Monteverdi Safari History

When the super-luxury car market contracted in the mid-1970s, Peter Monteverdi pivoted to a new niche: the luxury off-roader. The Safari, first shown in 1976, was based on the International Scout II platform but received an entirely new body built by Carrozzeria Fissore, transforming the utilitarian American truck into something far more opulent. The interior featured air conditioning, leather upholstery, electric windows, power locks, a redesigned dashboard, and a Monteverdi steering wheel.

Engine options included the Scout's own 5.0-litre or 5.6-litre V8 alongside, for top-spec cars, the familiar 7.2-litre Chrysler 440 V8 that had powered the High Speed 375. Production ran from 1977 until 1982, when the International Scout itself was discontinued, ending the Safari's supply of donor vehicles. The Safari became Monteverdi's highest-production model ever, with estimates placing the total in the low hundreds — more cars than the entire preceding decade of hand-built grand tourers.