27 Feb 08
The Geneva Motor Show, Swiss rolls, chocolate, inordinately expensive watches, and Roger Federer - that's pretty much all that's ever decent to come out of Switzerland.
But what of Switzerland's car industry? It's hardly burgeoning, but surprisingly, there is one.
We check out ten Swiss car makers.
Racing driver Peter Monteverdi built his own 'specials' for competition and developed the garage he'd inherited into a prestigious dealership selling Ferraris, Lancias and BMWs. In 1967, he launched his first own-brand luxury coupe, the 375S, an aluminium-bodied beauty styled by Pietro Frua and featuring a 380bhp Chrysler-sourced 7.2-litre V8. It was a kind of European answer to Jensen and Bristol, and variants including 2+2, berlinetta and convertible models followed.
The mid-engined Hai (1970) was less acclaimed. It was poorly-packaged, cramped, highly-priced and unruly in its handling and even its styling (by Monteverdi himself, aided by new design consultant Fissore) was less pretty.
Just two are thought to have been sold. Monteverdi found a more successful niche coach-building 4x4s, including a four-door Range Rover before Land Rover made its own, and special-order vehicles such as the Sierra luxury saloon (based on the Plymouth Volare) and Tiara (a rebodied Mercedes S-Class) but closed the company in 1982. He bought the Onyx F1 team in 1990, but this too folded part way through that season. The Monteverdi Car Collection museum remains at the former factory in Basel.
