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And so, a week into the ICYHHO series, I’m cheating. The Monteverdi Hai is Swiss. But it’s Swiss-Italian. I admit to funny business, but the Hai 450 SS looks Italian. And it probably doesn’t work so well, which makes it very Italian. There are only four examples of the Hai 450 SS in existence, with [...]
Italian Cars
Italian Cars You Haven’t Heard Of: 1947 Cisitalia 202 Coupe
Perhaps you have heard of this one — it sits in New York’s Museum of Modern Art, after all. And it certainly should. Have a look at the flowing lines and gorgeous bodywork by Pininfarina on this car and it’s no effort to appreciate its inherent asthetic appeal. But in context I find it even [...]
Italian Cars You Haven’t Heard Of: Ferrari-Powered Lancia Thema 8.32!
About twenty years ago, Lancia was considered a pretty successful brand. Nowadays, they sell nicely in Italy and very little (or not at all) in other countries. In the late 1980s, Lancia’s big “rep car” — that’s a D-segment sedan or hatch — was the Thema. And as you can see, it looks a hell [...]
Italian Cars You Haven’t Heard Of: Maserati Biturbo 425
You’re no doubt familiar with the Maserati Biturbo, featured in a previous Fool’s Gold column. It’s the Maserati that on the road, you could mistake for an E30 BMW 3-Series. Except that the Maserati features the Italian terror trifecta of expensive to repair, unreliable, and hard to find parts for. But what you might not [...]
1979 Maserati Merak Gauge Cluster Is Brutally Honest
You can just imagine the conversation as it happened in Modena in the mid 1970s: Luca: How is testing going on the Merak? Francesco: Well, the brakes fuck up a lot. Luca: Put in a warning light. Luca: Make it huge.