Monteverdi Sierra

Monteverdi
Monteverdi Sierra convertible from 1978
Monteverdi Sierra
Production period:	1977-1982
Class :	Upper class
Body versions :	Sedan , cabriolet , station wagon
Engines:	Petrol engines : 5.2-5.9 liters (124-132 kW)
Length:	4680-4880 mm
Width:	1820 mm
Height:	1280-1400 mm
Wheelbase :	2740-2850 mm
Empty weight :	1400-1650 kg
Previous model	Monteverdi High Speed ​​375/4
successor	Monteverdi tiara

Monteverdi Sierra sedan

Base vehicle of the Sierra: A sedan from the Chrysler F platform (here: a Plymouth Volaré)

The Monteverdi Sierra was a luxury sedan from the Swiss car manufacturer Monteverdi , which was produced from 1977 to 1982. The vehicle replaced the High Speed ​​375 series, with which Monteverdi had been represented in the market for high-priced luxury vehicles since 1967. With the Sierra, the Swiss company responded to the first oil crisis in the mid-1970s, as a result of which interest in heavy, fuel-intensive high-performance sports cars had declined: The Sierra was smaller, lighter and cheaper than the previous Monteverdi models. At the same time, it documented a change in corporate policy that led from fast sports cars to vehicles that were characterized by luxury and comfort. With the Sierra, Monteverdi continued the concept of the boutique car that had already been successfully used a year earlier with the Safari off-road vehicle . The press received the Sierra sedan largely with praise; however, it was unable to establish itself on the market: until 1982 it was only manufactured in small numbers.

The concept

The Monteverdi Sierra was a so-called boutique car. In contrast to the coupés, convertibles and sedans of the high-speed series, Monteverdi did not develop the car entirely itself; Instead, the Swiss company used the body structure and drive technology of a mass-produced vehicle, which was optically alienated by individual add-on parts and received an upgraded interior. By resorting to mass-production technology, Monteverdi was able to largely save the development costs associated with designing its own car; In addition, a (more or less) reliable suitability for everyday use was ensured through solid mass production technology.

As the basis for the Sierra, Peter Monteverdi chose the so-called F-platform of the American automobile manufacturer Chrysler . This design was introduced with the model names Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volaré in 1976 and was intended to compete on the American market with high-quality imported vehicles such as the Mercedes-Benz "Stroke Eight" . In terms of its dimensions, it roughly corresponded to these models, so that it was also compatible with the conditions of the European market.

Monteverdi took over the floor pan, the drive technology including suspension, the entire passenger cell, the glazing and large parts of the body panels (especially the roof and doors) from Chrysler. The Monteverdi brand chronicle, published in 1980, expressly confirms the relationship to American Chrysler models, while contemporary press reports from Germany and Switzerland do not mention the relationship and depict the Sierra as a self-made design by Peter Monteverdi.

The visual differences between the Sierra and the Dodge Aspen resulted primarily from a separate front and rear section, for which Carrozzeria Fissore had developed a European-style design based on the designs by Peter Monteverdis. Unlike the Chrysler vehicles of the same origin, the Sierra had slightly curved front fenders that mimicked the lines of the High Speed ​​375 models, and a discreet, chrome-plated radiator grille with twin headlights, which had been taken over from the Fiat 124 Spezial and the indicator unit from the Fiat 125 . With this front section, Monteverdi created a family resemblance to the similarly designed Safari. At the rear, there was a rectangular design reminiscent of the 375/4, on which the rear lights of the Renault 12 (phase 2) were installed. The narrow, largely plastic components using bumper construction made the Sierra appear much sportier than the Dodge Aspen. The significantly tighter cut bumpers also reduced the external length of the vehicle by 20 centimeters compared to the original model. In its overall appearance, the Sierra was similar to the now discontinued Fiat 130 sedan, but was more than twice as expensive as the Italian vehicle.

In the interior, Monteverdi installed BMW seats , which, like the side panels, were covered with leather.

The technology

The drive technology was adopted unchanged from the Dodge Aspen and the Plymouth Volare . This also included the rear rigid axle, a comparatively antiquated and uncomfortable solution for the price range of the Sierra. Monteverdi made individual attempts in 1976 and 1977 to install a De-Dion rear axle he had designed himself ; however, these approaches were discontinued early on. It is unclear whether individual vehicles with the De Dion rear axle were sold at all. Peter Monteverdi claimed that the average customer would hardly notice the difference between a rigid axle and an independent suspension. Other sources assume that the high financial outlay for such a new development was the decisive reason for keeping the original American design.

Monteverdi only offered the two most powerful engines of the Dodge Aspen and the Plymouth Volaré. There was a choice of a 5.2 liter eight-cylinder engine with four-fold carburettor and an output of 118 kW (160 hp) and a 5.9-liter version with approx. 135 kW, which was referred to in a sales brochure as the "hot version" . Both engines were also used in exclusive vehicles from other manufacturers; for example, they were found in the Bristol 603 .

The versions

limousine

The standard model was the four-door Sierra sedan, which was offered from 1977 to 1982. When it was presented, the base price of the Sierra 5.2 was 69,000 Swiss francs; the version equipped with the 5.9-liter engine was 5,000 Swiss francs more expensive. The standard equipment included leather upholstery, power steering and electric window lifters (however, there are at least two vehicles with manual crank windows at the front and rear); Air conditioning and central locking, however, were subject to a surcharge.

Cabriolet

At the 1978 Geneva Motor Show, Monteverdi presented a convertible version of the Sierra, which was based on the shortened chassis of the Dodge Aspen Coupé. The sales price was given as 89,000 Swiss francs. Although there were no four-seater luxury convertibles and therefore no direct competition in addition to the much more expensive Rolls-Royce Corniche , the expected success did not materialize and only two copies were built. A red painted vehicle (with manual window regulators) was delivered to the Swiss publisher Frey, another in silver remained in the factory. Both vehicles still exist: the silver-colored convertible is now in the Monteverdi Museum in Binningen; the red car was sold in 2006.

Station wagon

Another derivative is the Sierra Station Wagon from 1979, a five-door station wagon based on the Dodge Aspen Station Wagon. The vehicle received the usual changes on the front end; the well-known bumpers were installed at the rear as well as the tail lights of the Peugeot 504 Break , creating a family resemblance to the Safari. The vehicle took up the concept of the luxury station wagon, which Mercedes-Benz implemented around the same time as the T-model of the Mercedes-Benz W 123 . For the Sierra Station Wagon, however, Peter Monteverdi did not (yet) see a market, so it stayed with the one-off, which was registered in Ticino until the early 1980s and was regularly used in road traffic. The car is now in Monteverdi's car museum.

The production

As is customary at Monteverdi, the Sierra models were not produced in-house, but made by hand by external body shops. About 20 copies were made by the Basel bodywork company Wenger Carrosserie / Fahrzeugbau . In addition, a number of other vehicles are likely to have been built at Fissore.

How many Sierra sedans were made between 1977 and 1982 is unknown. The brand history of Gloor and Wagner claims that the Sierra “enjoyed full commercial success” and that sales “increased tremendously” after the Sierra was introduced. However, the work does not give exact figures. The estimates of the volume of production vary widely. They are between 20 and 50 copies. In several publications it is pointed out that, above all, the poor build quality of the Sierra prevented the vehicle from being more successful.

30 years after the end of production, the existence of around half a dozen Sierra sedans is documented. In a sales brochure from 1977, three dark sierras are shown side by side in front of the Basel Hotel Euler. One of these cars - a dark blue car with a cream-colored interior - served Peter Monteverdi for a time as a personal vehicle that was parked at Monteverdi's vacation home in Florida , among other places . The car was owned by an American collector for several years, who sold it to the Orient in 2006. Another vehicle with green paintwork and a burgundy interior was in Vienna in the first years of the 21st century without registration. A silver car was up for sale in southern Germany in 2006. The Sierra with the chassis number 9159 in blue metallic with cream-colored leather (one of the few Sierra sedans with crank windows) was registered in the Wolfenbüttel district (Lower Saxony / Germany) in 2009.

Production of the Sierra ended in 1982 when Chrysler discontinued the Dodge Aspen and the Plymouth Volare . Subsequently, Monteverdi sold the rights to the name "Sierra" to the Ford group, which gave this name to the successor to the Ford Taunus . According to recent press reports, Monteverdi is said to have received compensation of five Swiss francs for each Ford Sierra produced.

The current market situation

Monteverdi Sierras are rarely offered on the used car market; the availability is described in the specialist literature as “going towards zero”. The price for a Sierra in excellent condition was given in 2010 at around 33,000 euros, the price for a specimen in mediocre condition at 13,000 euros.

photos

• 

  Front section: double headlights and indicator units from Fiat

• 

  Taillights from the Renault R12: The rear of the Monteverdi Sierra

• 

  Made in two copies: the Sierra Convertible

• 

  Remained a one-off: The Sierra Station Wagon

• 

  The layout of the Sierra's dashboard was the same as that of the Dodge Aspen, but it was covered with Alcantara

Technical specifications

The technical data given below are factory specifications. They are taken from a sales prospectus from 1977.

literature

• Roger Gloor, Carl Wagner: Monteverdi - Development of a Swiss Brand. 1980. (Factory-supported chronicle of the Monteverdi brand)
• Daniel Hug: We only sold the Monteverdi Hai once. The story behind the Swiss car in UBS advertising . In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) on Sunday. October 19, 2010.
• Jürgen Lewandowski: Great Opera. Portrait of a Swiss car brand. In: Auto Focus. 2/1998, p. 38 ff.
• Götz Leyrer: Swiss Made. In: auto motor und sport. 6/1977 (presentation of the Monteverdi Sierra and driving report).
• Götz Leyrer: handicrafts. In: auto motor und sport . 13/1978. (Presentation of the Monteverdi program and short biography about Peter Monteverdi)
• Mark Siegenthaler and Marco Schulze: With a hard hand and a big heart, the life and work of Peter Monteverdi , in: Swiss Car Classics No. 20, 04/2008
• Günther Zink: Oldtimer Catalog No. 24. Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2010, ISBN 978-3-86852-185-6 .

Web links

Commons : Monteverdi Sierra  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Private Monteverdi website
• Monteverdi car museum Binningen
• Sales brochure of the Monteverdi Sierra and the Safari from 1977
• Sales brochure of the Monteverdi Sierra from 1978

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Gloor, Wagner: Monteverdi. P. 214.
2. ↑ ^{a b} Gloor, Wagner: Monteverdi. P. 215.
3. ↑ Richard M. Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930–1980. Beekman House, New York 1984, ISBN 0-517-42462-2 . P. 197.
4. ↑ z. B. Auto Motor and Sport. Issue 6/1977.
5. ↑ Brazendale, p. 356.
6. ↑ Auto Motor und Sport, Issue 6/1977, p. 12.
7. ↑ ^{a b} Zink: Oldtimer Catalog No. 24, p. 255.
8. ↑ Auto Motor und Sport. Issue 6/1977.
9. ↑ Auto Motor und Sport. Issue 6/1977.
10. ↑ See Gloor, Wagner: Monteverdi. P. 216 f.
11. ^ Auto catalog 1979/80. P. 127.
12. ↑ Auctioned by the Toffen Oldtimer Gallery
13. ↑ Note on the website dealing with Chrysler models and derivatives www.allpar.com (accessed on March 22, 2011).
14. ^ According to Wenger, his company primarily dealt with body repairs. When the production capacities at Fissore were full due to the high demand for Safari models, Wenger also manufactured individual complete vehicles according to his own account. On the whole cf. Swiss Car Classics No. 20, p. 40.
15. ↑ Gloor, Wagner: Monteverdi. P. 216.
16. ↑ Auto Focus. 2/1998, p. 67.
17. ↑ See illustration here. The vehicle has modified bumpers that do not go far around the sides of the vehicle; it also has manual windows on all doors.
18. ^ Neue Zürcher Zeitung on Sunday. October 19, 2010.
19. ↑ Publication of the sales prospectus on the website www.lov2xlr8.no (accessed on March 25, 2011).