Have You ever heard the Italian-made classic car named Indra?

Unique ONES - Currently, perhaps some of the automotive enthusiasts have never known or heard of the Italian car brand Intermeccanica (officially named 'Construzione Automobili Intermeccanica'). It is a car manufacturer founded in Turin, Italy, in 1959 by Frank Reisner. Then in the 1970s, the company moved to the United States, before finally settled in Canada, and since then building many special-commisioned replica automobiles. Currently, the company led by Frank's son, Henry Reisner.

Intermeccanica Indra and all-its variants (in pictured is a two-seater coupe model) is designed by Franco Scaglione. (Picture from: ClassicCarsWeekly)

During the 1960s, the prancing bull logoed company had very little automotive production activity, only a few models such as the Titania Veltro GTT 1500 Coupe show car which debuted in 1966, Intermeccanica Apollo, and continued by Intermeccanica Italia in 1968. Uniquely, one of the company's production cars is carried a slightly uncommon name for an Italian sports car, here she is Intermeccanica Indra. The name 'Indra' was probably given to it in honor of one of the Hindu deities of the same name. Who knows.

Intermeccanica Indra and all-its variants (in pictured is a two-seater coupe model) is produced in between the 1971 to 1974. (Picture from: ClassicBid)

This is an Italian sports car model built based on the Opel Diplomat platform which was entirely designed by renowned Italian automotive designer Franco Scaglione. Yes, from the touch of his magical hands besides the figure of Indra and the Titania Veltro show car, he has also given birth to many other legendary car designs such as the Abarth 1500 Biposto Coupe of 1952 which is the first concept car from the B.A.T. (Berlina Aerodinamica Technica) car series, and later the world's most beautiful car ever, the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale which debuted in 1967, and many others.

Intermeccanica Indra and all its-variants (in pictured is a two-seater spyder model) has a a long tapered wedge-shaped body, twin pop-up headlights, halved chrome-plated bumper, low taillights and horizontal grille on the Indra front wing. (Picture from: VehicleNews)

At first glance, the Indra's design has similarities to the Maserati Ghibli (of the profile) and the Lamborghini Islero (from the rear view). With a long tapered wedge-shaped body, twin pop-up headlights, halved chrome-plated bumper, low taillights adopted from the Alfa Romeo Giulia and horizontal grille on the Indra front wing, this car looks very sporty and aerodynamic. The car's body is made of steel and welded to a tubular frame with a wheelbase of 2,500 mm.

Intermeccanica Indra and all its-variants (in pictured is a two-seater spyder model) is made of steel and welded to a tubular frame with a wheelbase of 2,500 mm. (Picture from: TheTruthAboutCars)

The Intermeccanica Indra is offered in three bodystyles, ie a two-seater convertible, a two-passenger coupe, and a 2+2 fastback with a glass-covered third door. The model car made its debut at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show, a car intended to replace the Intermeccanica Italia that had been circulating previously.

Intermeccanica Indra and all its-variants (in pictured is a 2+2 fastback coupe model) is equipped with a choice of a 2.8-liter inline six-cylinder Opel engine with a power of 180 hp, or a Chevrolet V8 327 engine with a 5.4-liter capacity of 250 hp. (Picture from: Silodrome)

Under the hood, the car is equipped with a choice of a 2.8-liter inline six-cylinder Opel engine with a power of 180 hp, or a Chevrolet V8 327 engine with a 5.4-liter capacity of 250 hp. The former is offered only with a 4-speed manual gearbox, while the second option is also available with a 3-speed automatic transmission. The car is also equipped with independent front suspension on double wishbone and springs, rear axle and De Dion disc brakes on all wheels.

Intermeccanica Indra and all its-variants (in pictured is a 2+2 fastback coupe model) is equipped with independent front suspension on double wishbone and springs, rear axle and De Dion disc brakes on all wheels. (Picture from: Silodrome)

Then to meet the needs of the spare parts, then Frank Reisner cooperated with General Motors through the intermediary of a German dealer named Erich Bitter and signed a contract for the spare parts supply with General Motors. At the same time, Intermeccanica received the rights to sell its models in Europe through the Opel (a General Motors subsidiary at the time) dealers, before he made a successful return to the American market in 1973.

The collaboration between Intermeccanica and General Motors was actually somewhat similar to the partnership between De Tomaso and Ford, but the partnership didn't last long and ended two years earlier due to the fact that Intermeccanica's engines had frequent problems which ultimately cost him huge warranty costs.

Further interaction with the American auto giant GM was continued by Bitter, who later launched his own sports car under the name Bitter CD. But for Intermeccanica, this means the 'final chapter,' at least in their decades-long history in Italy. From 1971 to 1974, a total of only 127 Intermeccanica Indra units were ever produced, consisting of 60 convertibles, 40 two-seater coupes, and 27 units of 2+2 fastback. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | INTERMECCANICA | SILODROME | THETRUTHABOUTCARS | CLASSICCARSWEEKLY | VEHICLENEWS ]

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