The story of Construzione Automobili Intermeccanica, in many ways parallels that of fellow Italian small constructor Abarth. Intermeccanica was founded in Turin, Italy, in 1959 by Hungarian Frank Reisner. In its first year, Intermeccanica produced aftermarket performance kits for more pedestrian European marques such as Renault, Simca, Peugeot and DKW. Like Abarth, Intermeccanica next moved into the production of “free-flow” exhaust systems, which by 1960 led to the production of their first small car, based on the 500-cc Steyr-Puch.
By 1961, Intermeccanica entered into a partnership with Californian Milt Brown to produce a new sports car, the Apollo GT, which would feature an Intermeccanica-built frame and body, assembled in Oakland, California, with a Buick V8 for power. While well received, the Apollo GT was an underfunded project that resulted in only 90 examples being built until 1965.
However, the following year, Intermeccanica was approached by another budding American constructor, Jack Griffith of Long Island, New York, who had up until that point, been stuffing small-block V8 engines into TVRs. Griffith had ambitious plans to construct his own Griffith GT and so brought in ex-BRM designer John Crosthwaite to design a square tube chassis that featured independent suspension by unequal length wishbones at the front, and a Mustang live rear axle located by trailing rods, Panhard rod and coil springs at the rear. The Bob Cumberford-penned steel body was hand formed over wooden bucks, then directly welded to the chassis for rigidity. The prototype Griffith GT made its debut at the 1966 New York Motor Show with a 4.5-liter Plymouth engine.
However, Griffith was already in over his head financially and very soon thereafter closed up his company, leaving Reisner and Intermeccanica with all the cost and tooling to produce the 2,500 chassis that Griffith had ordered! Reisner quickly decided that the only way to salvage the situation was to build and offer the cars himself, under the Intermeccanica name. With funding from an Italian bank and an agreement with Ford to use, first their 4.7-liter, then 5.0-liter and finally 5.7-liter V8 power plant, Intermeccanica launched what they intended to call the Torino. Not so fast! Engine supplier Ford already had a claim to the Torino name, so Intermeccanica was forced to come up with a new name, the Italia.
From 1967 until 1973, Intermeccanica produced some 500-600 Italias, in both coupé and spyder form.
On the Road
Circling the Italia produces a strange clash of novelty and familiarity. The overall shape and styling, as a whole, is unique, stylish and quintessentially Italian. Yet, breaking the design down reveals so many familiar and distinctive influences, blended together. The nose has Ferrari Daytona wedded with Ferrari Dino. The roof and B-pillars have Ferrari 275, with just a touch of Daytona. Throw in some Fiat influences along with just a taste of Corvette and the resulting Italia is not unlike a fanciful medical experiment where one man’s ultimate supermodel was created by assembling parts from all the top models of the day. Undoubtedly beautiful, but strangely familiar.
Pushing the button to pop open the driver side door reveals a clearly ’70s Italian interior that is something more than a kit car and less than a Ferrari or Maserati. Finished in black and red leather, the Italia’s interior is very reminiscent of those of its more expensive brethren from Modena, but with a little less attention to the finish detail, such as the padded dash binnacle flat-screwed to the dashboard and door panels with exposed interior screws in odd locations. However, the overall fit and feel is not unpleasant and, in fact, adds to the unique character of this rare, “boutique” sports car.
Turn the ignition key and a familiar rumble emanates from under the hood as the Ford small-block V8 sparks to life. Dip the heavy clutch and engage the notchy, T-10 4-speed and the Italia smoothly pulls away from a stop with a satisfying growl. More aptly, the Italia launches from a stop as the 310-hp V8 hurls the 2,950-lb Italia with an impressive burst of acceleration. On the road, the Italia is quite tractable in stop-and-go city traffic, though the proximity of the V8’s exhaust headers does mean an appreciable amount of cockpit heat. However, like any true Italian sports car, the Italia is happiest when cruising at freeway speeds or higher.
Handling is responsive and the brakes appropriate for the car’s weight and performance, resulting in a total performance package very reminiscent of a slightly more agile Corvette Sting Ray, but with much more appealing Italian clothing! While there are several other early 1970s exotics that might offer greater total performance for the money, there are few that combine that performance with the Italia’s handsome looks, extreme rarity and panache. If you want to show up at any given concours or car club event in an Italian exotic that no one else has — nevertheless even heard of — the Italia may be for you.
SPECIFICATIONS
1969 Intermeccanica Italia Sport Coupé
Production: <600
Chassis: Square tube steel
Body: Steel
Wheelbase: 94.5 inches
Length: 175 inches
Width: 68 inches
Front Track: 59 inches
Rear Track: 59 inches
Height : 46.5 inches
Engine: Ford 302-cu.in V8
Bore x Stroke: 4.0-in x 3.0-in
Compression Ratio: 9:1
Induction: 4-barrel Autolite carburetor
Power: 300-hp
Torque: 300-lbs-ft.
Transmission: Ford T-10 4-speed
Weight: 2,950 pounds
Brakes: 4-way power-assisted disc
PERFORMANCE
Top Speed: 135 mph
0-60 mph: 6.4-sec
Average fuel consumption: 10.2 mpg
VALUATION
Price at launch: $7,995
Excellent: $55,000
Good: $40,000
Average: $30,000
Poor: $20,000
