Intermeccanica History

Founded 1959 Turin, Italy 

Costruzione Automobili Intermeccanica or more simply Intermeccanica was an Italian manufacturer of automobiles. Today known as Intermeccanica International Inc.

History 

Frank Reisner and his wife Paula founded the North-East Engineering Company in Turin in 1959. Later it was renamed Costruzione Automobili Intermeccanica. As a brand name Intermeccanica was chosen. First, they manufacture vehicle tuning kits. 1960 began the production of automobiles. The brand name was initially IMP for a model. Thereafter, Intermeccanica developed and partially assembled vehicles for other manufacturers, but the distance between Italy and its US partners was often a problem. In 1967 marketing began as Intermeccanica, from 1973, business was running badly. On December 25, 1974, the company was dissolved. The Reisner family moved to the USA and founded Automobili Intermeccanica in North America the products were imported by STEBRO, which marketed them under its own brand.

Vehicles 

In 1960, the first complete vehicle of Intermeccanica was built. It was a Formula Junior race car with a modified Peugeot engine. He was behind the driver in front of the rear axle. Displacement was reduced to 1.1 l with liners and smaller pistons. The transmission came from Fiat (Fiat used this type in the Fiat 600), but was installed in reverse because of the central engine, so with the clutch bell forward and the top down from 1960 to 1961 there was the IMP 700 GT with the brand name IMP (for Intermeccanica Puch). This was a small coupe. A boxer engine from Steyr Daimler Puch powered the vehicles. The two-cylinder boxer engine with 80 mm bore, 64 mm stroke and 645 cc displacement provided 40 hp in the standard version. Of these, 21 vehicles were created. 

Apollo and Vetta Ventura 

The Apollo was a two-seat sports car. Intermeccanica made the chassis, the body and the interior, with the completion of the cars mostly at the Turin specialty Carbondio was. The finished cars were delivered to the USA. There were successively different companies that completed the vehicles and offered under their name. From 1962 to 1964 it was International Motorcars (short IMC) from Oakland in California with the brand name Apollo and the model Apollo GT. 1964 satVanguard Motors Corporation of Dallas in Texas continued the project under the Vetta Ventura brand. In 1965, the Apollo International Corporation, led by Attorney Stevens, ordered additional copies, for which the brand name Apollo again 39 Apollo from IMC, 42 Vetta Ventura and 8 Apollo from Apollo International, totalling 89 vehicles. Reported 77 are two-seater coupe, a coupe with 2 + 2 Seats and 11 convertibles. A revised version as a coupe with 2 + 2 seats was created in 1966 for Griffith Motors of New York City. Plans amounted to 1000 vehicles. Nevertheless, only six vehicles were created. 

Steve Wilder took over the project and marketed it under the brand name Omega. The manufacturer was Suspensions International Corporation of Charlotte, North Carolina. In the only production year 1966 created 33 vehicles. 1965 was based on a Ford Mustang a station wagon for J. Walter Thompson. Based on a Chevrolet Corvair there was the 1966 Phoenix for John Fitch & Co. In June 1971, the four-door sedan Centaur was built on the chassis of a Chevrolet Corvette.

The presented in March 1967 as Torino car corresponded largely to the omega. In October 1967 he was renamed after objection by Ford in Italia. The Italia’s were greatly appreciated in Europe and North America, so much so that at the 1969 New York Automobile Show, Intermeccanica presented itself with 3 different stands. At the Turin Motor Show of the same year, a variant, the "Italia IMX", was also presented, which however never reached production.

 The production ran until 1973. For Murena Motors from New York City Intermeccanica made the Murena GT. This was a two-door station wagon with a V8 engine from Ford. From this emerged between March 1969 and March 1971, ten vehicles. Successor of the Italia was the Intermeccanica Indra. The model was produced between March 1971 and February 1975. In collaboration with Edward Felbin Intermeccanica made from 1973 the Squire. This was a replica of the Jaguar SS100. On a ladder frame, an open body made of glass fiber reinforced plastic was mounted. A six-cylinder engine from the Ford Maverick powered the vehicles. Of these, 100 vehicles were created: 33 white, 32 yellow, 30 red and 5 green. One half had a manual transmission, the other half an automatic transmission.