of which was Milt Brown and Ned Davis with Ron Plescia, who later became a well known car designer. Their idea was to put on the market a svelte looking sports car similar but with the reliability of an American V8 engine.

About 88 Apollo cars were made from 1961-‘65. The consensus of opinion was that an Italian, Franco Scaglione, touched up the design originally done by Plescia. Scaglione was somewhat of a genius, moving from one automaker and coachbuilder to another, at one time sitting outside the industry for years.

Then came another American entrepreneur, Jack Griffith, a very successful car salesman. His idea was first to buy the British TVR, stick in a Ford V8 and have a rip roaring Cobra competitor.

Intermeccanica Italia

Intermeccanica Italia

But soon he gravitated to an Italian design when TVR couldn’t keep the cars coming. The new car was designed in Italy, called the Omega and apparently only coupes were made. Engines were 273 Chrysler V8s. Steven Wilder, a writer for Car & Driver, got involved, and roped in a well respected race car builder, Holman Moody, to build out the cars with Ford V8 engines but not all of them got built. Mark Donohue didn’t stay, having gone on to be a racer, eventually driving for Penske.

When those cars were sold off, the Omega was reborn with slight restyling changes, and as an open version, dubbed the Intermeccanica Italia. At last they had the right styling. The Apollo had the misfortune of being designed with a wheel stance that looked old fashioned but the svelte Italia two seater had a more modern look, very Ferrari 275 GTB-ish in the rear with a grille cavity similar to the Ferrari 400SA.

Powerplants seemed to vary again, this time it was a Ford 302 but later they came with a Ford 351, the same as the Pantera engine. The wheels were Magnum 500s, made in America.

One description of the frame design, attributed by a website called Supercars.Net to John Crosswaite, was that it was cobbled together “using parts from various European manufacturers. The engineering was fairly straight forward, using square tubes to form an independent chassis which was welded directly to the body. The company boasted: ‘welded into a single rattle-free unit’. The front was suspended by unequal wishbones and a Mustang live axle was mounted in the rear with coil springs and radius rods.”

The body was steel and very heavy. I remember lifting the hood and being surprised as how heavy it was compared to the alloy hood of a Ferrari.

Who did the styling is difficult to nail down. When I wrote about the car decades ago, that Scaglione did it, I got actual photos from Robert Cumberford saying, no, he did the styling. Supercars.Net says Scaglione was hired only to do a “refresh” adding bumperettes, etc. At any rate, it was a better looking car as the Italia, marred only by having taillights from some other brand instead of its own taillights.

Intermeccanica with beautiful woman

The car was called the Torino for a short period, before Reisner ran into difficulties with Ford, who had registered the Torino name. That was more or less the history of Intermeccanica, they would be doing good and then some larger company would come along and fowl up their plans.

The general consensus was that approximately 500 Italias were made from 1966-’72 (Supercars.Net says 600 were made and the production run ran from 1967 to 1973).

But Reisner was always ready to accept a commission on a new car and somewhere from left field came a request for a station wagon (shooting brake) and eleven of those were made (1966–1972), these called the Murena G (1971) with different and somewhat heavy styling. They were sexy and powerful but you can imagine the handling with a hulking cast iron 429 in the nose.

Intermeccanica Murena

Intermeccanica Murena

After the Italia was gone there was a car called the Indra, a totally modern up to date design. The Indra had both coupe and convertible versions, and looked like it would succeed with the help of a major automaker Opel, and then suddenly after hundreds were sold, Opel pulled the plug on supplying the Chevy 350 engines, leaving the Indra program in the lurch. But fate intervened. Reisner had heard that the city of San Bernardino CA would make it possible for him to move there in a move to help jump-start manufacturing in their perpetually woebegone berg, but when he got the chassis and body shells to the dock in Los Angeles, they had changed their mind.

Intermeccanica Indra

Intermeccanica Indra

He then went into making replica cars, a copy of the SS100 Jag called the Squire, that was short lived and a much better car that copied the Porsche Speedster with a fiberglass body. The Speedster survived for decades and was taken with them when the company moved to Canada. After Reisner died, his family continues to make the Speedsters.

NO RESPECT FOR THE ITALIA

I recommend Mrs. Reisner’s book but my purpose here is–similar to my article on the Pantera–to delve into why the Intermeccanica Italia gets no respect. I attribute that to these reasons and am willing to hear more:

1.) The car is perceived of as a “Mongrel” in that it has an American engine not made by its maker, i..e., not purebred. Yet that doesn’t hurt Iso Grifos at all.

2.) The car changed names at least twice, and distributors in America at least twice, so it gave the impression that it was built by a fly-by-night outfit. You didn’t know where you could re-order body panels, windscreens and the like. When Intermeccanica would go into a new type of car they wouldn’t keep making parts for the former models so prospective owners were worried where they could get parts to restore a rough one they found.

3.) No racing. I am not aware of a single Intermeccanica Italia competing in a race like Sebring, Daytona, nor have I ever seen one race at the Monterey Historic. I have seen Iso Rivolta four seaters race at Laguna Seca so I am concluding the Italia was not developed to the point where it would lend itself to racing.

4.) Frequent customizing by owners. This is the bane of the hybrid Italian cars, some owners feeling that, without the automaker there to lean on them for making it non-stock they are home free and can paint it candy color, change the wheels, seats, taillights, you name it, all of which damages the reputation of the car as an appreciating classic. I would say Intermeccanica Italias are generally worth no more today than they were ten years ago, while, for instance, some Ferraris are worth ten times what they were ten years ago (particularly Dinos).

5. Inconsistent Auction Results. With cars like the 275GTB, or Porsche Speedster, you see constantly rising prices fetched at major auctions like RM and Gooding, etc. Porsche Speedsters are now nudging a million for a 4-cam. But the Intermeccanicas are more often found at the more middle class auctions and get wildly inconsistent results—under $25,000 at one auction and over $75,000 at another. I could be way off on values, a ‘72 sold at a 2010 auction at Monterey for $143,000. But I am saying in general you can’t bank on them as a solid investment practically guaranteed to appreciate. When they do sell for heavy bread, I bet they are strictly an “emotional buy,” some high roller sees one for the first time and falls in love (better that than the pole dancer at the casino, though).

6.) No consistent Club. With many marques, such as the Porsche 356 club, many of the editors have been writing about the cars for decades so much is known, there’s many listings for suppliers of parts, and fabricators. But the Intermeccanica clubs seem to come and go, they aren’t a strong force in representing the marque at shows year after year. Yet the Iso and Bizzarrini Owner’s Club started out strong and, though they changed hands, got the word out on the cars and they have, in some models, gone up as much as ten times in price since the club started. A strong club with a nice magazine always helps grow interest in the marque. The Ferrari marque for example, has CAVALLINO and FORZA, both pushing up values by showing fine examples in color and showing the events for the marque around the world.

THE DRIVING

For some long ago assignment I went to Santa Barbara where I met a man who had both a Daytona Spyder and a black Intermeccanica Italia. I liked the husky sound of the Intermeccanica more and, on short sprints around Montecito, it seemed every bit as exciting as the Ferrari. Now Daytona Spyders are worth nearly a million and Intermeccanica Italias are back at the starting gate on value.

RARITY NOT A HELP

You can’t put it down to rarity, for instance if you lump Ferrari Daytonas, putting coupes and spyders together, they outnumber Italias more than two to one. But the phrase “rarer than a Daytona” doesn’t move the value meter needle a single millimeter.

ONE MAN’S OPINION: HOW TO SAVE A MARQUE

I think first a club has to be adequately funded to make a strong show of support. Then too, there has to be one or two owners making the plunge to take one all the way to Pebble Beach quality in restoration and to resist the temptation to “do it better” than the original automaker.

Then too I think owners of restored ones will have to loan them to magazine editors, at least for an hour or two, to get some favorable publicity.

Third, I think a yearly award should be established at some event like Concorso Italiano for the best Italia, get them some recognition.

Intermeccanica Italia

Intermeccanica Italia

Fourth, I think Intermeccanica should make replacement parts and stand behind what they built. It is embarrassing that they disavow it; even Mercedes and Ferrari are making old parts again, realizing restored cars help sell the new ones. Though Intermeccanica no longer makes Italias, the fact that they don’t make parts makes would be owners wary.

And so it goes. I wish Frank and Paula Reisner would have stuck with the Italia or even Indra and not gone into replicas, but replicas, according to Mrs. Reisner’s book, saved the family and kept them making money.

Now I expect brickbats, and am donning my helmet and flak vest. I am sure Italia owners have something to say….

Let us know what you think in the Comments.

Wallace Wyss

Wallace Wyss

 
 
 
THE AUTHOR: Wallace Wyss is the author of 18 automotive histories and co-host of “Autotalk” broadcast weekly from KUCR FM Riverside.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Editor’s Note:

Intermeccanica is now Electra Meccanica Vehicles Corp. a public company listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange as SOLO. They make electric vehicles. I own shares of Electra Meccanica.

Mike Gulett

Maserati Ghibli Advertisement

Maserati Ghibli and an Intermeccanica Italia Advertisement

Summary
The Intermeccanica Italia: Has It Been Too Long Ignored?
Article Name
The Intermeccanica Italia: Has It Been Too Long Ignored?
Description
The Intermeccanica Omega was reborn with slight restyling changes, and as an open version, dubbed the Intermeccanica Italia. At last they had the right styling.
Author

Comments

  1. Hi Wallace, I’ve been following Intermeccanica cars for over 20 years. My father had a 1969 Torino-Italia and was part of our family until around 2002. My father passed away and I have been hunting for it since, I heard it was sold to someone in California who was going to restore it. That being said in my years searching since then I’ve amassed a trove of photos and details other of primarily Torino-Italia-Omega cars, but have some other details on Indras and Murenas. Happy to discuss further with anyone. Attached a photo from my youth, standing next to it!

  2. SKIP HINOJOS says

    I ALWAYS LIKED THESE CARS. BUT I ALWAYS THOUGHT THEY PUT THESE CARS TOGETHER IN PASADENA , CALIF. TOO BAD EVEY TIME I PRINT OUT THE INFO I GET THE “YOUR VIEWS SO FAR, BLOCK , BLOCKING OUT SOME OF THE PRINTING.

  3. imwithstoopid says

    Back around ’72, I worked with a fellow who had a black one. It was around the end of the “kit-car” era and the first thing I thought of was perhaps it was an early well made Devin then looked closer and saw the “Italia” badge. and he lifted the hood and the small block confused me. But he convinced me it wasn’t a kit, obvious from the overall workmanship once looked at. He allowed me a chance to drive it and it was very tight and flat on the suspension, a very nice all round car.
    I do believe that its somewhat generic look and the era it comes from, causes the “kit-cat” first impressions and therefore its auction pricing. My old 246GTS and the Fiat Dinos were of the same era and people did show disdain toward them, try to buy one now, finally some respect.
    I did and still do like the Intermechanica very much and agree with Mike, it should be recognized.

    • imwithstoopid says

      Place the Glas 2500 GT in that list. A car not around long enough to get a reputation, can anyone else think of any more orphans?

      • The image below has a list of orphans. It is the Table of Contents for my ebook, “European Style with American Muscle – Primer”

        https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/70692

        • Great note, Ronnie. I interviewed Larry Jenkins for my book, The Griffith Years and during the interview I was able to take several photos of the H/M Omega. Larry is a special guy who cares way too much about the cars that he worked on. I am surprised that the Griffith was not mentioned in the list of “European Style with American Muscle – Primer”.
          It may surprise some as to how many vehicles that Jack Griffith was involved with in my next book, “Griffith, The Man, The Car, The Legend.”

  4. It feels like Deja vu having owned Iso Rivoltas for the past fifteen years and most of the printed article getting many of the facts wrong. Round two with the Intermeccanica cars.

    Wallace I suggest you read the book “INTERMECCANICA the story of the prancing bull” by Andrew McCredie. This book documents the story of the Reisner’s humble baggings to current day car production in Canada.

    Frank Griffith wanted to purchase and sell the Apollo with Ford V8’s but because Apollo was on the verge of bankruptcy Frank Reisners lawyers suggested he design a new body. That was the birth of the Intermeccanica Griffith. It was designed to use a SBF but Griffith didn’t pay his bills and Ford recovered their inventory, so Griffith was forced to use the Chrysler engine. Later the Griffith would be called Torino, Omega, Italia and the Italia GFX. Early cars used the 289, 302 and later cars used the 351Cleveland.

    I am currently restoring a Torino and I can say the the frames are not tubular but square, and the bodies are not heavy they are made of very thin steel and very light. Overall weight is light for a steel car.

    There is a very good source for many parts in California and many of the internal parts of the Italia was shared with Fiat so parts are available and in most cased much more available than say Iso .

    I look forward to your revised article.

    • With regard to the Apollo story, there’s only a wisp of rumor to that part of the Griffith history. The first of the “GOTI” cars, (Griffith-Omega-Torino-Italia) was designed by Robert “Bob” Cumberford and commissioned to Frank Reisner for the build. It was Jack Griffith, not Frank Griffith as noted above. The Intermeccanica body with Ford-to-Chrysler powerplants were simply named the Griffith Series 600, not Omega, Torino or Italia.
      I’m wondering where the Griffith is named in the index list above.
      A good place to start is at.www.griffithmotorcars.com.to learn about the Griffith story. Back in ’64-’67 I was the Griffith factory test driver and wrote the definitive history of the car. There were 10 proposed Griffith Series 600 cars at the factory when the company went white side up but only 7 saw the light of day as three of them were destined to go back to Intermeccanica on the collapse of Griffith Motors.
      The next book, “Griffith, The Man, The Car, The Legacy” is close to completion.

      • I’m looking at a Griffith ad and it doesn’t mention anything about a Griffith “600” it just calls it a Griffith ? I think everyone agrees that the first 7-10 cars weren’t Omega’s, Torino’s or Italia’s.

        • Mike,
          With all due respect to your research, the Intermeccanica-produced Griffith 600 was and always will be referred to as the Series 600 Griffith. Their VIN identification plates are issued as 600/6/XXX. No matter what you provide for evidence, especially the ad copy, it will not take it away from its official corporate designation. If you were at the factory and worked there, as I did, I would defer to your translation of an ad copywriter’s poetic license.
          With regard to my comment about the various post-600 Griffith names, look back and see this in your previous note:
          “…Later the Griffith would be called Torino, Omega, Italia and the Italia GFX. Early cars used the 289, 302 and later cars used the 351Cleveland.”
          Very sincerely,
          Mike Mooney
          President
          Griffith Motorcar Co, LLC

          • Just saying next time maybe someone should tell the marketing department what’s going on. This all sounds like very serious business over on the Griffith side of things, I wish you the best.

          • This ad shows the ” Griffith 600 “as a completely different bodied car ?

          • The ad copy in that advert was done very early on in 1964 before the Reisner/Cumberford connection came on scene. The TVR bodies were mostly from the very fertile mind of David Hives, the late design engineer who spent 6 months here in the Colonies helping Jack Griffith get the company on its feet. The two designs in the ad above eventually hung around in the TVR design department for a few years but never went into production. The base design was named the TVR Trident and there were only 4 Tridents built. The attached photo is a later translation of the design of the stillborn TVR Tina.
            more information can be seen at:
            https://www.pistonheads.com/tvr/trident/
            These stories and many others will be included in the upcoming Griffith hardcover.

  5. Torino

  6. wallace wyss says

    When you say the body panels are light, when I photographed a black one in Santa Barbara I lifted the hood abd was shocked how heavy it was, maybe used to alloy lids on my Ferraris. So it’s all in who;s doing the lifting and what cars they are experienced with. I can only bench press 60 lb. alas.

    I read the book you mention but was disappointrd that Frank would always go to the next car and not announce a fix for the flaws in the last one, like a guy who didn’t plan on being in business very long. Actually DeTomaso was worse (the Mangusa was hugely flawed) as he would jump to a new model rather than fixing the last one but he had the cloak of responsibility that Ford laid upon him so his cars are thought of as better built and more reliable. I remember Ford sent a legion of mechanics with toolboxes all across America to find the first 100 or so Panteras made so they could replace parts right in the owner’s driveway!

  7. Robb Northrup says

    Wallace and Mike:

    The Apollo has suffered the same fate as the Italia. (Note that Griffith was approached by Ned Davis to invest in International Motor Cars — mfr. of the Apollo GT — when IMC ran short of cash. Griffith decided to go his own route.)

    According to Paula Reisner, Frank’s widow, Scaglione did a masterful job in smoothing out the Apollo’s form as designed by Ron Plescia, and Scaglione did the same on the Italia, making the design work for production.

    Both the Apollo and Italia are excellent cars. While Milt Brown engineered the Apollo chassis, Frank Reisner was the one who engineered the body. He was an absolute genius. And the Apollo experience prepared him to do the Italia and it’s successors.

    Italia owners can contact Italia Reproductions in Atascadero CA for parts.

    Robb Northrup

    President, Apollo Owners Registry

  8. Wallace,

    I currently own several of these cars and have been around them for over 40 years. Mike is correct in that numerous pieces of misinformation gets published causing a great deal of confusion. Jack Griffith went from a Ford powered TVR to the steel bodied Griffith 600 GT. The names attached to the cars design included many of the greats of that time. The 273 Plymouth was a bit heavy for the car that was designed for a 289 Ford. When Griffith folded after 6 or 7 cars, the Omega was born. As a point of interest, I own the original Griffith 600 NY show car. Only 33 Omega coupes were completed by Holman Moody. That is when Intermeccanica made the decision to build the cars in Italy and ship them over complete. Despite your lifting the hood test, the curb weight of an Italia is 2600lbs. Compare that to a similar sized 67 Corvette that had a curb weight of about 3300lbs.

    When people with little knowledge write about a car they know little about, it will likely impact the values at auctions. Additionally, when others repeat all the misinformation, the cloud continues. To suggest that a small company like Intermeccanica have parts on hand is unrealistic. If I’m wrong, why not head over to your local Plymouth dealer and try to buy a Superbird nose cone. Those parts were not serviced 5 years after the cars were sold new. These cars were hand built. Stocking parts would be very difficult. You are correct in that many were modified over the years. I would say that a correctly restored car will still top 100k. To say that prices have not increased over the last 10 years is more incorrect information. If you find any for 25k, let me know, I will take all you have.

    If you are going to write about a car, why not base the article on facts instead of personal opinion.

    • Dan, recently a Italia Spyder sold on BAT for what I thought was a low price of 95K . I did a little research and found that RM had sold over ten Spyders at auction all for over 100K two cars going for close to 180K without commission. The recent sale on BAT was an automatic car that had not had a full restoration and I believe the dealer just wanted to move it out of inventory. IMO the market for Spyders and all Intermeccanica cars is still very strong. Wallace just needs to do his homework.

    • I owned one of the original 600’s for a short time around ‘71. I bought it in Plainview NY. It was burgundy, automatic, 318 ..2bbl and would overheat in 5 min! Was just married at that time and wife said no $$ was avail to work on it so I sold it to a fella in Upper Montclair NJ who was gonna restore it-never saw it again. I bought an Italia conv 30 years ago, still have it-its the cover car on Intermeccanica book.

  9. IMO Frank was one of the most efficient builders in Italy. Yes he was prolific building The IMP, Apollo, Italias, Indra, Murena, Squire, along with special projects like the Mustang station wagon, Fitch Phoenix , Scaglione’s Veltro Titania just to name a few. He often used workers from other companies like Maserati on swing shift or graveyard schedule to meet deliveries. Frank did what it took for his small company to survive in a competitive market.

    As far as the Italias hood weight is concerned it is a long hood that requires more stiffening to keep its shape. Italias also didn’t use a gas hood shock rather a spring shock, so maybe that’s why you had a hard time lifting the hood. A better way to judge a cars weight is by reading the curb weight specs rather than lifting a hood. Here are a few for comparison, please note that the Intermeccanica’s are substantially lighter than their counterparts.

    Apollo- 2271 lbs

    Italia -2449 lbs

    Iso Grifo – 3550 lbs

    Camero- 2920 lbs

    Pantera -3123 lbs

    Maserati Mistral – 2799 lbs

  10. Photo from the assembly line.
    Must have been a run of coupes that day.

  11. Robb Northrup says

    Mike, just to clarify: The Apollo GT is NOT an Intermeccanica car. Intermeccanica was the contractor that engineered and built the bodies (working through subcontractors who actually did the work). Milt Brown engineered the chassis and did a preliminary blueprint for the car and body. Intermeccanica was to Apollo (International Motor Cars) as Pininfarnia is to Ferrari. Final assembly with engine, gearboxes, brakes and suspension was done in Oakland CA (later, Pasadena). IMC did a lot more of the assembly than Shelby American did with the Cobras (essentially they only dropped in the engine and gearbox). Frank Reisner did build one complete car to display at the Turin show in 1963.

    The Italia et al, when assembled by Intermeccanica, IS an Intermeccanica.

    Regarding the workers: Reisner used the same subcontractors that other companies did (I’ve got a great shot of one of the body subcontractors working on the production Apollo buck sitting on the chassis built by Milt Brown with Alfa 2600 spyder body shells in the background). An example: Zagato really didn’t build much, but subcontracted out to folks such as the Corna brothers, who built the prototype Apollo body. Corna built the Lancia Zagatos

    To dismiss the Italia because it uses components from “lesser” cars, note that all the old Ferraris and Maseratis used a plethora of Fiat and Alfa door handles, switches, etc. Maserati Ghiblis and Indys used front suspension components bought from England (I want to say Alford and Alder). Frank Reisner learned a lot about chassis design from Milt Brown when building the Apollo bodies. He saw the prototype chassis upon which he constructed the alloy body, the first production Apollo chassis, and the prototype Apollo 2+2 chassis. Frank was extremely gifted and could put together the right combination of parts to make a superior chassis.

    Also, to criticize the Italia for it’s live rear axle, just look at the handling reputation of Maserati Ghiblis, Indys, etc. Remember, too that IRS wasn’t always viewed by Europeans with admiration as many examples experienced rear wheel steering. I have a copy of a letter from Frank Reisner to Milt Brown documenting this.

    Regarding weights: The Apollo 3500 GT (with the Buick 215 alloy V8) was listed by the company at 2400 lbs. The 5000 GT (Buick 300 V8) a little heavier (around 2500 lbs.).

    Italias, like the Apollo, should have higher values.

    President, Apollo Owners Registry

    • Thanks Rob my point was that Intermeccanica built the Apollo bodies /chassis’s. But I have to say IMO the Apollo is a Intermeccanica just as a SZ Alfa is a Zagato. As I understand the story the Apollo was designed in six months mainly through correspondence between Frank Reisner and the men in Oakland. Quite the feat for both parties.

  12. wallace wyss says

    Overall, I can congratulate all those voicing opinions–gives me more faith in the cars than I had before. I am most impressed with the low weight. Is there one shop in the entire US that you can call up and read the SN and find out if it was the model with the weak front suspension? Is there a standard kit to replace the weak parts and what is the price for parts plus labor? I think the Iso cars, once they had a strong club, a club magazine, parts lined up, mechanics who knew the cars–that all resulted in Iso Grifos going from $14,000 when I bought a long nose 351 in the ’80s to $400,000 plus today..Celebrity owners help add value. At least one of the Beatles owned a Grifo. I can’t remember the name of the game show host who ran an ad in th LA Times for an Italia and I told him it was too low so he took it off the market and re-listed it years later. I even think Panteras will go up though they made many more than Italias but they’ve got to outgrow the customizing penchant of present owners.

    • Wallace were do you dig this stuff up ? I have never seen any proof that a Beatle owned a Grifo. John Lennon sat in one at the London motor show but he ended up buying a S4 Fidia. There was one in the Magical Mystery tour video but it’s been proven that car was not owned by a Beatle. Any proof?

  13. wallace wyss says

    To throw some gasoline on the fire, I found a 2013 article on MyCarQuest on a very well planned Italia restoration and that also raised up the old battle over who designed it. One commenter said “There’s been a long-running controversy between Robert Cumberford and Frank Reisner as to who deserves credit for the Griffith/Omega/Torino/Italia styling. Cumberford claims all the credit since he’d been hired by Griffith to submit the initial design. Frank Reisner claimed that Scaglione deserved more of the credit for productionizing. Cumberford’s sketch and drawing to make the design actually work – based on Scaglione’s many years of actually designing real production cars that had to be fully functional. Reisner said that the Cumberford design would not fit the full-sized Americans for whose market the car was designed. Karl Ludvigsen, and authority on automotive history probably said it best in his homage to Steve Wilder, when he referred to the Griffith/Omega/Torino/Italia as “built in Italy by Intermeccanica to a design by Bob Cumberford productionized by Franco Scaglione”. In another article written by Mr. Ludvigsen on Scaglione’s body of work, Ludvigsen gave Scaglione full credit for the design of the convertible version of the Italia.”

    • wallace wyss says

      That’s him; I am glad he waited and got the Italia to a reputable auction company. Now he has a major concern, pancreatic cancer. He vows to fight it (saying he’s got a 30 year contract) but it’s a tough disease to fight.

  14. Wallace, As I stated, numerous articles have been filled with misinformation. To repeat the incorrect info does not make it fact. I spent several hours with Jack Griffith a few years ago when he explained the story of his Griffith 600 GT. As I recall, the car was initially designed by Bob Cumberford. Scaglione refined the design in Italy, but it still retained the Cumberford design. John Crosthewaite designed the Chassis the was further perfected by Reisner and Mark Donohue. How is that for famous participants? The Alex Trebek car was sold years ago and was resold at the auction posted. I too wish the best for Alex Trebek and hope he overcomes his battle with cancer. Sonny Bono’s Omega surface and was for sale about 20 years. I’m not sure were it ended up. Famous Racer Mark Donohue test drove and had a Griffith 600 as his car while he worked and raced for Jack Griffith. The number of Griffith 600’s made was actually 6. Six production plus the prototype. The cars were not plated and numbered in any particular order, so cars with numbers greater than 6 created confusion. The heavier 273 commando created a bit of a challenge in the Griffith 600 GTs, but had the company stayed in business, I’m certain that problem would have been corrected.

    The comments about the weak front suspension were based on the lightweight fiat parts in the early design. I can attest, the Italia had several different suspension parts used over the years. I don’t know if it was based on availability or design improvements. This creates confusion for the restorer. Many opt to remove the pieces in question and replace with an improved modern design. For those that wish to maintain originality, parts can be found. A bushing is not a very complex part, and replacements can be found. A tie rod end is also not a very complex part, and can be sourced with out much trouble. Some parts are simply not available, and those few parts can be updated. With so few cars and changes made through out the years, it would be very difficult to stock parts not knowing that they will fit or be returned.

    • Dan, you seem to be very knowledgeable on the Griffith/ Omega. I enjoy reading and hearing the history of these special cars. My uncle Larry worked for Holman/Moody when Steve Wilder came to them to have the 33 cars assambled-finished. H/M finished about 11 cars and my uncle and my Dad (Jenkins & Jenkins) finished the remainder of the Omegas for Mr. Wilder. My uncle has 2 Omegas, one of which he got from Wilder in 67? and the other he bought in more recent years. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

      • Pierre Poliquin says

        Hello Ronnie,

        I would like to talk to your uncle Larry if he is still alive about a Griffith 600 prototype.

        thanks

        Pierre

        • I’d sure like to be included in this “Griffith 600 prototype” conversation. I was there at the factory when the 600s were being built and may have some input or information on the subject.
          Mike

          • Hi Mike, I am the new owner of 600/6/01E. We are just getting into this car having had to wait to bring it home until just a couple weeks ago. Happy to chat about this car as we get into it. It has basically been untouched since 1972.

        • Ronnie Jenkins says

          Uncle Larry is still alive, but he is recovering from a couple of back to back stroke. Now is not a good time, but if he gets a lot better soon I will share this email with him.I am very interested in any info on those cars.

          • When I was putting the list of “Players” for my first Griffith book I visited with, spoke at length with and photographed Larry Jenkins at his shop in Charlotte. He referred to the low-mileage Omega as his “gold watch” when he left H-M. That Omega was sitting in a corner of his shop covered with dust and used as a storage spot for other shop “stuff.”
            I’m saddened to hear of Larry’s medical condition. He was a very knowledgeable and master mechanic who worked on some of the neatest high-end cars.
            If Ronnie can get in touch with me I’d sure like to catch up on Larry’s life and work.

          • Hi Ronnie, so sorry to hear about your uncle. I spoke to him many years ago about his Omega and his history with Holman Moody. I hope he has a speedy full recovery. I also spoke to him about an Omega parts car that I had picked up. I was trying to located the HM vin number. I believe he was helpful. On a other note, it appears that he also has a 1968 Torino/Italia that was built in Italy. The vin posted lists it a a white car that came with a 302. It was one of the first coupes to have the one piece side windows.

  15. wallace wyss says

    U suppose t.here is, on the part of automakers, a presumed “shelf life:” with any car.Nobody expects makers to make new parts for cars they sold 30, 40 years ago Thankfully Mercedes realized the good PR value to re-making parts for old 300SL cars so we see more of them out on the road. I think all luxury car makers should be doing this. I am still puzzled why Iso Grifos are going for $400,000 or so compared to the Intermeccanica Italias. Maybe it helped that a co-founder of the club was a writer who promoted the cars with two books. It took mote than a decade for the first complete Intermeccanica book. It may be the designer, Giugiaro. The coachbuilder, Bertone. Or the fact Iso Grifos started out as full blooded race cars. All those helped to make that sleeper brand a winner now. Now that you cite the RM sales prices, it looks like Italias are rising in value,so now the only Italian brand with American V8 I can talk about lagging values is DeTomaso.

  16. Having owned Iso’s and Intermeccanicas I can understand why Iso is on top. First the racing , second the build quality/engineering and third the clubs. Intermeccanica has never had a strong club to promote the marque. There has been very little documentation done. Iso really only has one car that is in that range (the Grifo) and it’s one of the best designs ever. No bad angles and it’s built to last. Heck they’re still trying to figure out what Frank used to build the front suspensions. Alas I think it’s a bit late to make a big difference as collectors are buying these cars now , not enthusiasts. You know, the type of guy that shows his car at all the events and has passion for the marque. In hindsight it’s too bad because Intermeccanica is one of the few small car Italian companies still in business. They could have succeeded with little effort, promoted the brand, sold some parts for the old owners. With some cars topping 180 K I think the marque has done well considering the lack of promotion especially compared to DeTomaso.

  17. wallace wyss says

    I agree with Mike, no strong club continuing to promote them and appear with them at major events hurt the value th first few years.
    Plus the company going on to widly different models, like a prewar Jag replica, You don’t see Ferrari in the middle of Daytona production going back to make a ’49 styke barchetta again (though oddly Jaguar recently ran off some more D-types so now retro is “in”) Plus fans back then writng the books early on in the Iso’s rediscovery helped have a base of knowledge. How long did it take before the first Inermeccanica book-30 plus years? And look how many books there are on Ferrari plus a website like barchettacc.com where you type in a SN of a rare model and oft times it comes up with an owner history in seconds. Not so easy with more obscure marques.
    But like you say they are fetching good money now….

  18. What’s happening on this site reminds me of how we understand all human history: Through a glass darkly. This discussion is just what the narrative needed. Wallace Wyss should be thanked for writing this just as he did, but only after writing the follow up article this dialog made possible. Any chance, Wallace?

    Paula (or the book mentioned earlier) can tell you what suspension you have by the VIN.

    Owning both De Tomasos and Intermeccanicas, I’m used to how the rumor mills, legends, and facts all distilled into barely usable 87 octane fuel. With all the misinformation blended in, it’s never going to be pure, but we could all run on better fuel.

    Let my ’71 Italia stand on its own merits. Judging by the crowds she gathers, Frank has everything to be proud of.

    • I have read through all the lists, copies of past club newsletters, spoke to numerous owners, some owning up to 5-6 different cars and nobody has ever been able to confirm with any confidence exactly what parts were used on the front suspensions. I do know that most consist of Girling, Volvo, Fiat 600, 1100, 850, 2300. Usually what you get when you mention the vin is a description like “oh that s an early setup, interim or late suspension”. The same goes for the rear bushings. If Paula knows it sure would have saved a lot of time and head scratching if she would have published it in her book.

      • You’re so right about the plethora of brands contributing parts, but you’re challenging a point I’m not making. I’m not asserting that sweet old Paula knows the brew of parts in any given suspension.

        The VIN is a attached to roughly two general eras of front ends. the later being called “NEW IM FRONT AND REAR SUSPENSION” in the registry. Now, neither period is great. But the later versions includes improvements from the Erich Bitter era where IM got feedback from drivers experiences and Erich had brought the car to Bilstein because he found the original suspension “undriveable”.

        Again, history isn’t science. I was 4 years old when my car was built. Most of IM’s records were lost in the relocation to California. All we have are the remaining cars. I’m having my front end rebuilt right now. Fortunately a Fiat dealer from the 60’s with a ton of NOS parts stored away is involved.

        Personally I’d like IM to partner up with a chassis builder like Art Morrison just over the boarder and offer an updated bolt in kit using factory locations, and have it branded Intermeccanica. You reading this Henry??

  19. wallace wyss says

    The trend for automakers to provide parts for cars they made 50 or more years ago is growing. Ferrari has a restoration shop for this. They realize keeping an old Ferrari on the road is good pr. I remember when I had my first gullwng, around ’66, Mercedes dealers were loathe to service it though production had ended only nine years earlier. I would have kept it if I’d been able to get parts and service…

  20. Here’s an earlier attempt to assess the Italia:

  21. November of 2000. I believe this Italia sold at Bonhams for $147,840 last year.

  22. Interesting that this states Holman Moody installed the drivetrain and offered as an option webbers?

  23. Lot’s of work finding the right bits.

  24. Miles Davis and Frank Sinatra can’t be wrong : )

  25. I would have loved to see it as a fastback. That sale didn’t top Alex Trebek’s price, but his was beat by that blue 68 at $181,500

  26. Fantastic reading here! I will testdrive the lightblue italia in FtLauderdale tomorrow, will report how this compares to iso, jensen , monteverdi, bristol..

    • I believe the light blue Italia has a mustang II front end swapped out for the factory setup everyone is commenting on here. How was it to drive???

  27. Warren Seifer says

    Hello to all,
    I own the cover car on Veloce Publishing’s book and the car and I are featured in the book. My car is 100% restored, is one of the last produced. My book is signed by Paula Reisner who states “Fly Yellow is her favorite color and it was a pleasure having my car on the cover, Andrew McCredie, Pete Brock..yes – that Pete Brock who saw the car at an East Coast show and wrote.”That Yellow Beauty’s the best!” I’ve owned her for 27 years. She brings a crowd whenever shown, has won numerous awards at East Coast shows. She was featured in the “Escape Road” page of Autoweek magazine. She’s been recently featured on a calendar printed for the trade. I also owned a Griffith 600 with Plymouth V8 and an automatic that I bought in Plainview Long Island when Griffith was closing…car needed work..would overheat immediately! I also owned an Iso Grifo and DeTomaso Mangusta…you could say I’m an admirer of etceterini ! My Italia runs great, looks great and is the nicest I’ve seen. I have what I believe to be every article/magazine printed, all of the club bulletins from the Long Island and Colorado clubs plus every “for sale” ad/photos, auction results for last 20+ years plus all original press releases, trade letters etc. for Omega-Torino-Italias.
    Yeah, I’m hooked. When in Scottsdale for the auctions this year, I meet the two guys who each own targa versions..3 were made..1 is overseas. Based on my misfortune of selling my Grifo and Mangusta before their meteorific
    valuation increases, I have no plans on selling my car..I would welcome any and all input/correspondence from you and other owners, to help with information, stories etc.

  28. My coupe now in body and paint

  29. Salvatore Iacobelli says

    Hallo zusammen suche für mein Intermeccanica Coupé 1972 eine Heckscheibe kann mich jemand helfen? Liebe Grüsse aus der Schweiz.

    Hello everyone looking for a Intermeccanica Coupé 1972 a rear window can someone help me? Greetings from Switzerland.

  30. Salvatore Iacobelli says

    Hätte noch gerne ein Info weis jemand von welchen Fahrzeug die Heckscheibe stammt da das Fahrzeug mit verschiedene Fahrzeugmarken Ersatzteile gebaut ist.

    Would still like to know someone from which vehicle the rear window comes from because the vehicle is built with different vehicle brands spare parts.

  31. Salvatore Iacobelli says

    Weis jemand von welchen Fahrzeug die Heckscheibe war .Italia Coupè 1972

    Does anyone know from which vehicle the rear window was .Italia Coupè 1972

  32. Salvatore Iacobelli says

    . Wo kann ich eine Heckscheibe kaufen? Italia Coupé 1972

    Where can I buy a rear window? Italia Coupe 1972

  33. Hoi Salvatore!

    Gäbig isch es nud, aber ruf e mal John a. Der hät d’ bäschte Sammlig vo Italia Tiele am Lager. Scheibe isch tour, aber er hätts.

    Wohnte au lang i der Schwyz und vermisse useres Läbe im schönen Lozern.

    Isch ihre Auto rot?

    Alles Guete!

    Mark

    John:

    http://www.italiareproductions.com/ordering.php?category=17

  34. Der John isch im Kalifornian…

  35. Salvatore Iacobelli says

    Danke Mark sehr nett.Wie lautet die Telefonnummer von John? Mein Italia war rot.Jetzt dunkelgrün.Grüsse dich.

  36. Salvatore Iacobelli says

    Telefon von John ? Grüsse dich Mark

  37. Alle Kontakt Details an sind hier auf seinem webpage:

    http://www.italiareproductions.com/contact.php

  38. Salvatore Iacobelli says

    OK DANKE DANKE MARK

  39. Salvatore Iacobelli says

    Hallo ich habe eine frage, Kann mir jemand sagen von welchen FAHRZEUGMARKE DIE HECKSCHEIBE IST DAS IM INTERMECCANICA ITALIA COUPE VERBAUT HABEN? DANKE

    Hello, I have a question, Can someone tell me from which VEHICLE BRAND THE REAR WINDOW IS THAT INSTALLED IN THE INTERMECCANICA ITALIA COUPE? THANK YOU

  40. Dave Hedderly-Smith says

    One minor correction – the initial engine was a 1967 Ford 289 K-code. I know for sure because my ’67 Italia Coupe (OK, originally in 1967 it was a Torino Coupe) has got one in it. On a visit to the Intermeccanica factory in Vancouver C Paula Reisner told me that the 289 Italias were by far the best as they had the lighter engine before the company had to go to 302s in 1968 (to meet the new federal emission laws). .

    I own an Intermeccanica Speedster made in 1976 and became acquainted with Henry Reisner with Intermeccanica in Vancouver. For some resson I got an email listing a 1967 Intermeccanica at an obscure estate auction in western Pennsylvania in 2014. With Henry’s encouragement I bought it cheap and drove back east with my son who was going to college in Pennsylvania. the car ran but had a broken accellerator cable. I ordered a cable from Ford and took it with me. I put the cable into it and spent a day making the Italia hopefully road-worthy, and took off for Utah, hoping to geet a far as possible before parking it somewhere to be hauled the rest of the way by some car hauer. But I made it back to Utah!

    Since then the car has been mostly in storage as there are some issues with the brake master cylinder, but it runs and we’ve had it out a few times for local shows, cars and coffee, etc. It’s quite a head turner. I need to come up with some money to have it properly refurbished and then get it out some more.

  41. Interesting side vents on most Torinos this were for air intake to the drivers cabin VIN ?

    • Dave Hedderly-Smith says

      The side vents are purely ornamental. And I also have never seen another Italia with “vents” like these. I’d be inclined to cut through the inner wall to provide some air circulation to the engine compartment, but the car looks to be 100% original, so I won’t be changing anything.

      VIN is 40062. The car is currently licensed in Washington and titled as a 1967 Ford Italia. It was the very last 1967 car (and last car with the 289) made by Intermeccanica. I don’t have my Intermeccanica book handy, but I think it was the 37th Italia made. The book says it should be green, but I see no evidence anywhere on the car of green paint. The Reisners tell me that the record keeping that first year or two was less than perfect, so it’s quite likely the car was originally red. I suspect it has original paint.

  42. A very nice German Gent, Fredrik Burchhardt, has a 68 for sale right now with another 4-perferated iteration of side vents on it:

    https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/intermeccanica/italia/2431669.html#&gid=1&pid=5

    Not sure any of these gills are original customer requests, or ??

  43. These early cars were badged as Torino’s but sold as Italia’s as Ford threatened to sue the Reisners for the “Torino ” trademark. My car has some of the original Torino badging which is a interesting story. The letters were sourced by the Reisner’s from a gravestone company in Torino Italy. I made contact with the company, which is still in business to purchase replacement letters . No luck they don’t stock them any more.

  44. Salvatore Iacobelli says

    Danke Mike .indemfall werde ich in der schweiz eine heckscheibe herstellen lassen. Gruss

    Thanks Mike. In that case I will have a rear window made in Switzerland. Greeting

  45. Intermeccanica 40068 fresh out of paint -Azzurro Metallizzato

    Intermeccanica

  46. I’ve been told the Italia “ letters” were sourced at Ford-Lincoln from rear trunk false tire bump where it says Continental. Not positive about this, but many have told me this..check it out!

    • I checked it out and the Lincoln letters are much different. The Intermeccanica letters are beautifully cast with sharp clean edges, the Lincolns are big fat plastic letters that look like they were made in a toy factory LOL.

  47. Thats possible but I have a early car with “TORINO badging , It was sold as a Italia to avoid Ford lawsuits problems, but badged as “TORINO”

  48. Warren Seifer says

    I have car on cover of Intermeccanica book. It was missing a few letters when I got it and found the Lincoln letters did match. Mine’s one of the last cars so maybe Frank had to source letters from a new source(?). We’ll never know. Paula couldn’t remember.

  49. Warren Seifer says

    My letters are metal with crisp detail and edges..just checked. Hmmmmm…..

  50. Wow to be a part of Automotive History, thank you to Frank and Paula Reisner, and to Henry for keeping your foot on the fast pedal. To Henry and Paula your friendship is much valued , I so appreciate that you did the restoration on my Italia. What more can one ask for the original builders fifty years later do a full restoration of that same Italia.
    Best Wishes ..,
    From,
    Gerry Sung

    • Hi Garry! There’s no Intermeccanica I’m aware of with your 50 year Reisner factory “There and back again” story. Hope you’re well, Aloha!

      Here’s a video of how my restoration came out:

      • Hi Mark, sweet video,great restoration, looks good with wire wheels.. just thinking wouldn’t it be fantastic to have a Italia meet up along with all the Intermeccanica produced cars here in Vancouver with Paula Reisner as the guest of honor along with Henry and family, a Concorso Italiano of the North in good old Vancouver.

        • Dave Hedderly-Smith says

          Sounds like a good plan, Gerry.

          Get it set up and give me a few months notice, and maybe I’ll get my ’67 Italia coupe 100% roadworthy and join you! I (and the car) are now in Poulsbo, just a ferry boat ride and a couple of hours drive south of Vancouver. The car is sitting in my shop with a couple of other projects ahead of it, but it could be bumped up a notch or two.

      • Dan Eastwood says

        Beautiful restoration!

        The Abarth(?) exhaust system looks so period correct for a high performance Italian car. – Well done!

  51. David tougard (tougard) says

    bonjour dan
    j ai une intermeccanica supposee de 1967
    mais je n arrive pas a la retracer
    elle a un v8 289 hi po
    elle est verte peinture originale
    mr reisner me dit que c est peux etre le proto pour l expo de montreal en 67
    peux tu m aider
    merci d avance
    david

    Translation

    hello dan
    I have a supposed intermeccanica from 1967
    but I can’t find it
    she has a 289 hi po v8
    she is green original painting
    mr reisner tells me that it could be the prototype for the montreal expo in 67
    can you help me
    thank you in advance
    david

    • J’ai une voiture plus récente 40333414, donc je ne peux pas parler de certains des premiers détails communs.
      Je trouve cette version très intéressante. Elle a les signes d’une voiture très ancienne et est chargée de pièces d’époque uniques et inhabituelles. Et, ça a l’air spectaculaire!
      ——————
      Une liste de choses que j’ai remarquées…
      – La plaque d’immatriculation arrière apparaît à un endroit différent et éventuellement sans lampe d’immatriculation. Il n’y a pas de lampes sur le dessus du pare-chocs arrière.
      – Le frein à main semble être assez loin de l’emplacement “nominal”.
      – Rétroviseur monté sur le tableau de bord…
      – Je ne peux pas parler pour le volant, même si je l’aime bien.
      – Le compresseur de climatisation est moderne.
      – Les phares semblent avoir une lunette chromée bien imbriquée dedans. Et je ne peux pas voir sous le pare-chocs avant, mais il ne semble pas y avoir de clignotants visibles.
      – Il n’y a pas d’emblème devant le capot.
      – Pourtant il y a des encoches à l’arrière du capot. Hmmm.
      – Les Trans et Dif. les numéros ne sont pas des numéros Ford, mais ils auraient pu appliquer leurs propres numéros.
      =============
      I have a later car 40333414, so I can’t speak to some of the early common details.
      I find this a very interesting version. It has the signs of a very early car, and is loaded with unique and unusual period looking parts. And, it looks spectacular!
      ——————
      A List of things I noticed…
      – The rear license plate appears in different location and possibly without a license lamp. There are no lamps on the rear bumper top.
      – The hand brake looks to be quite far forward from the “nominal ” location.
      – Dash mounted Rear View Mirror…
      – I can’t speak for the steering wheel, although I like it.
      – The air conditioning compressor is modern.
      – The headlights appear to have a chrome bezel nicely nested tightly in them. And I can’t see under the front bumper, but there does not seem to be any turn signals visible.
      – There is no emblem in front of the hood.
      – Yet there are notches at the rear of the hood. Hmmm.
      – The Trans and Dif. numbers are not Ford numbers but they could have applied their own numbers.

  52. The plot thickens! Has Paula Reisner seen this???

    I would be very surprised if she couldn’t shed some light on this delicious mystery.

  53. David tougard (tougard) says

    Sorry I do not speak English.

  54. wallace wyss says

    My theory is that the Intermeccnica Italias could enjoy a similar price rise to Iso Grifos and Mangustas if only the owners will restore them the way they came–no hood scoops, no aftermarket wheels, no candy colored tangerine flake streamline babies. (Pantera owners are still stuck in the hod-rodding phase). Then if some concours has a class for them and there’s 10-12 dead stock ones they can win respect as a class that’s judgeable. Until then it’s stay out in the wilderness.

    • I doubt this will happen. The reason is that Intermeccanica doesn’t have a good club with a knowledge base for sourcing parts. To complicate things Frank Reisner used different parts along the way. The Griffith,Torino,Omega, Italia had different front suspensions along its life. Nobody knows on what date these changes were made and what parts. Interiors are pretty simple because “most” cars came in black. The cars were assembled very quick and original build quality wasn’t that great, so to do it “original” it would have to be similar to a Mopar car 🙂 and who wants that right? I’m currently trying to find shocks on a Torino I’m restoring. It’s difficult, even for a simple part like that. Restoring a 356,XKE or Mustang is very simple compared to these cars. Ive restored Iso’s and they are much simpler because the club has participating members and a very good knowledge base. So I wouldn’t hold your breath for a Intermeccanica class. Apollo’s (which were partially built by Intermeccanica) on the other hand can and has assembled a very nice class of cars. This is because of Milt Brown and a few owners did document the cars and have helped current owners with getting it right. Currently there are a few Apollo’s going through very high end restoration. One is a spider too! These cars should be spectacular when finished.

  55. Wallace, while not fitting with your (and my) stock original criteria. There is an interesting car, hampered by Ferrari bits, on Bring a Trailer right now:

    https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1971-intermeccanica-italia-2/

  56. More pix

    • Hi Mark!

      Very original appearing restoration! Nice work!

      Can you please share your S/N?

      I have 40333414 coupe. From the pictures my car may seem to have a similar trait as your car, and am just
      wondering if our S/Ns are close to each other.

      David N

  57. The interior is almost there, minus the Nardi steering wheel

  58. A few more

  59. And this

  60. Mark Hickery says

    Firstly, please excuse the intrusion into the comments thread here, but I am hoping for some assistance for an article I am writing on the Griffith 600 for the UK TVR Car Club Magazine Sprint.

    I am currently reading and enjoying a book about Intermeccanica authored by Andrew McCredie, where Chapter 8 has an invaluable source of images, many accredited to John Wilkens. Unfortunately Andrew no longer has John’s contact information and therefore I am hoping someone maybe kind enough to pass my details onto John so that he may have the opportunity to contact me.

    Moreover, if anyone would like to contact me (sed@tvrcc.com) regarding the Griffith 600 I would be more than happy to hear from them.
    My sincere thanks in advance
    Mark

  61. Mark Hickery says

    Hi Mike,
    Thanks for your recommendation. I have indeed had contact with Mike Mooney, but good quality images are still lacking I am afraid. I would be most grateful to receive a couple that can be used in the article

    I am also looking to find John Wilkens who had some excellent images in Andrew’s Intermeccanica book.
    Any help, no matter how small very much appreciated.

  62. Gerry Sung’s Intermeccanica Italia Spyder is on Bring a Trailer right now. You may recall his was restored by Paula and Henry’s crew at Intermeccanica in British Colombia, Canada. There are some great photos of the car in various stages. Interestingly the body was being considered as a buck for Intermeccanica to make new Italia’s from fiberglass. In the end, they just restored it.

    I’m sure some comments from our group here would be very helpful to the discussion!

    https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1969-intermeccanica-italia-spyder-2/

  63. I have been driving mine around a bunch this summer. She creaks a little, and the drive isn’t as crisp as the coil sprung 427 Cobra, but she’s a joy on country roads…

    I can’t get over how timeless the interior is.

  64. I’ll be keeping an eye on Gerry’s on auction:

    https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1969-intermeccanica-italia-spyder-2/

    • Henk de Vries says

      Thanks for the primpt, which was forwarded via email. Looking like a very nice car indeed. Nice colors!

  65. wallace wyss says

    As far as not being kept original (Dino taillights, etc,) I am wrestling with myself on condemning that. After all taillights could be chsnged back i n a single day, So overall the shape of the car is still delivering the original promise.The layout of the gauges seems very haphazard though, not thought out, Going back to originality, if there were just few restored to original in more concours, the marque would be more recognized, like Isos are, and they would appreciate.
    DeTomaso cars are in the same boat. Why isn’t there a DeTomaso class at Pebble (like there is this year for Iso?) Because so many are customized, it’s hard to conjure up what a stock one looks like. .,

  66. The red (now blue ) car has the original taillights, they were used on Renaults too. Gauges are the normal Intermeccanica layout. I think DeTomaso could field a very nice lineup of cars , There are 100% original Panthers out there and of course most of the sedans are kept original. The line up could look like this Vallelunga, Mangusta, Pantera, Racing , P72, Deauville, Longchamp, Guarà and De Tomaso race cars.

  67. Henk de Vries says

    Thank you Mike, I am bidding (carefully) on this one..

  68. The car on BaT did not meet reserve at $115,000

    • Dave Hedderly-Smith says

      Wise choice to drop out, Henk, considering shipping and import duty. And I don’t need another one in my garage (although if I come across a Squire before I find the right Morgan for my collection……). But it certainly is a beautiful car. I thought the shop in New Westminster did a spectacular job on the restoration, although I don’t really like the color choices. I can only wish the seller the best of luck in finding a new home for it. Maybe he and the high bidder will come to an agreed price. The bidder looked like he was willing to go a bit higher. My guess is another $10K might have reached the reserve.

      • There is still that itch… it is a very nice example indeed. But as investment it is unknown.

        • Investment and itch may seem like two distinct motives for spending, but remember that things that itch are often contagious.

          The more buyers act on itch, the less distinct the two motives become.

          I remember when nice examples were a quarter of what they are today.

          Now to get the sypder into …Fast and Furious

  69. Turns out you can get the Italia in 1:72 scale.

  70. Salvatore Iacobelli says

    Hallo zusammen was kostet das Modellauto. Senden Sie es auch im Ausland Schweiz? Grüsse Salvatore

    Hello everyone, what does the model car cost. Do you also send it abroad to Switzerland? Greetings Salvatore

  71. Hallo Salvatore, ganz natürlich senden sie das auto in der Schweiz. Silber Schwarz und Rot scheinen im Sortiment. Mein habe ich auf eBay.com gefunden. Ein Paar links folgen. Liebe Grüsse aus Bristol, UK wo mein Kuh alle im Dorf erstaunen.

    https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=intermeccanica+italia&_sacat=220

    Kostet etwa 100CHF

    Hello Salvatore, naturally you send the car in Switzerland. Silver, black and red appear in the range. I found mine on eBay.com. Follow a couple to the left. Greetings from Bristol, UK where my cow amazes everyone in the village.

    https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=intermeccanica+italia&_sacat=220

    Costs around 100CHF

  72. The Torino being assembled

  73. There’s a black Italia for sale in Poland. Appears to be in very good nick, and from the photos seems to be on the ground there.

    https://www.gieldaklasykow.pl/intermeccanica-italia-spyder-1968-210000-eur-bielsko-biala/?noprice=1

  74. Assembling the grill

  75. Complete

  76. I HAVE NEVER SEEN AND INFO ON ANY CAR, SO BEAT TO DEATH, THAN ON THE INTERAMERICA???

  77. The Quebec Griffith / Intermeccanica is being offered at $189K perhaps CAN $. around $150k USD?

    Here’s the weak translation from Google:
    This car is a real enigma Built in a single copy Intermeccanica bodywork in metal V8 289 hi po engine (shelby 350 gt 1966) Transmission and differential gt 350 It has never been driven it was a prototype in 1967 Jack griffith had ordered 9 bodies from intermeccanica for make 600 Only 6 have seen this day This is one of the 3 remaining It is strictly original Has never been repainted And in perfect condition Car for Italian / American collector who is looking for a unique model You can text me at

    https://www.kijiji.ca/v-voiture-collection/laval-rive-nord/intermeccanica-griffith-600/1605438095

    • Dan Azzariti says

      Does any documentation exist to show this is one of the three cars that went to Canada? The reason I ask is that it is my understanding that those three Canada 600s have been found and accounted for.

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