Monteverdi Sierra (1977 – 1980) Review

During the 1960s and early-'70s, Monteverdi built some amazing looking Swiss-American supercars - but when the Sierra was launched in 1977, it entered its 'boutique' era. The Sierra was little more than a Plymouth Volaré with Fissore restyled front- and rear-end with a luxury trimmed interior. Despite the relatively humble base car, the restyle was quite successful, and the Sierra belied its American origins very successfully.

The Fissore styling was well executed over the base car - the headlamps were taken from Fiat 125, and the rear lights came from Renault 12. The Sierra was joined by a two door convertible version based on a Dodge Diplomat Coupe, but a mere two of these were made. Finally, Monteverdi also made a station wagon based on a Plymouth. It remained a one-off that was never sold. The problem was that it was up against some very capable rivals, and it lacked the ultimate sophistication of cars such as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Its 5.2-litre V8 also lacked power, and the suspension was not good enough to compete with its luxury rivals. Not a sales success - but exclusivity is certainly on the Sierra's side now.