A super rare 1970 Monteverdi High Speed 375 L is being offered by the Private Sales division of UK auction house H and H for £394,995.
One of only 65 or 66 examples built – sources differ – this cult classic is offered for sale fresh from a comprehensive nine-year restoration, having covered 38,700 miles across just three owners.
Something of a curio, the Monteverdi marque was born after a rumoured spat between Ferrari’s Swiss concessionaire Peter Monteverdi and Enzo Ferrari.
The tale goes that in 1957, Enzo insisted Monteverdi order 100 cars and pay for them in advance. Rather than capitulate, Monteverdi parted ways with Maranello and founded his own marque – following a similar path to Ferruccio Lamborghini and Giotto Bizzarrini. If the founding myth is true, Enzo’s slight ultimately led to the Monteverdi High Speed 375 S debuting to wide acclaim at the 1967 Paris Motor Show.
Positioned against the Ferrari 275 GTB/4 and Aston Martin DB6 – and more expensive than both – the High Speed sat on a square-tube chassis designed by Monteverdi himself. It featured Alford & Adler double-wishbone suspension up front, with a Watts-linkage De Dion arrangement and limited-slip differential at the rear. Under the bonnet lurked a 7.2-litre Chrysler V8 with an SAE-quoted output of 375bhp – the source of the car’s name. A 7.0-litre Chrysler HEMI V8 was available as an option.
This particular car – chassis 1017 – is equipped with the 7.0-litre unit, good for 0-60mph in under seven seconds and a top speed of 150mph – impressive figures for the era. As part of the meticulous restoration, however, the engine has been overhauled and uprated to produce 450bhp and exhales through a custom two-inch stainless steel exhaust system. Better still, the original three-speed automatic has been replaced with a period-correct four-speed Chrysler A833 manual ’box. Handling has also been sharpened with poly bushings, Koni dampers and Michelin XWX tyres at each corner.
The car’s standout feature, however, is surely its elegant bodywork, finished in a stunning shade of Seychelles Blue Metallic. This 1970 example was among the final Monteverdis to be bodied by the esteemed Italian coachbuilder Frua, before production shifted to the lesser-known Fissore carrozzeria owing to Frua’s reluctance to commit to more than 20 cars per year.
With just three owners from new, the car remained with its first custodian for a decade before passing to its second in 1984. Chassis 1017 then spent the next 27 years in storage, before being authenticated by Monteverdi Museum custodian Paul Berger and acquired by its current owner in 2011.
It’s no secret that we have a soft spot for unusual, esoteric classics here at Octane, and this Monteverdi fits the bill perfectly. View the listing here.
