Monteverdi Palm Beach
| Monteverdi | |
|---|---|
 Monteverdi Palm Beach
|
|
| Palm Beach | |
| Production period: | 1975 |
| Class : | Upper class |
| Body versions : | Cabriolet |
| Engines: |
Otto engine : 7.2 liters (250 kW) |
| Length: | 4600 mm |
| Width: | 1795 mm |
| Height: | 1230 mm |
| Wheelbase : | 2520 mm |
| Empty weight : | 1805 kg |
| Previous model | Monteverdi High Speed 375 C |
| successor | Monteverdi Sierra Cabriolet |
The Monteverdi Palm Beach was a two-seater convertible produced by the Swiss car manufacturer Monteverdi . Technically, the car belonged to the High Speed 375 family , which Monteverdi had been producing in various versions since 1967. The Palm Beach was the last derivative of this concept, introduced in 1975. Series production did not materialize. The Palm Beach is regularly shown at exhibitions today. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful convertibles of the 1970s.
Background and technology
The Palm Beach was based on the shortened chassis of the Monteverdi High Speed 375. It was the second open model that Monteverdi realized on this chassis.
In the literature, the view is often taken that the Palm Beach is the convertible version of the Monteverdi Berlinetta . This representation is at least misleading; in fact, the Palm Beach is directly related to the High Speed 375 C , which is four years older .
The High Speed 375 C had already been presented in 1971. It was a convertible version of the "short" High Speed 375 S. The convertible 375 C corresponded - apart from the roof construction - stylistically and technically to the 375 S. Monteverdi only produced two copies of the 375 C. One vehicle went on sale; a second car completed in April 1971 (chassis number 1027) remained in the factory as an exhibit.
In 1972 Monteverdi replaced the not very successful and stylistically controversial Coupé 375 S with the Berlinetta, which had a heavily revised front section and had undergone some modifications in the area of the chassis.
Three years after the Berlinetta was presented, Monteverdi added an open version to the coupé, the Palm Beach, which had only been produced in a few copies so far. Outwardly, the Palm Beach took over the design features of the Berlinetta, especially its low front section with the striking narrow radiator grille and the square double headlights, but also the rear section, which used the rear lights of the Triumph TR6 . Otherwise, however, the Palm Beach corresponded to the 375 C. This applies to both the chassis and the drive technology. Instead of the Hemi power unit with 7.0 liters displacement used in the Berlinetta, the Palm Beach used a conventional 7.2-liter eight-cylinder engine from Chrysler, which also powered the high-volume model High Speed 375 L.
The Palm Beach was presented to the public at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1975. The paint was copper-colored, the interior was made of cream-colored leather. The purchase price of the Palm Beach was quoted at 124,000 Swiss francs.
The example on display was not a newly built car. Rather, it was the second 375 C, manufactured in April 1971 and remaining in the factory, with the chassis number 1027, which Monteverdi had retrofitted with body parts for the Berlinetta in the winter of 1974/75. The vehicle on display in Geneva was sold to a private customer in the late 1970s; later Monteverdi bought the car back. It stood in Monteverdi's car museum in Binningen until it was closed in 2017 and is regularly shown at exhibitions.
The Monteverdi Palm Beach was not produced in series. In the literature it is predominantly assumed that the Palm Beach remained a unique piece.
Performance
The Palm Beach exhibited in Geneva was tested in 1976 by the Swiss magazine Motor Revue . A maximum speed of almost 237 km / h and an acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h in 7.8 seconds were measured. The performance was generally described as sporty and confident.
The Importance of Palm Beach
The introduction of Palm Beach came at a time when Monteverdi was suffering from significant economic difficulties. At the end of 1973, company owner Peter Monteverdi invested heavily in the modernization of his technical equipment; a little later, however, sales of his sports cars collapsed by more than 60 percent as a result of the oil crisis. As a result, Monteverdi was no longer able to service its liabilities on time in 1974, so that the Swiss press in particular openly speculated about the automobile manufacturer's bankruptcy. In the winter of 1974/75 Monteverdi managed to consolidate the finances of his company. At the same time, considerations began to convert production to cheaper, more disposable off-road vehicles . During this time, Monteverdi needed a new vehicle at short notice in order to publicly document the company's ability to act. This role fell to Palm Beach, which was generally perceived as attractive. In view of the very high selling price of the Palm Beach and the restrictions that high-performance sports cars were subject to in times of the oil crisis, it cannot be assumed that Monteverdi considered series production of the Palm Beach shortly before he started production of the Safari SUV.
literature
- Kevin Brazendale: Encyclopedia Automobile from Alfa Romeo to Zagato. The 600 most beautiful models . Augsburg (Weltbild Verlag) 2000. ISBN 3-8289-5384-0 .
- Roger Gloor, Carl Wagner: Monteverdi - Development of a Swiss Brand , 1980 (out of print). Factory-supported chronicle of the Monteverdi brand
- Jürgen Lewandowski, Marion Zellner: Cult convertibles. The most legendary convertibles from 1945 until today . Munich (Steiger) 2000. ISBN 3-89652-195-0 .
- Frank Oleski, Hartmut Lehbrink: Series sports cars from 1945-1980. Motor-Classic-Verlag, Basel 1983, ISBN 3-907004-01-9 .
- Motor Revue 1976/77: Test Monteverdi Palm Beach.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ The vehicle shown is the first of the 375 C, which was initially sold to a private customer.
- ↑ According to other sources: three seats. See Gloor, Wagner: Monteverdi. P. 204.
- ^ Lewandowski, Zellner: Kult-Cabrios, p. 78 ff.
- ↑ The von Gloor / Wagner: Monteverdi, p. 204.
- ↑ Volume model from the Monteverdi brand was the 2 + 2-seater High Speed 375 L, which had a 2680 mm long wheelbase. The two-seater version High Speed 375 S, which was only produced in a few copies, had a wheelbase shortened to 2510 mm and was externally recognizable by a separate front section.
- ↑ Oleski, Lehbrink: Series sports cars, p. 334.
- ↑ Brazendale: Encyclopedia Automobile, p. 453.
- ↑ Oleski, Lehbrink: Series sports cars, p. 334.
- ^ Lewandowski, Zellner: Kult-Cabrios, p. 78 ff.
- ↑ Images of a blue Palm Beach are occasionally circulating on the Internet (cf. illustration at www.tobiasullrich.de ( Memento of the original from April 27, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check original and Archive link according to instructions and then remove this note. ). This is a photo montage; Palm Beach was never painted blue.
- ^ Motor Revue 1976/77.
- ↑ 1971 and 1972 each made about 60 copies of the high-speed series. In 1974 there were 30 vehicles, and in 1975 Monteverdi sold around 20 vehicles. Quoted from Gloor, Wagner: Monteverdi. P. 204.
- ↑ E.g. Power Slide 11/1974.
- ↑ Gloor, Wagner: Monteverdi. Pp. 203-205.
