7 classic supercar failures of the ’70s

Stop and stare

There’s rarely been a shortage of those willing to heap barrows of cash on the pyre in their pursuit of the supercar ideal; to ‘do a Lamborghini’ and upset the established order.

Think back to the ’70s, however, and the concept of a supercar was still novel. As such, in marked contrast to today, exotica was less samey. Some offerings were creatively triumphant but commercially marginal, others too left-field to ever stand a chance.

Gathered here is a selection of the also-rans and the no-hopers. If there’s a common link, it’s that they are all redolent of their era: a period when too much wasn’t anywhere near enough; a time of outrageous claims of intergalactic top speeds, and of the nagging suspicion that they were maybe – just maybe – a little bit shonky.

If nothing else, these cars served their purpose in enlivening an era during which car design, on the whole, took a turn for aesthetic pedestrianism.

They also provided much entertainment for young pups playing Top Trumps. For these reasons and more they deserve to be remembered, largely forgotten though they are.

1. Siva S530

Conceived by Neville Trickett, the Siva S530 was sponsored by The Daily Telegraph and displayed at the 1971 British International Motor Show.

This wedge-shaped prototype featured a 5340cc Aston Martin V8 sited amidships in a chassis designed by Andrew Duncan (and derived from a Dulon F5000 single-seater).

Aston Martin purportedly displayed an interest in adopting the design, but it was only just staving off bankruptcy so that soon evaporated.

Businessman Robert Paterson rode to the rescue and offered to fund the development of a Siva supercar. However, attempts to rework the S530 design with a shorter nose and Chevrolet V8 power also came unstuck.

2. AMC AMX III

Buoyed by the affirmative response to the non-running AMX II concept at the 1969 Chicago Auto Show, AMC sought to fend off the proposed Ford-sponsored De Tomaso Pantera with its own mid-engined rival, the AMX III (aka AMX/3).

Giotto Bizzarrini was engaged to design the semi-monocoque chassis and suspension; AMC’s familiar 390cu in V8 would provide power.

The AMX III that emerged in 1970 was sexy as hell but never stood a chance. Build costs would have proved untenable, so the project was canned.

3. Monteverdi Hai

The Monteverdi Hai 450 SS stole the headlines when unleashed at the 1970 Geneva motor show.

This 6974cc Chrysler V8-engined projectile was good for sub-5-secs 0-60mph times if you believed the PR bumf.

Cyril Posthumus echoed the sentiments of many media types when he wrote in Road & Track: ‘You have seven litres of Chrysler 426 Hemi stuffed amidships, where it takes much of the passenger space, thrusting forward between the two seats… With a claimed 180mph at the top end, I should hate to have to prove it on a wet Swiss road.’

Plans for series manufacture soon ebbed.

4. Dome Zero

Dome has achieved great things in motor racing, but the Japanese firm’s first attempt at a supercar failed to take flight.

The Zero was the brainchild of Minoru Hayashi, its striking outline blending Lancia Stratos and Lamborghini influences.

With a 2.8-litre Nissan ‘six’ behind the seats, it was less powerful than most Italian exotica but it weighed only 980kg (2028lb).

Displayed at the 1978 Geneva show, the Dome attracted praise from all quarters but failed to gain certification for use on the road in its homeland, which hampered the sales drive.

5. Panther Six

Onlookers were awed senseless. It was huge in all directions and just so, well, strange.

Visitors to the 1977 London Motorfair were greeted by a new breed of supercar, the Panther Six being neither cautious nor bet-hedging. But was the world ready for a six-wheeled, 254mph convertible?

Powered by a twin-turbocharged Cadillac V8, and styled by Wayne Cherry and Geoff Lawson (with input from Panther’s Robert Jankel), it looked like no other car.

However, despite all the hype, not least the fanciful top-speed claim, only one was built before Panther Westwinds crashed in 1980. A second Six was later cobbled together from spares.

6. Iso Varedo

Iso attempted to enter the supercar market via the Varedo, which broke cover at the 1972 Turin motor show.

Powered by a mid-mounted 5.7-litre Ford ‘Cleveland’ V8, the contentious bit was the styling. The work of Ercole Spada, it divided the critics in period but, as Spada is wont to say, most of his designs have only been appreciated in retrospect.

In 1973, Iso fell under new management and the project was annulled. Only one prototype was made – and it was fully functional, too.

In the early 1990s, the Varedo was restored for Iso’s second-generation principal, Piero Rivolta.

7. Colani-Ford GT80

Luigi (né Lutz) Colani remained the enfant terrible of industrial design into his 10th decade, and his showmanship was fully realised with this would-be supercar/sports-racer.

This being a Colani project, it’s all too difficult to differentiate between the actual and the apocryphal, but this amorphous device allegedly had a drag coefficient of less than 0.20Cd.

The design evolved from mock-up to finished item from 1973-’80, with a 3.4-litre Cosworth GAA V6 providing power (some sources claim it was a DFV V8).

The photo shows the definitive GT80 with a bare, unpainted aluminium body made by Marsh Developments in the UK. It all went a bit quiet thereafter.