Vehicle Description
Intermeccanica was founded in 1960 by Canadians Frank and Paula
Reisner. The Reisners fell in love with Italy while on vacation and
on a whim, decided to resettle and start a new business, where
Frank felt his engineering expertise and passion for sports cars
would serve him well. Frank was a creative and dedicated engineer
with extensive experience designing racing cars for Giannini. The
Reisners picked the appropriately Italianate name Intermeccanica
and began offering tuning parts for Fiat, Peugeot, Simca and other
small-bore European vehicles. As the catalog of
Intermeccanica-designed exhaust systems, carburetor upgrades, and
other speed parts steadily grew, Frank turned to building complete
cars. The first was a Peugeot-powered Formula Junior, which was
followed by the IMP GT (Intermeccanica-Puch). The IMP was a small,
alloy-bodied sports car based on the tiny 500cc Daimler-Styer-Puch.
Much like a Fiat-Abarth, the IMP was based on a simple people-car
chassis, fitted with a lightweight alloy body, and tuned for
rallying and circuit racing. The IMP managed moderate success, most
notably an upset class win at the Nurburgring, besting the favored
Abarths and somewhat irritating Carlo in the process. After the IMP
came the Milt Brown-designed Apollo GT, which featured an
Intermeccanica-built chassis and handcrafted body styled by Ron
Plescia and the great Franco Scaglione. Just 90 examples were built
before the project went belly-up. However, soon after the Apollo
came Intermeccanica's own Italia, which would become the marque's
most successful model. Following the failure of two partnerships
(with Jack Griffith and Steve Wilder), Intermeccanica realized the
only way to succeed was to control the whole process in-house. The
Italia was a well-constructed car, with a chassis designed by
ex-BRM man John Crosthwaite and wrapped in a handsome steel body
designed by Robert Cumberford. After production began, a deal was
eventually struck with Ford Motor Company to supply engines,
transmissions, rear axles and Magnum 500 wheels from the Mustang.
As engine options for the Mustang evolved, so did the Italia: The
289 V8 led to the 302, and finally to the big 351. Ford shipped the
components to Intermeccanica in Turin where the chassis and bodies
were built. The Italia was a thoughtfully engineered and well-built
car, not to be confused with a kit car or homebuilt special. Today,
Italias are highly collectible and offer an exciting blend of pure
Italian style with generous American V8 muscle. This 1972
Intermeccanica Italia is a very good example of this rare and
exciting Italian-American hybrid. According to registry
information, this Italia dispatched from the factory on August 5,
1970. It was completed in US specification, and fitted with
optional electric windows, head rests, air conditioning and a black
interior. Finished today in classic red over black, this Italia
Spider is a good-looking car that is ideally suited for on-road
enjoyment. The body is presented in glossy red paint, with period
correct details that include the "ITALIA" badging on the nose,
rearing bull grille emblem, Plexiglas headlight covers and classic
Cromadora alloy wheels fitted with Intermeccanica-badged center
caps. Some subtle revisions have been made to this car, such as
quad-round tail lights, shaved filler cap, and "Frenched" tailpipes
and rear license plate mount. The paintwork is good, and while a
few minor touchups can be found on close inspection, the car
presents very nicely overall. Brightwork is also quite good,
showing some minor polish marks in places but is straight and
attractive. The cockpit is in similarly well-presented and tidy,
with black upholstery and top as originally equipped. Seats,
carpets and soft trim are in good order and the interior fittings
and switchgear are mainly period-correct. Original type Jaeger
instruments are present, while subtle updates include an adjustable
steering column and a classic, three-spoke, wood-rim Moto-Lita
wheel. Throughout the production of the Italia, Carrozzeria
Intermeccanica used a series of different engines depending on what
was available at the time. The earliest Griffiths were fitted with
a Plymouth 273 V8, which was soon replaced with the tried and true
Ford small block. As a later production example, this car was
fitted with the big, torquey 351 W from new, which is mated to the
desirable four-speed manual transmission. The engine bay is
detailed with period-appropriate chrome valve covers and air
cleaner, and the engine runs well, breathing through a single
four-barrel Holley carburetor. Approximately 350 Italias were built
between 1968 and 1973, and they enjoy a strong following of
knowledgeable, passionate enthusiasts. This well-presented example
is an excellent choice for a collector wanting to experience the
thrill of a proper Italian sports car without the associated
complexity. In the tradition of the best American-powered hybrids
such as Iso and Monteverdi, this Intermeccanica Italia beautifully
pairs exotic Italian style with burly V8 power.
