1969 Monteverdi 375 S

I had always wanted one, perhaps because, like me, the car was Swiss-born, but with an American heart

by Robert A. Lutz

With its beautiful, squatted-back, ready-to-pounce body styling, the Monteverdi 375 S was designed to be the definitive combination of luxury and power. The steel-bodied car was both strong and smooth. With 375 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque, it was capable of making the 0-60 mph jump in 6.3 seconds. Its 440-ci V8 was ideal for brute force, but due to its great weight it was mounted as far toward the firewall as possible to achieve the most favorable weight distribution. Chassis construction employed the simple, tried and true formula of square-section steel tubing, with coil springs and double wishbones in the front and a de Dion tube axle in the rear. The Series I Monteverdi 375 S was produced from 1967–69, and it is approximated that only ten were made. The car on offer here is one of just two brought legally into the U.S. in 1968. It bears the plate on the inside of the door that states its exemption from U.S. Department of Transportation requirements at the...