Yes, I have used the number 13 in a post title. After reflecting on yesterday’s “anniversary” I have decided to make an effort not to be controlled by random variables, by certain numbers. We’ll see how long I can manage.
Oh, WordPress did not eliminate the Classic Editor, but a glitch meant I could not access it in the manner to which I had become accustomed. The day that this platform does remove the classic option is the day I stop blogging.
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This edition of In Or Out? is a hybrid. No, not a gas/electric hybrid, but a car in the original meaning of the word in an automotive context: a car with a European body and an American drivetrain. From wallpaperup.com a picture of a 1967 Monteverdi 375-S:
When I was a teenager these may have been my absolute favorite cars. This 375 is from the first year of production with the body by Frua and not a later one with a body by Fissore.
Peter Monteverdi was a Swiss car builder, no doubt inspired by his father who repaired cars and trucks. He later became the top Swiss dealer of imported exotic cars like Ferrari and Rolls-Royce. Monteverdi was involved in Formula One racing, mainly as a builder in the late 1950s and early 1960s, but actually raced once although he retired after just a couple of laps.
The Monteverdi cars like the 375 were powered by a Chrysler drivetrain, a 440 cubic-inch V-8 producing 375 HP, but 480 LB-FT of torque and mated to a three-speed Torqueflite automatic transmission. The cars were actually called the High Speed 375.
In the picture it’s difficult to get a sense of the size and proportion of the car. The 375 was built on a truck-gauge steel frame with an aluminum body and had only a 98-inch wheelbase. That’s the same as the second-generation BMW Z4, which is not a big car. That wheelbase length is also the same as the second- and third-generation Corvettes.
Supposedly, the fit and finish of these cars was superb. Monteverdi’s experience in selling Rolls-Royce must have influenced such attention to detail.
OK, kind people…the Monteverdi High Speed 375, In Or Out?
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In for sure.
And if finances allowed for its purchase, it would be parked next to a Jensen Interceptor.
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Thanks for casting the first vote today, DDM. 1-0 In for the Monteverdi High Speed 375.
The Interceptor was also among my favorite cars when I was a teenager. I don’t like the styling quite as much now as I did then, but I still like the car and, as you no doubt know, it was also powered by a Chrysler drivetrain.
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Never heard of this car but I vote In. Looks cool.
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Thanks for the vote. 2-0 In for the Monteverdi.
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Ok this one is an in for me. The Chrysler drive train makes it a winner. I would park the Corvette outside to put that one under cover.
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C/2! Thanks for chiming in. 3-0 In for the Monteverdi.
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To go along with the slang of that time, my vote is In Like Flint. James Coburn was Flint in the James Bond knock off films. I preferred him as Britt in The Magnificent Seven.
I searched out the Monteverdi to see the car at other angles, and was rewarded with a very eye-appealing car. I can see why you were enchanted with it as a youth.
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Thanks for the James Coburn reference. I remember he was paid some extraordinary sum for uttering the words “Schlitz Lite” in a commercial.
4-0 In for the Monteverdi.
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I’m in. I’m a fan of many if not most of those cars with sexy Italian bodies and American powerplants. This would look fantastic parked next to an Iso Grifo.
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Thanks, markcars2014. 5-0 In for the Monteverdi.
So, you like the Iso Grifo, huh? Read this, please…
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You nailed it, the Grifo is a gorgeous car!
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Thanks again. I don’t know if you were reading this blog when I unveiled my Ultimate Garage 2.0, but if not you might enjoy reviewing it.
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