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The Monteverdi Tiara was a vehicle of Swiss automaker Monteverdi, which was in 1982. He was the last road vehicle Monteverdi conceived before hiring his farm. The tiara was followed like his predecessor the boutique-style cars. It was based on the S-Class from Mercedes-Benz and was different from the initial vehicle especially with redesigned body parts in the car front and rear. Contrary to initial plans waived Monteverdi to series production. Total incurred very few copies of the tiara.
Background[]
Monteverdi was from 1967 to 1976 in several small series coupes, convertibles and saloons of the series 375 high-speed production. As the mid-1970s due to the oil crisis of the sales plummeted for expensive high-performance sports car, put Monteverdi production on the SUV Monteverdi Safari order that was based on American technology and mass-produced at low cost was. This concept continued to Monteverdi also presented at the 1977 Sierra four-door sedan, in it is a stylistically modified version of a Dodge Aspen acted. The sedan has sold far less than the SUV, however the Sierra remained about five years in Monteverdi's program. The production of the Sierra ran out, as Chrysler stopped the end of 1981 Dodge Aspen.
Already at Sierra Monteverdi had resorted to large-scale engineering to development costs to limit as much as possible. This idea met at the beginning of the 1980s, all the more so as the legislative requirements were increased on vehicle safety on many potential sales markets and attempts to meet these standards with their own products, very expensive development work would have provided. Regarding the base vehicle for the new Monteverdi was a throwback to Chrysler products no longer eligible: Chrysler had in the course of a reduction of its own model range, no limousine longer in the program, which had sufficient power to be enough to Monteverdi's demands for a sports car. Monteverdi chose instead the S-Class sedan (W 126 series), which was introduced in September 1979, as the basis for the vehicles of the new generation of Monteverdi.
Peter Monteverdi called his new vehicle in a prospectus as "superlative Monteverdi" In order to underline the exclusivity of the model, and the model designation, the tiara .
Details[]
Base of the tiara was the long version of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan. As in the case of the Sierra, Monteverdi took the entire drive technology, but also the cabin, including doors and windows of the base vehicle unchanged. The exterior changes are limited to a redesign of the front and rear end, as well as independent bumpers.
Body[]
The front end was designed in shape. Instead of the streamlined shape of the base model Monteverdi installed a vertical, heavily chromed front end with four round headlights. The grille was chromed struts. The front fenders were modified accordingly. The hood was also redesigned, and she was now smooth and was narrowed from the Mercedes-Benz. The shape of the light units and their surround quoted classic design elements of high-375-series, some observers felt but rather to the Alfa Romeo Alfetta reminiscent of the third series. At the rear of the line of the trunk was also designed square. The taillights gave the Peugeot 505, they were likely to give the untrained observer recently presented an association with Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit produce. New were the bumpers. Instead of the large plastic units of the base vehicle used Monteverdi very narrow bumpers, which were framed in chrome and lasted well into the vehicle sides. The so-called Sacco-boards - the Kunststoffbeplankungen at the bottom of the doors - accounted for Monteverdi.
Overall, the design of the tiara is not without controversy. Most observers believe that the angular extensions of Monteverdi did not fit the flowing lines of the base vehicle, the generally considered one of the best works of the designer Bruno Sacco was. The vehicle was occasionally referred to as "baroque" described others said Monteverdi had the S-Class, so disfigured that even Mercedes-Benz car even recognize.
Engine[]
As motorization used Monteverdi's two largest engines of the S-class, i.e., the 3.8-liter or 5.0-liter eight-cylinder engines . They have not been changed. Their performance yield was thus as in the case of the Mercedes-Benz 204 and 231 hp.
Facilities[]
Monteverdi had in the case of his 1977 Sierra presented the interior of the car still largely designed himself, he took over the design of the interior unchanged from Mercedes-Benz. Alone was a new steering wheel, the steering-wheel carrying the Monteverdi badge. The equipment of the tiara was complete. Monteverdi took over the complete range of Mercedes-Benz facilities including air conditioning and some of its time-the-art systems such as ABS and airbags, it was desired by Monteverdi-typical attributes such as television and voice recorder can be added.
Sales Price[]
The Monteverdi Tiara was offered in 1982 with prices starting at 172,000 Swiss francs, a year later, the base price was 187,000 Swiss francs. With that, Monteverdi back into the category of high-price suppliers, which he left in 1977 with the high-speed 375 had. The tiara was nearly three times as expensive as the Sierra and twice as expensive as a comparable Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
Production[]
By Peter Monteverdi's concept should be the production of the Tiara sedans with Monteverdi, however the distribution should be made by Mercedes-Benz dealers. There are reports that Monteverdi did in early 1982, Mercedes-Benz achieved with a corresponding agreement. However, after the responsible Mercedes-Benz employees a few days before the Geneva Motor Show, had died in 1982, Mercedes-Benz had no further interest in the tiara. Monteverdi had abandoned the project then.
End of 1981, Monteverdi produced three copies of the tiara, issued on the Geneva Motor Show in March 1982. were later whether other vehicles were built, is doubtful. In the prospectus of 1982, a golden and a brown specimen are shown.
There is evidence that three copies exist today:
- A silver car with a cream leather interior is in Monteverdi's Automobile Museum in Binningen.
- A black tiara also cream leather interior, which had in any case temporary admission in the canton of Basel-Land, is shown occasionally on shows.
- Finally, there is a tiara with gold metallic paint that has an interior fabric.
The regular car production was stopped in Basel 1984, and other sources, they ended the 1987th The car in September 1983 published catalog 1983/84 leads the Monteverdi Tiara on yet with image and pricing.