Have You Ever Heard Of – The Monteverdi High Speed?

Let’s take a moment to celebrate Enzo Ferrari’s legendary ability to upset people, because without it there would be no Lamborghinis, no Bizzarrinis or Bizzarrini-engineered Iso Grifo. And no Monteverdi 375 either.

In 1965 Peter Monteverdi was the latest in a long line of people to be on the receiving end of Enzo’s mercurial approach to managing his business. When Ferrari demanded that his Swiss dealership order and pay for 100 cars up front, Monteverdi baulked. It was the final straw in a fraught relationship that had earlier included Enzo telling the aspiring racing driver that he wasn’t good enough to race for the Scuderia.

On that occasion, Monteverdi took his anger and channelled it into designing and building a Formula One car that ended up nearly killing him at Hockenheim. This time his choices were less life-threatening: he would build the car his high-end customers wanted, a car far better than anything Maranello could produce.

But we don’t just owe Enzo a debt of gratitude for what became the rather simply and appropriately named High Speed.

For the car to exist we also needed the development of Europe’s high-speed road networks. These new autoroutes and expressways could rapidly transport important, barrel-chested captains of industry to talk widgets with their engineering investments in Germany or whisper sweet nothings in the ear of their latest squeeze over a chilled Chardonnay on the boulevards of Cannes, for which they needed a new breed of car – the svelte GT.

Bentley paved the way with its fittingly named Continental but it was boutique makers like Aston Martin, Jensen, Ferrari and Maserati that fully serviced the need with modern cars like the DB5, Daytona, Interceptor and Sebring, supplemented by upstarts like Iso and Lamborghini. And, of course, Monteverdi.

Peter Monteverdi was not a man to cut corners. He had inherited his father’s small garage business and turned it into Switzerland’s major importer of Ferrari, Jensen, Lancia and BMW cars. Despite designing his first car in 1952 – an ungainly Fiat 1100-based sports special – Monteverdi wisely entrusted the job of creating his new Ferrari-beater to Pietro Frua and the famed designer ardently set about penning a crisp and beautiful two-seater. Power came from Chrysler’s 440ci, 7.2-litre V8, imbuing the new car, if not with the provenance of a Ferrari, certainly with better reliability and lower maintenance costs.

The original plans were for Frua to build them too, but the intended run of 20 cars per week was beyond Monteverdi’s factory capacity, so after the first few cars the job was handed to Fissore of Turin. Bare chassis would be assembled at Monteverdi’s Basel base before transferring to Fissore’s Savigliano factory to be bodied. Then back to Basel for completion, a not unheard of practice at the time.

The resulting High Speed 375S – the name a reflection of the car’s 152mph top speed and gross engine power – was impressive. On paper it was more than a match for Enzo’s GTs and it looked just as good. It would be rarer too, but also eye-wateringly expensive. At £10,450 in 1967 – £175,000 now – for the same money you could have a Ferrari Daytona and pocket £3,750 in spare change.

The 375S was subsequently launched in September 1967 at the Frankfurt show. Reviewers were impressed by the comfortable ride, nimble handling for such a big, heavy car and the performance, with 100mph arriving in a shade over ten seconds. They also praised the looks. They were, however, less impressed by the build quality of this rather pricey car.

Shoddy quality aside, it really was very good. But then it was always going to be, thanks to Monteverdi’s experience as a racing driver, his knowledge gained running a high-end showroom and his dedication to exacting standards. And, no doubt, his driven desire to stick it to Enzo. In the late 1960s there were few better ways to travel very quickly across Europe than in a High Speed.

It soon became clear that the market wanted a 2+2 rather than a strict two-seater, so in autumn 1969 the 375L replaced the 375S using a lengthened chassis. By late 1969 the 375S was back. Just six were built. In 1971 the firm showcased a convertible, the 375C but the world only saw two of those. Emissions legislation would strangle the Chrysler V8 so later cars got less power and that rarified top speed dropped down to something a little more “normal”.

The major change in the line-up was unveiled at the Geneva show of Spring 1971. The simply named 375/4 was a full four-seater saloon version based on the running gear and lengthened chassis of the High Speed 375L. Aimed squarely at the same sober saloon oeuvre as Maserati’s Quattroporte, the 375/4 had more than a passing resemblance to a large Ford Granada, which was oddly appropriate because it used that car’s headlights. The factory claimed that 30 were built, but this is probably an exaggeration – only eight are known to exist today.

High Speed sales never matched those original twenty-per-week projections and across nine years just 200 of all models are believed to have been built. We doubt Enzo lost much sleep…

But who cares if nobody bought it? Because the High Speed in all its variants was brilliant – the result of one man’s singular vision to build the best GT possible. Its closest relative is Jensen’s Interceptor, an equally evocative car but one hobbled by being built in relatively large numbers. Not so the High Speed – it remains a rare beast and therefore so much more desirable and should you fancy one for yourself we currently have a rather tasty 375L for sale right here at Car & Classic, care of Alan Carrington Classic Cars. 

A show condition example following a nine year nut and bolt restoration, this particular car has been officially authenticated by Paul Beger, Monteverdi Museum curator since Peter Monteverdi passing in July 1998. Pretty legit then.

The world of motoring needs visionaries; men and women who throw caution to the wind, go all Nike and just do it. And Peter Monteverdi can certainly be counted amongst their number.