1974 Intermeccanica Indra Coupe

The world was introduced to the Intermeccanica Indra at the Geneva Automobile show in the early 1970s. Produced between 1971 and 1974, 125 examples would be produced in three variants, a convertible, notchback coupe, and fastback coupe.

Intermeccanica was a company that built automobiles with great Italian style and potent American power. Their best-known car was the Italia, followed by a new GT car called the Indra. Powered either by a 6-cylinder engine or a GM 350 V8 engine, the Scaglione-designed coupe and spider were sensational. With power and performance, the Indra was destined for greatness. Early quality-control issues, coupled with competition from the Bitter CD, changed 'what might have been,' and the euphoria soon came to a close.

At the 1973 New York Automobile Show, the Indra received many orders and distributorship for United States sales. However, GM soon stopped supplying both the Chevrolet engines and the Opel parts. They also directed their Opel dealers in Germany to cease selling the Indras. Since most of the Indras were sold in Germany through Opel Dealers Network, the news was disastrous.

Intermeccanica looked for alternatives and experimented with a Ford V-8 engine placed into chassis 11002525 as a test bed. A 351 unit was fitted but in mid-1974, a more powerful 428 Cobra Jet was substituted for the Geneva Motor Show.

It is believed the car was first sold to a customer in Turin or another in Florence. Either way, by June of 1977, the Intermeccanica had been exported to America by car dealer Ed Waterman and, through him, the car changed hands a number of times over the next few decades.

In 2007, the car was sold to a Midwesterner and longtime judge at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, who commissioned a high-quality restoration. During the work, the steering was updated, the electrical system and engine induction reworked, and the engine was given custom-made headers and a new Holley carburetor. The restoration work gave the opportunity to modify and enhance systems that may have been addressed had the car actually entered serious production.

The car was finished in green and had a natural leather interior.

In 2011, the car was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction where it was estimated to sell for $125,000-150,000. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for $115,500.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2011