The MBM was a Swiss Formula One racing car. The car was built by Peter Monteverdi at his base in Binningen, and was designed to compete in Grands Prix, although this aim was ultimately not achieved.

Monteverdi built his first single-seater racing car, a Formula Junior, in 1960, with the help of DKW engine expert Dieter Mantzel. The car was designed to be able to accommodate a 1.5-litre engine to suit the contemporary Formula One regulations.

For 1961, two MBM chassis were constructed, and fitted with Porsche Flat-4 engines, and initially driven in hillclimbs by Monteverdi himself. He then entered one of the cars in the 1961 Solitude Grand Prix, a non-championship Formula One race. Unable to set a representative time in practice, Monteverdi lined up on the grid at the back of the field, and retired with engine failure after just two laps. This car was subsequently written off in an accident at Hockenheim, and Monteverdi buried the wreckage, deciding against continuing with the project. He had entered the car for the 1961 German Grand Prix but this entry was withdrawn after the accident.

The other chassis was later exhibited in Monteverdi showrooms. Some sports cars, the MBM Special, Tourismo, and MBM Sports were also built in very limited numbers before Monteverdi began building cars under his own name in 1967.

mbm

The MBM Tourismo was a very low-production (probably only two were built) automobile sold by Peter Monteverdi. Monteverdi's small company MBM (standing for Monteverdi Binningen Motors) mainly focused on competition, but a "few" sports cars were also produced.

The car's body was bought from England, where a company called Heron Plastics had developed a fiberglass sports car called the Europa. It had a backbone chassis and coil sprung wishbone front suspension, with a Triumph Herald swing axle at the rear, although it is unknown what may have been different in the MBMs. The engine was a 997 cc Ford Anglia 105E unit, as was usual for the Heron as well. A 1961 MBM Tourismo currently resides in the Swiss Transport Museum in Luzern Switzerland

In 1960 an open two-seat sports car called the MBM Sport meant for competition was shown. The little barchetta had a 1092 cc O.S.C.A. engine with 100 PS, and was front-engined unlike the Lotus and Elvas with which it was meant to compete. While offered for sale at CHF 22000 (~US$95,000 in 2016), only the one car was built.

Peter Monteverdi, a descendant of composer Claudio Monteverdi, first made his name as a racecar driver. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, he also built, sold, and raced a number of "specials" called MBM, while at the same time developing the motor vehicle repair business founded by his father into a major dealership handling Ferrari, BMW, and Lancia brands. The relationship with Ferrari ended in 1963 when Enzo Ferrari demanded that Monteverdi pay up front for a shipment of 100 cars, which Monteverdi refused to agree to.

By 1967, he had decided to undertake series production of exclusive high-performance luxury sports and touring cars. The first model, the two-seater Monteverdi High Speed 375S coupé, was launched at that year's Frankfurt Motor Show and received very positive reviews.

Carrozzeria Fissore was an Italian coachbuilder located in Savigliano, near Turin (Piedmont). The firm was founded in 1919 (103 years ago)^[1] by the brothers Antonio, Bernardo, Giovanni, and Costanzo Fissore. Originally they built horsecarts and only later expanded into repairing automobiles and trucks. In 1936 Bernardo took the reins and began constructing special bodies for automobiles, funeral vehicles, mailcars, and small buses. During World War II Fissore built military vehicles.

In 1969, Monteverdi chose the small Carrozzeria Fissore for further collaboration. Fissore redesigned the 375 Coupé and built the bodies that were then delivered to Monteverdi in Switzerland, where the cars were finally assembled. Now, the car has square lines, but still elegant proportions. The 2+2 form became the standard model, but subsequently other body styles were offered. 

This provided a steady stream of work, although the expected orders of 100 cars per year did not materialize until the 1976 introduction of the Safari off-roader. The volumes reached during these year forced Fissore to give up their artisan methods in favor of a more industrial mode of production. Monteverdi provided financial aid in acquiring the necessary presses, and in return received a stake in the company and ended up taking full ownership in the late seventies. When Monteverdi closed doors in 1984, Fissore also shut down and was liquidated shortly thereafter.

high speed series

The Monteverdi High Speed is a series of sports cars with different bodies produced from 1967-1976 by Swiss automaker Monteverdi. The High Speed series included several coupe models, a convertible and a sedan. In addition, the Coupé Berlinetta and the Cabriolet Palm Beach also belong to the model family.

Generally, the Monteverdi High Speed series models are described as uncomplicated technically. They were based on a box frame of square steel tubes. The design of the frame was Monteverdi's own; The chassis was manufactured by Stahlbau AG in Muttenz in the canton of Basel-Landschaft, which according to some information at least momentarily belonged to Monteverdi. The front suspension parts were made by Alford & Alder in the United Kingdom, the rear axles were by Salisbury, brakes by Girling, and the steering by ZF. 

The engines used were V8 engine from Chrysler, with outputs of about 375 hp  originally. The output is also the origin of the model names. However, this claimed power was in SAE Gross; the corresponding DIN values were about 35 percent lower. On the other hand, Chrysler's big-block engines, especially those made by Chrysler's Mopar components, could deliver far greater horsepower without major problems. It was also possible to specify Chrysler's slightly smaller but much more powerful Hemi engine; this was eventually made available to all High Speed models.

Between 1967 and 1976 Monteverdi presented a variety of variants of the High Speed series of models. All of these models have been uniformly designated by the factory as High Speed 375 (denominating the engine's power in SAE gross); they carried suffixes identifying coupés on standard wheelbase, short coupés, convertibles, and sedans.

Most boutique car companies focus on high-end sports cars. Not Peter Monteverdi’s Swiss shop. In addition to building superfast sports cars, he sold high-end SUVs and extremely lengthy sedans for the world’s elite.

The High Speed line of cars was produced between 1967 and 1976. Most of them were 2-door coupes. There is one surviving convertible. And then there are these, the sedans. Fewer than 30 were built, and after production ceased, the Qatari Royal Family wanted some, so Monteverdi built seven more in the late 1970s.

This car is powered by a 7.2-liter Chrysler V8, which makes a great sound, and the chassis features a 20-inch stretch over the coupe. The wheelbase looks insane, but these are big cars. For royalty. And they never change hands.

2000gti

1968

The Monteverdi 2000 GTI is a concept car from the Swiss automaker Monteverdi that was designed by Pietro Frua as a cheaper alternative to the Monteverdi High Speed GT cars.

The prototype was developed on the basis of a BMW 2000 ti and was powered by a 2.0 L four-cylinder engine with 120 hp, good for a top speed of almost 200 km/h. This power was delivered to the rear axle via a three-speed automatic transmission from ZF.

The car was to be shown for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show in 1968, but those plans were ultimately cancelled because the prototype was severely damaged during transport in Turin. But it is also claimed that the dispute between Monteverdi and Frua that ended their collaboration was the cause. 

It is unclear why the car never went into production. According to some sources, BMW was not interested in a collaboration.  Other sources claim that Peter Monteverdi did not bring this smaller and cheaper GT coupé to the market in order to preserve the exclusivity of the High Speed series.  In any case, it has remained with this one prototype.

Pietro Frua did reuse the design for a number of one-off BMW coupés. In 1968, at the Paris Motor Show, he presented a BMW 2000 ti Coupé with the same body, equipped with a typical kidney-shaped BMW radiator grille.  In 1969 he showed a BMW 2800 GTS Coupé at the Geneva Motor Show and the IAA in Frankfurt. Finally, in 1972, a BMW 3.0 S Coupé followed, also at the Paris Motor Show. 

hai 450 ss/450 gts

The Monteverdi Hai 450 SS was a mid-engined prototype, an attempt to create a full sports car complementing the company's High Speed line. It was intended to be a direct competitor to the top of the list super sports cars of Lamborghini, Ferrari and Maserati.

A magenta Hai 450 SS prototype debuted at the 1970 Geneva Auto Show. It had a 6974-cc V8 from Chrysler delivering 450bhp and positioned behind the two front seats. It took its name from the output of the engine, and the German word for shark, Hai. The body was presumably designed by Trevor Fiore, of Carrozzeria Fissore, although some sources credit Pietro Frua. A second car was made with a longer wheelbase and minor detail changes like door handles and red bodywork. This car was named the Hai 450 GTS to mark the changes. This V8 engine produced 390 bhp.

Monteverdi initially planned to produce 49 copies, but the production was halted after the two prototypes. Only one car was actually sold, although in a 1974 interview Peter Monteverdi claimed to have delivered eleven of the cars. In the 1990s, two additional replicas from spare parts were made by Monteverdi, those now reside in the Swiss National Transport Museum in Luzern.

Paul Frère tested the 450SS, reaching 0–100 km/h  in 6.9 seconds and a top speed of 270.6 km/h. The 450 GTS, tested by Autozeitung, reached 0-100 km/h  in 5.5 seconds and a top speed of 280 km/h. Curb weight of the 450 SS was 1756 kg  as tested by Automobil-Revue in 1970, considerably higher than the factory numbers.

berlinetta

1972-1976

The Monteverdi Berlinetta was a two-seater sports car from the Swiss car manufacturer Monteverdi , which was offered from 1972 to 1976 and was produced in small numbers. With comparable drive technology and stylistic elements reminiscent of the Berlinetta, a convertible was also released in 1975, which was named Palm Beach .

From a technical point of view, the Berlinetta was a member of the High Speed ​​375 series , which Monteverdi had produced in various series since 1967. It represented a further development of the High Speed ​​375 S , whose chassis and body structure it essentially took over.

The Berlinetta was the third closed model to rest on Monteverdi's short-wheelbase chassis. As a pure two-seater, it was sportier and easier to handle than the 2 + 2-seater High Speed ​​375 L with a longer wheelbase, but it was far less successful. While Monteverdi was able to sell the 375 L annually in double-digit numbers from 1969 onwards, only six 375 S vehicles with a Fissore body were sold between 1969 and 1971.

palm beach

The Monteverdi Palm Beach is a concept car built by Monteverdi in March, 1975 on a shortened Monteverdi High Speed 375C chassis. It was first shown at the Geneva Motor Show in the same year. The car never went into production and remained a one-off.

The Palm Beach was first presented to the public at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1975. The paint was copper-colored and the interior was made of cream-colored leather. The purchase price of the Palm Beach was given as 124.000 Swiss francs.

In the literature is often held the opinion that the Palm Beach is the convertible version of the Monteverdi Berlinetta. This is misleading though; in fact, the Palm Beach is directly related to the four year older High Speed 375 C. The Palm Beach is the second convertible model built by Monteverdi on a High Speed chassis., the first being another convertible version of the High Speed that featured different styling cues.

On the exterior, the Palm Beach took on the design features of the Berlinetta, especially its low front end with the striking narrow radiator grille and the square twin headlamps. On the rear end, the tail lights from a Triumph TR6 were used. Otherwise, the Palm Beach was mostly similar to the 375 C in both chassis and the drive train. The Palm Beach did use a conventional 7.2-liter eight-cylinder engine from Chrysler, which also drove the volume model High Speed 375 L, instead of the 7.0 L Hemi used in the Berlinetta.

The Chrysler 440 V8 produced 300 hp and 449 ft-lb of torque. Although no real world figures are available, the Palm Beach has a theoretical 0-100 km/h time of 5.5. The theoretical top speed is 235 km/h.

The car never went into production and remained a one-off.

sierra

The Monteverdi Sierra was a car built between 1977 and 1980 by the Swiss firm Monteverdi, the cars were essentially reskinned Dodge Aspens and Plymouth Volares, although the two convertible versions were based on Dodge Diplomat coupes. The coach work was done by the Italian coach building firm Carrozzeria Fissore, where they were given new front and rear end styling, custom Italian leather interiors, custom gauge clusters, and a custom console. The new styling included Fiat 125 headlight assemblies, Renault 12 taillights and Wolf Race mag wheels.

The suspension was changed from the Chrysler torsion bar design to an independent, upper wishbones and lower horizontal arms combined with trailing radius rods, coil springs, adjustable shock absorbers and stabilizer bar. The only powertrain option was a 175 hp  Chrysler 318 cubic inch Small Block V8 paired to a Chrysler TorqueFlite A-904 3 speed automatic transmission.

Only 20 were built.

sierra convertible

At the Geneva Motor Show 1978, Monteverdi showed a convertible version of the Sierra, which was based on the shortened chassis of the Dodge Aspen coupe. The sale price was reported to be 89.000 Swiss francs. Although it was then competing with the much more expensive Rolls- Royce Corniche, also four-seater luxury convertible, the car did not deliver the expected success, and there were only two cars completed. A red painted car (with manual window regulators) was delivered to the Swiss publisher Frey, another in silver paint remained in the factory. Both cars still exist: The silver convertible is now at the Monteverdi Museum in Binningen, the red car in 2006 sold for 30.000 Swiss francs in Europe.

The petrol engine with displacement of 5898 cm3  and advertised power of 178 hp / 180 PS  gave the car a top speed of 210 km/h.

The production of super luxury cars ended in 1976. By that time, Monteverdi had started the mass production of a new kind of car, well-equipped luxurious off-road station wagons. The first model was the Monteverdi Sahara. It was not a Monteverdi development, but a boutique car. Monteverdi used a mechanically unchanged International Harvester Scout, changed the grill, and tuned up the interior. The second model was the Monteverdi Safari. In this case, Monteverdi also used a Scout, but most of the bodywork was changed, once again designed by Fissore. In addition to the standard Scout 5.0-L or 5.6-L  V8s, there was the option of installing the 440-CID V8 from Chrysler. The car had a formal, Italianate look and it sold well, in Europe as well as the Middle East.

safari

Despite the manufacturer’s tradition as a supercar manufacturer, the 1977 domestic market price of CHF 39,000 was only CHF 5,000 higher than that of the less well-appointed Range Rover. There were relatively few luxury SUVs offered in Europe at this time, and while the Safari’s sales volumes were dwarfed by those of the Range Rover, they were high compared to the company’s other models targeted at the higher end of the Maserati/Ferrari class. The body was built by Fissore, with whom Monteverdi had a long standing relationship.

The driving experience was enhanced by an automatic transmission, switchable all-wheel drive, electric windows and a well chosen selection of instruments behind the steering wheel. Despite the upright look of the body, the angle of the driver seat was relatively sporty, even though the overall height of the vehicle meant that the Safari driver was still well positioned to look down on conventional sedans/saloons.

Standard equipment was originally a Chrysler 5.2 litre V-8 engine delivering a claimed 152 PS  at 4,000 rpm and 346 N⋅m  of torque. The torque and added displacement gave it a significant performance advantage over the 3.5 litre-engined Range Rover of the time. A 5.7 litre 165 PS International Harvester V8 engine was also offered, and the manufacturers maintained that the drive train components were also engineered to be able to accommodate Chrysler’s 7.2 litre 305 PS  unit. In its 5.2 litre form, the vehicle achieved a maximum speed of 165.1 km/h  and took 13.1 seconds to reach 100 km/h  from a standing start. The price of this level of performance in such a heavy vehicle showed up in the overall fuel consumption figure of 25.1 L/100 km  achieved during the 1977 road test from which these performance figures are taken. The 7.2 litre version has a claimed top speed of 200 km/h, and the stated consumption figures were more than 50% higher than for the 5.7 litre version.

sahara

Peter Monteverdi’s Swiss car company produced some wild supercars, some Chrysler-based sedans, and some luxury off-roaders based on the very humble International Scout. Two such SUVs were produced: the Safari and the Sahara. Production began in 1977 and lasted through 1982, when IHC killed off the Scout.

Luxury SUVs were fairly rare in the late 1970s, and the Swiss market was pretty much limited to the Range Rover. Which is why Monteverdi pounced on the opportunity to offer a competitor. The Safari was bodied by Fissore, whereas the cheaper Sahara pretty much just used the Scout’s bodywork as-is.

This restored example is powered by a 5.7-liter IHC V8 good for 165 horsepower. The Sahara didn’t sell as well as the Safari, with as few as 30 examples having been built.

250z

The Monteverdi 250 Z was a prototype of a rudimentary off-road vehicle introduced by the Swiss automobile manufacturer Monteverdi in 1979. The car was the civilian version of the Military 230 M all-terrain vehicle designed by Monteverdi for the Swiss army.

Due to the oil crisis of 1973, the demand for luxury sports cars had fallen sharply. Monteverdi also noticed this in the sales figures of his High Speed series. In 1976, Monteverdi therefore switched to the production of luxury SUVs.

In 1976, Peter Monteverdi attempted to set up a partnership with truck manufacturer Saurer to produce the chassis and bodywork he had developed for his new Safari SUV. In the same year, Monteverdi also contacted the "Gruppe für Rüstungsdienste" (GRD), the Swiss Federal Armaments Service, with a proposal to deliver the Safari or a simplified version of it to the Swiss army.  In the end, both contacts yielded nothing. Saurer bought the rights to the project, with the intention of supplying the vehicles to the Swiss army. In the end, that didn't happen because the army opted for the Puch 230GE.

The off-road vehicle is powered by a 3.2L IH four-cylinder engine with 87 hp, good for a top speed of 150 km/h. The powertrain contains a four-speed manual gearbox and a reduction gearbox. It is possible to switch manually between rear-wheel and all-wheel drive.  The car has disc brakes at the front and drum brakes at the rear. A three-speed automatic gearbox and power steering are optional.

tiara

1982-1983

The basis of the Tiara was the long wheelbase version of the W126 Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan. In the case of the Tiara, Monteverdi carried over the entire drivetrain, as well as the interior, including doors and glazing of the base vehicle. The external changes were limited to a redesign of the front and the rear and on independent bumpers.

The front end of the Tiara featured an angular design instead of the more streamlined design on the S Class. Monteverdi installed a vertical, heavily chrome-plated front grille with four round headlights. The grille was made of chrome-plated struts. The front fenders were also modified and the hood was redesigned to be smoother and smaller than the Mercedes-Benz. The shape of the headlights and their surrounds cited classic design elements of the High-375 series; however, some observers felt more reminiscent of the Alfa Romeo Alfetta of the third series. At the rear end, the line of the trunk was also designed more angular. The tail lights were the same ones from the Peugeot 505; in an attempt to create an association with the untrained observer to the recently presented Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit. The bumpers were also new. Instead of the large plastic units of the base vehicle, Monteverdi used very narrow bumpers, which were bordered in chrome and reached into the car flanks.

For the engine, Monteverdi used the two largest engines available in the S-Class, the 3.8-liter and 5.0-liter eight-cylinder engines. They were used unchanged, and produced 204 hp  and 231 hp  respectively.

The Monteverdi Tiara was offered in 1982 at a price of 172,000 Swiss francs. a year later, the base price was 187,000 Swiss francs, making the Tiara nearly three times as expensive as a Sierra and twice as expensive as a corresponding Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Only 3 were made.

hai 650

In 1992 Peter Monteverdi decided to re-enter the automobile industry. To achieve that he needed something stunning and capturing to cause a stir, such as the Monteverdi Hai 450 SS did back in 1970. The target was to create the ultimate supercar, and a true F1 car for the road. To accomplish that, the company used a Formula 1 chassis from the defunct Monteverdi - Onyx F1 team plus its engine. The car itself was built around a F1 chassis utilizing a Ford DFR V8 F1 engine, though in detuned form. The car was named Hai 650 F1, paying homage to its lineage started with the Hai 450 SS of 1970 and denoting the car's power output and F1 pedigree. The car was shown to several potential customers and a few orders were taken, although no cars seem to have been sold to customers. Three prototypes were built, one of which is currently on display in the Swiss National Transport Museum in Luzern, Switzerland.

Engine Capacity: 3.5 litres, power Output: 649 bhp and acceleration: 0-100 km/h 3.0 seconds.

In 1961, Monteverdi modified one of his MBM Formula Junior cars to be eligible for Formula 1. The chassis was strengthened and lengthened to use a Porsche RSK sports car engine. Porsche refused to sell Monteverdi an engine, so he bought a complete RSK, removed the engine and tuned it to give about 150bhp. The MBM had a conventional space-frame and suspension. After having success in Swiss hill climbs, Monteverdi entered the MBM in the 1961 Solitude Grand Prix. He qualified last on the grid, and retired after two laps with engine problems. The car was written off in a Formula Libre race in Germany, and the remains were buried in the foundations of a new car showroom built on the site of Monteverdi's old garage.

In 1990, Monteverdi returned to Formula 1 through his acquisition of the Onyx Formula One team from Jean-Pierre Van Rossem. The team was known as Moneytron Onyx until the British Grand Prix, with the team being renamed as Monteverdi Onyx for the German Grand Prix. This was their last race, with the team folding before the Hungarian Grand Prix.

1990: Peter Monteverdi bought the ONYX Grand Prix Formula 1 team together with well known Swiss entrepreneur Karl Foitek in 1990, after which the team was renamed as MONTEVERDI Onyx and participated in the Formula 1 events during the 1990 F1 racing season under Peter Monteverdi's management.

1990: J.J. Lehto and Swiss driver Gregor Foitek piloted the MONTEVERDI Onyx F1 cars, the latter attaining the team's best result for the 1990 racing season with his seventh place at the Grand Prix of Monaco.

Monteverdi seemed to be done with the Formula One during the 1990 season. Beside that the ORE2 was already in development. In January 1991 the car was completed and build. JJ lehto tested with the car and some decent times were set.  The team eventually decided to leave the Formula one.