Monteverdi: High Speed

Peter Monteverdi. Never heard of him? Neither have most, except perhaps the most die-hard petrolheads. Monteverdi was a Swiss automobile designer and businessman who launched his own car company in the 1960s; the most notable being the Monteverdi High Speed. The High Speed was high-performance luxury — conceived to take on the Ferrari’s and Lamborghini’s of the time.

You might say the High Speed was Peter Monteverdi’s magnum opus. A place where engineering met elegance; the soul of a true artist in a time and place where humdrum monotony and conformity reigned.

Despite the vision, the company was plagued by financial instability and changing market conditions. The company ceased production in the 1980s. But how lucky we are that Peter Monteverdi tried and failed, rather than not trying at all.

Today, the High Speed remains celebrated among collectors and enthusiast alike. It reminds us of how engineering becomes art, and cars become poetry in motion.