Monteverdi was a Swiss brand of luxury cars created in 1967 by Peter Monteverdi (1934–1998) and based in Binningen on the southern edge of Basel, Switzerland. History Peter Monteverdi, a descendant of composer Claudio Monteverdi, first made his name as a racecar driver. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, he also built, sold, and raced a number of "specials" called MBM, while at the same time developing the motor vehicle repair business founded by his father into a major dealership handling Ferrari, BMW, and Lancia brands. The relationship with Ferrari ended in 1963 when Enzo Ferrari demanded that Monteverdi pay up front for a shipment of 100 cars, which Monteverdi refused to agree to. By 1967, he had decided to undertake series production of exclusive high-performance luxury sports and touring cars. The first model, the two-seater Monteverdi High Speed 375S coupé, was launched at that year's Frankfurt Motor Show and received very positive reviews. The car used a heavy and simple steel frame provided by Stahlbau Muttenz GmbH with an aluminium body designed by Pietro Frua. It looked quite similar to other Frua creations of that time, particularly the Maserati Mistral Coupé and the British AC 428. All the three were rumored to share some details, such as windows. The elegant-looking car was powered by a 440-CID (7.2-L) Chrysler V8 engine delivering up to 375 bhp (according to SAE standards) and had a luxurious interior finished to the highest standards. Eleven copies of the Frua-designed Monteverdi coupé were built from 1968 to 1969, then the alliance of Monteverdi and Frua split in anger. Not long before, Frua had built two 2+2 coupés with a stretched wheelbase. One of them was presented as Monteverdi 375/L; the other one stayed for some years at Frua before, in 1971, it was slightly modified and sold to AC, where it was presented as a one-off AC 428. Fissore years In 1969, Monteverdi chose the small Carrozzeria Fissore for further collaboration. Fissore redesigned the 375 Coupé and built the bodies that were then delivered to Monteverdi in Switzerland, where the cars were finally assembled. Now, the car had square lines, but still elegant proportions. The 2+2 form became the standard model, but subsequently other body styles were offered. First was a short-wheelbase two-seat coupé called the 375/S and - on the same short wheelbase - a drophead dubbed the 375/C. These early Fissore cars