The Intermeccanica Italia paired a Turin-built body with a Ford V8, and only a few hundred were made. It’s one of seven grand touring cars from the 1960s and 1970s that most people have forgotten. Yet each one was built to cover big distances quickly, and the specs make that clear.
Several of them mixed European coachwork with American engines. The rest were Italian through and through. None sold in big numbers, which is a large part of why so few people remember them now.
1. 1972 Intermeccanica Italia Spyder
The Intermeccanica Italia went through two names before it got this one. It started as the Omega, then became the Torino after the city where it was built. Ford already owned that name, however, so the car became the Italia instead.
Robert Cumberford drew the body, and John Crosthwaite designed a new tubular steel frame. According to Silodrome, the Ford 351 Windsor V8 pushed it from 0 to 62 mph in 6.2 seconds. Sources put the total at roughly 400 to 500 cars. For example, RM Sotheby’s says about 500, and it sold a 1972 Intermeccanica Italia Spyder for $123,200 in Arizona in 2019.
2. 1971 Monteverdi 375/L High Speed
Peter Monteverdi was Ferrari’s importer in Switzerland until a falling out with Enzo Ferrari. After that, he decided to build his own coupe. His company started in 1967 and lasted 18 years, according to Hagerty UK.
Frua designed the early 375 S and 375 L bodies. Later, after a lawsuit, Fissore took over the coachwork. Under the hood sat a 440-cubic-inch Chrysler V8 rated at 375 bhp, with a three-speed TorqueFlite automatic. In 2016, RM Sotheby’s sold a 1971 375/L by Fissore for £156,800 in London.
3. 1966–1973 Maserati Mexico
The Mexico first appeared on the Vignale stand at the 1965 Turin show, built on the chassis of the 5000 GT. Then the production car followed at the Paris Salon in 1966. Two stories explain the name, and one links it to Mexican president Adolfo López Mateos, who bought the show car.
Maserati built 485 Mexicos through 1973, and 175 of them had the 290-hp 4.7-liter V8. In addition, a 4.2-liter V8 became available in 1969. According to RM Sotheby’s, it was also the first Maserati with servo-assisted disc brakes on all four wheels.
4. 1962–1966 Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint
Alfa Romeo showed the 2600 Sprint at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1962. The coupe was one of Giorgetto Giugiaro’s first big projects as head designer at Bertone. Its 2,584cc straight six used twin overhead cams and three twin-choke carburetors.
That six made 145 hp, according to Conceptcarz, which counts 6,999 Sprints built through 1966. Meanwhile, the catalogue for a 1963 car at Iconic Auctioneers gives a top speed of 125 mph. That car sold for £11,250 at the NEC in November 2022.
5. 1962–1970 Iso Rivolta IR 300
Iso began with microcars and motorcycles in Bresso, Italy. Then, in the early 1960s, it moved into luxury cars. The Rivolta IR 300 debuted at the 1962 Turin show, named for company chairman Renzo Rivolta and co-devised by former Ferrari engineer Giotto Bizzarrini.
Giugiaro at Bertone led the design here too. Power came from a 5.4-liter Chevrolet V8 rated at 295 horsepower, according to RM Sotheby’s. Iso built 797 of them from 1962 to 1970, Silodrome reports and it lists a Borg-Warner manual gearbox.
6. 1973–1979 Bitter CD
Erich Bitter raced NSUs, Porsches and Ferraris before he became a carmaker. His first car, the CD, launched at the 1973 Frankfurt show. Baur of Stuttgart built it on a shortened Opel Diplomat chassis.
The Diplomat also supplied the engine, a 5.4-liter Chevrolet 327 V8. According to BitterCars.com, it made 230 hp and gave a top speed of 130 mph. Bitter took 176 orders at the launch. But the 1973 fuel crisis wiped out many of them, and only 395 cars were built by 1979, Goodwood says.
7. 1966–1968 Ferrari 330 GTC
Ferrari and Pininfarina unveiled the 330 GTC at the 1966 Geneva show. It was a calmer, more luxurious choice than the 275 GTB/4, with power windows and a teak-veneered dash. Still, its 4.0-liter V12 made 300 hp and drove through a five-speed manual.
The Audrain Automobile Museum says Ferrari built 600 before the 365 GTC replaced it in 1968. Gooding & Company calls it “One of the Best-Driving Ferrari Road Cars of the Era.” In fact, a 1966 car at Gooding’s Pebble Beach sale brought $434,000 in 2025.
More from Fast Lane Only
