Re: Italia Interamericana (sic)

[JHertzman@domain.elided]

In AD7-1069 Peter Kemos asks, on behalf of a friend, for "any information on 
an auto manufacturer named 'Italia'.  Specifically he is interested in a model
called the 'Interamericana', built sometime in the early 70's. Anyone know 
anything about this car or manufacturer?"

Probably the other way around, a car called 'Italia' built by a manufacturer 
called Intermeccanica. The company (or companies) operated in Torino, then 
someplace in California, then in Vancouver, with some activities in 
Trofarello, Italy. Many models, many company names; they sold the 
Intermeccanica Puch in Austria, a slew of fiberglass Porsche Speedster 
replicas on VW platforms here, an 'Indra' coupe for Opel sold by Bitter in 
Germany, an 'Omega' produced in Italy and sold here as a 'Torino' until Ford 
introduced its own Torino, at which point the Intermechanica Torino became 
the Italia. Best known product was the Apollo, of which some forty or fifty 
were built- a genuinely handsome Italian modern classic with American running 
gear which never got quite sorted out. The products elide into a murk of 
name-swapping - - Omega, Indra, Centaur, Murena, Vetta Ventura; it can get 
confusing- the Intermecanica Griffith was brought in by the same American who 
brought in TVRs which he sold as Griffiths, a totally different car. Some of 
the cars were sold as painted and trimmed bodies, less mechanicals; some of 
the Omegas were assembled by stock-car builders Holman and Moody in North 
Carolina, who did much of the work on the Ford GTs. Much of the bodybuilding 
was in steel, in Italy, but they also built fiberglass SS-100 replicas in 
Italy for Italian anglophiles.

As always, the best source for this sort of arcana is John de Boer's 
marvelous Italian Car Registry, less formally known as The Etceterini 
Register. No personal connection beyond admiration; anyone who wants in on 
the next edition should email ICAR@domain.elided

John H.
Raleigh, N.C.

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