Monteverdi High Speed 375 History

The High Speed 375 debuted at the 1967 Frankfurt Motor Show as the first Monteverdi production car, immediately drawing comparisons to Ferrari and Maserati. Its formula was a heavy but elegant steel tube chassis clothed in an aluminium body designed by Pietro Frua, driven by a 7.2-litre Chrysler 440-cubic-inch V8 developing around 375 bhp — hence the name. Only roughly a dozen examples were completed with Frua bodywork before Monteverdi ended that arrangement.

From 1969 onward, bodies were redesigned and built by Carrozzeria Fissore of Savigliano, Italy, who gave the car squarer, more contemporary lines. The core Fissore-era range comprised the 375 L (a 2+2 coupé, the volume model), the short-wheelbase 375 S berlinetta (six built), a drophead 375 C convertible (two built, one shown at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show), and the 375/4, a four-door saloon with a 3.15-metre wheelbase and optional chauffeur partition. Some 375/4 saloons were delivered as limousines with Sony television sets and full bars.

Across the full High Speed run — Frua and Fissore eras combined — approximately 1,300 examples of all types were produced through 1976. Performance on early cars was brisk for the era: a 1972 Auto Motor und Sport test recorded a 375 L at 229 km/h top speed with 0–100 km/h in 8.2 seconds. American emissions rules steadily sapped V8 output in the final years before the luxury-car line was wound down.