Frank Reisner’s Turin-based Carrozzeria Intermeccanica Italia started life as New Yorker Jack Griffith’s, Mark Donahue engineered Griffith GT, followed by Torino and Omega.
“The Italia may be one of the most gorgeously-styled cars ever made, but you may never have heard of it. The Italia is one of life’s great mysteries; it’s an especially beautiful car. It also looks curiously familiar... a touch of the Nembo Ferrari, or a NART Spyder, especially the grille. The only identification is two small badges, on the flanks, that say Carrozzeria IM and are adorned with rampant bull emblems. What is it? A Lamborghini? Nope. What you’re looking at is a genuine Intermeccanica Italia,” said editors at Classic & Sports Cars in 1993.
The editors at Sports Car Graphic weren’t all that impressed with the Ford-powered Italia’s handling, but loved its styling. “It has the potential to be Ford’s version of the Corvette. And, it’s a lot more exciting.”
Most early road test reports were quite favorable. As David E. Davis said about the Omega in Car & Driver in 1967: “Everything about the design is clean. There’s an expensive feeling of quality about the whole vehicle; fit and finish are excellent. But enough looking, what about driving? The driving is, quite truthfully, a pure song, dyed-in-the-wool, absolute gas. After 150 good hard miles and from our standpoint, the Omega was a complete success.”
Check out what Mike Gulett has to say about the Italia at My Car Quest, http://mycarquest.com/2012/03/the-intermeccanica-italia-what-a-beauty.html
For more information about the Italia, please visit, http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z7330/Intermeccanica-Italia.aspx
http://www.intermeccanica.org/
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