The Monteverdi Safari is a Swiss luxury SUV first presented by Peter Monteverdi in 1976. It entered into production in 1977.[1] Production came to an end in 1982, after production of the International Scout (upon which the Safari was based and with which it shared many parts) came to an end. There was also a lower-priced version called the Sahara, which retained the Scout's original bodywork with some modifications.
History
Having previously built only high end sports cars, the Safari was Monteverdi's first attempt at marketing an SUV. It was based on the International Scout, with a new body built by Fissore, with whom Monteverdi had a long standing relationship, as well as a more luxurious interior and available Chrysler V8 engines.[2] There were relatively few luxury SUVs offered in Europe at this time, with the Safari's main competitors being the Range Rover, as well as low volume models from customizers like the Felber Oasis, which was also based on an International Scout. In its home country of Switzerland, the Safari's 1977 domestic market price of CHF 39,000 was CHF 5,000 higher than that of the Range Rover