Intermeccanica Indra

Intermeccanica
	Intermeccanica Indra Cabriolet (1972)
Indra
Production period:	1971-1975
Class :	Sports car
Body versions :	Coupé , convertible
Engines:	; Petrol engines : 2.8-5.4 liters ; (121-169 kW)
Length:	4521 mm
Width:	1772 mm
Height:	1194 mm
Wheelbase :	2578 mm
Empty weight :	1520 kg
Previous model	Intermeccanica Italia
successor	Bitter CD

The Intermeccanica Indra was a sports car from the Italian car manufacturer Costruzione Automobili Intermeccanica , which was manufactured in Turin between spring 1971 and early 1975 . Like its predecessor, the Intermeccanica Italia , the Indra had a European sports car body, which was combined with American drive technology from large-scale production.

Development history

The Indra was designed by Franco Scaglione and constructed by Erich Bitter , initially without the knowledge of Frank Reisner , the founder and owner of Intermeccanica. The vehicle is said to be based on an initiative by Opel . The Austrian engineer Friedrich "Fritz" Indra drives an Indra himself, but was not involved in the development, as is sometimes claimed. Depending on the source, the model name can be traced back to the Hindu goddess Indra or to a hit by Udo Jürgens .

Erich Bitter arranged contact between Intermeccanica and General Motors in the course of 1970 . A short time later, the decision was made to no longer use components from Ford USA for the new Intermeccanica model , but to use the drive technology of the Diplomat V8 , General Motors' largest and most expensive vehicle made in Europe. At the same time, General Motors was to organize the distribution of the cars in Europe through its Opel dealers. The deal was similar to the one that de Tomaso had signed with Ford for the production and sale of the de Tomaso Pantera .

The relationship with General Motors was beneficial for Intermeccanica. The drive technology of the Diplomat - and especially its 5.4 liter eight-cylinder engine - was based largely on American designs. This meant that Intermeccanica still had simple and robust engines, which were now also easily and quickly available in Europe through Opel dealers. Finally, Opel's large dealer network ensured secure maintenance.

Technology and design

The company developed a largely new chassis around this technology. The innovations included a DeDion rear axle, four disc brakes and a contemporary automatic transmission from General Motors.

Franco Scaglione designed the body again. The basic layout of the Italia was retained: the Indra had a long, sloping bonnet with the engine behind the front axle, a small passenger cell with two seats (sometimes with two additional emergency seats) and a short rear. The front section was now smoothed: Instead of the recessed round individual headlights of the Italia, a pop-up headlight construction could be seen. The front and rear fenders were clearly bulged, and there was also a curved line above the rear wheels. The rear bumper was up; the taillights (from the Alfa Romeo Giulia ) were under her. This arrangement cited a corresponding feature of the Lamborghini Islero .

Scaglione designed three body versions:

a two-seater convertible
a two-seater notchback coupé with a generously glazed roof structure. The coupe was basically a convertible with a hardtop attached .
With a delay of two years, a hatchback coupé with two full and two emergency seats was also created. The profile of the vehicle showed some resemblance to the Maserati Ghibli , a successful Italian sports car of the late 1960s.

Intermeccanica Indra Cabriolet
(1971-1975)
interior
Intermeccanica Indra Coupé
(1974-1975)

The production

The Intermeccanica Indra was presented to the public at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1971. Immediately after the salon, Intermeccanica started series production. The vehicles were initially only sold in Europe. Two years later, the Indra was presented to the American audience at the New York Automobile Show . The car received a friendly reception there, and contemporary press releases report some orders from American customers.

During 1973 General Motors withdrew from the alliance with Intermeccanica. The reason for this were problems with the quality of Italian vehicles, which led to financial burdens in the warranty and repair area. In this respect, too, there is a similarity to the Ford story with the De Tomaso Pantera . General Motors stopped supplying the company with technical components; in addition, sales via the Opel dealerships were ended. Erich Bitter also parted ways with Intermeccanica. Shortly afterwards he presented a coupé called Bitter CD with a very similar design but produced by Baur in Germany , which was successful in Europe in the 1970s. This project was supported by General Motors.

For Intermeccanica, the separation from General Motors meant the end of Indra production in the medium term. Intermeccanica initially tried to get the necessary parts from Opel dealers. However, this was associated with much higher prices. In addition, since sales were no longer guaranteed, Intermeccanica had to stop production of the sports cars in the winter of 1974/75 after 125 copies had been made.

In 1975 the company stayed afloat with the production of several Jaguar SS100 replicas. At the same time, a few more Indra coupés with drive technology from Ford were created as prototypes for a second series that Intermeccanica initially wanted to produce from a new base in San Bernardino , California . One of the vehicles was shipped to California with all of its production equipment; However, the project ended before its realization when the (Californian) financier withdrew for a short time. The extent of the production of Indras with Ford technology has not been clarified beyond doubt. The Intermeccanica Enthusiasts Club speaks of only two copies, of which only one has reached a roadworthy condition; Another source, on the other hand, assumes 15 copies that were not sold on the regular market but were supposed to have been auctioned.

version	construction time	Copies
Cabriolet	1971-1974	60
Coupé, 2 seats	1971-1974	40
Hatchback coupe, 2 + 2 seats	1973-1974	25th
Hatchback coupe, 2 + 2 seats, Ford mechanics	1975	2 or 15 depending on the source

literature

Andrew McCredie, Paula Reisner: Intermeccanica: The Story of the Prancing Bull , Veloce Publishing Ltd, 2010, ISBN 978-1-84584-249-9
Halwart Schrader, Georg Amtmann: Italian sports cars . 1st edition, Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-613-01988-4 .
Halwart Schrader, David Lillywhite: Classic Automobiles . 1st edition, Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-613-02552-3 .

Web links

Commons : Intermeccanica - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

^ ^A ^b ^c Andrew McCredie, Paula Reisner: Intermeccanica: The Story of the Prancing Bull , Veloce Publishing Ltd, 2010, ISBN 978-1-84584-249-9 , p. 99.
↑ Stefan Heins: Bitter Sport. In: The Reliable (Club magazine of the old Opel IG). No. 199, pp. 10-14, here: p. 14 ( online ).
↑ Auto Catalog 1974/75, p. 18.
^ Andrew McCredie, Paula Reisner: Intermeccanica: The Story of the Prancing Bull , Veloce Publishing Ltd, 2010, ISBN 978-1-84584-249-9 , p. 110.
↑ Schrader / Lillywhite: Classic Cars, p. 235

[McCradie_99-1] A ^b ^c Andrew McCredie, Paula Reisner: Intermeccanica: The Story of the Prancing Bull , Veloce Publishing Ltd, 2010, ISBN 978-1-84584-249-9 , p. 99.

[2] Stefan Heins: Bitter Sport. In: The Reliable (Club magazine of the old Opel IG). No. 199, pp. 10-14, here: p. 14 ( online ).

[3] Auto Catalog 1974/75, p. 18.

[McCradie_110-4] Andrew McCredie, Paula Reisner: Intermeccanica: The Story of the Prancing Bull , Veloce Publishing Ltd, 2010, ISBN 978-1-84584-249-9 , p. 110.

[5] Schrader / Lillywhite: Classic Cars, p. 235