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MBM SP 100 O.S.C.A. Monteverdi


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#1 M bennett

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Posted 03 September 2012 - 08:42

This little car came up for auction recently. Apparently it has had the same owner since 1978 and is built around some mechanicals of a 1957 Lotus 12. The "wobbly web" wheels are evident in the photos.
As the Lotus 12 registrar for the HLR I would be very keen to be put in touch with the owner who until recently was in Switzerland. It is possible the car did not get a new owner at the auction. Either way I would like to find out more about this car.
A link to the auction and photos of the car can be found here.

http://classiccarwee.../06/mbm-sp-100/

I am sure with the reach of TNF the connection can be made.
Thanks Mike B
Adelaide

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#2 nicanary

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Posted 03 September 2012 - 10:30

They made three cars at the time, one Osca engined and two powered by Ford. It's therefore unlikely that this car is based on the running gear of a Lotus 12, unless Monteverdi had access to three Loti. This example would appear to be the Osca engined car. These were the days before the production of the supercars, and at the time MBM were mainly constructing Formula Junior cars.

#3 M bennett

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Posted 03 September 2012 - 11:38

They made three cars at the time, one Osca engined and two powered by Ford. It's therefore unlikely that this car is based on the running gear of a Lotus 12, unless Monteverdi had access to three Loti. This example would appear to be the Osca engined car. These were the days before the production of the supercars, and at the time MBM were mainly constructing Formula Junior cars.


This unique OSCA engined car uses some components from Lotus 12 chassis 356. It was the only car that used Lotus components. The Lotus 12 was shipped new ex Lotus to Charles Vogele in 1957. after having been much modified and eventually set aside, the 5 speed gearbox, rear driveline and at least the four "wobbly web" wheels ended up in the MBM SP 100 car. Built initially for Ecurie HOBA. The rear mounted gearbox still runs three ratios according to the owner, which combined with the conventional 4 speed gearbox gives a potential 12 forward speeds.
The history of the car is documented as far back as "Theme Lotus" by Doug Nye first published in 1978. It is understood that the other components of the Lotus 12 have long since been disposed of.
I am aware that the car was put up for auction some years ago but is still in the hands of the same owner since 1978, unless of course it found a new owner at the recent auction.
The car is in full running order and footage of it running can be found on You Tube.



Further pictures can be found here:

http://www.finecars....1599/index.html

Yes, the history of one of the Lotus 12 cars ended up, in part, in this super little car. I assume we should still be looking for this car in and around Switzerland.

Mike B Adelaide




#4 nicanary

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Posted 03 September 2012 - 11:55

My apologies. My information was somewhat vague, and I assumed that all 3 cars were built at the same time to the same spec.

#5 The Mountaineer

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Posted 03 September 2012 - 12:47

The MBM Sp 100 was a one-off car. Monteverdi never built another one with this shape. But at the same time as the Sp 100, he brought out the MBM Tourismo, nothing else than a badge-engineered Heron Europa, a British Kit Car with Ford 105E power, another one-off according to the Monteverdi biography.

#6 The Mountaineer

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Posted 05 September 2012 - 07:56

Some more information about Lotus 12-356 and MBM SP-100:

Charles Vögele sporadically used 356 in Swiss events in 1957 and 1958, without any modifications. Then he sold it to German Zimmermann, the man behind the Zimmermann Formula junior cars. Peter Monteverdi brought 356 back to Switzerland and had it rebodied to make it look like his absolute dream car at the time, the Maserati 250F. Then he drove the car in a minor F2 race at Zeltweg (23.09.59, DNF, but classified 7th).

After that, the car was dismantled and wheels and suspensions found their way into the MBM SP-100. Before Kurt Huber took it over in about 1964, the car had another outing at a Schauinsland club hillclimb 1963, organized by the Basel section of the Automobile Club of Switzerland (not to be confounded with the more prestigious German European Championship round), in the hands of Kurt Bohrer. The car was probably lent to him by Monteverdi.

#7 M bennett

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Posted 05 September 2012 - 10:28

Some more information about Lotus 12-356 and MBM SP-100:

Charles Vögele sporadically used 356 in Swiss events in 1957 and 1958, without any modifications. Then he sold it to German Zimmermann, the man behind the Zimmermann Formula junior cars. Peter Monteverdi brought 356 back to Switzerland and had it rebodied to make it look like his absolute dream car at the time, the Maserati 250F. Then he drove the car in a minor F2 race at Zeltweg (23.09.59, DNF, but classified 7th).

After that, the car was dismantled and wheels and suspensions found their way into the MBM SP-100. Before Kurt Huber took it over in about 1964, the car had another outing at a Schauinsland club hillclimb 1963, organized by the Basel section of the Automobile Club of Switzerland (not to be confounded with the more prestigious German European Championship round), in the hands of Kurt Bohrer. The car was probably lent to him by Monteverdi.


Thanks for all this extra information, does anyone have an idea about how to trace and contact the current owner?
Regads Mike B Adelaide

#8 The Mountaineer

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Posted 07 September 2012 - 15:53

Mike, please watch your PM.