Meccanica Maniero GT 4700: do-it-yourself exotic

By Simon Hucknall

| 22 Jun 2026

Classic & Sports Car – Meccanica Maniero GT 4700: do-it-yourself exotic

Angelo Maniero was not the first, nor indeed would he be the last, to forge his own path as a car builder thanks to the obstinacy of others.

Ferruccio Lamborghini had given Il Commendatore the figurative single digit after his criticisms of Maranello’s poor customer care were rebuffed; and, years later, Horacio Pagani would carve his own successful niche after deciding that Lamborghini (the company) did not share his vision of a composite-bodied future for the supercar.

Neither looked back, and both would go on to thrive.

The Meccanica Maniero GT 4700 was one man’s mission to create a Maserati-beater

The car you see here, the Meccanica Maniero GT 4700, was Angelo Maniero’s particular riposte to makers of expensive, high-powered gran turismos that, he believed, were not only impractical, but downright uncomfortable to drive.

It is also the only Meccanica Maniero that you will see because, despite a clamour for orders after the model’s unveiling at the Geneva Salon in ’67, this Giovanni Michelotti-designed grand tourer was the sole example produced.

Given its elegant style, wholesome power output and sophisticated underpinnings, that was nothing short of a travesty.

The Meccanica Maniero GT 4700’s bespoke feel combines with the familiar touchpoints of a 1960s Italian GT

What made Maniero’s first and only promising attempt more surprising is that his company, which produced the GT 4700, had absolutely no previous experience in building cars.

Angelo’s uncle, Guerrino, had founded Moto Agricola Industriale in the late 19th century to produce agricultural machinery at a factory in Conselve, a commune in the Italian province of Padua.

His products had a fine reputation for quality and demand was always healthy, leading to the business growing and diversifying over the ensuing decades.

The Meccanica Maniero GT 4700’s vented seats

In 1947, Guerrino handed control of the firm to his nephew, Angelo, who expanded the business still further, designing and manufacturing industrial vehicles such as forklift trucks and cranes as the appetite grew from Italian manufacturers after the war.

The company changed its name to reflect its broader offerings, first to Motori Maniero and finally Meccanica Maniero, while also relocating its plant to Masera, in the Piedmont region, around 80 miles north-east of Turin.

It was there, in the late 1950s and early ’60s, that Maniero started to reap the rewards from running such a successful enterprise.

The Meccanica Maniero GT 4700 was to be an Italian GT without compromises – but this was the sole example built

Clearly a serious enthusiast, he owned a succession of powerful grand tourers up to the mid-’60s, but always resented their lack of comfort (being a tall man, he complained that so few cabins could accommodate drivers of over 1.8m in height) and real-world usability versus more humble, mainstream offerings.

It appears that things reached crisis point when his Maserati 3500GT couldn’t board the ferry, which he used twice daily as part of his commute, without grounding its exhaust on the vessel’s ramp.

Returning the car to Maserati, he requested that the exhaust be rerouted to avoid further damage, but was told in no uncertain terms that it was not possible.

The Meccanica Maniero GT 4700’s speedometer reads optimistically to 200mph

This resistance by an upmarket manufacturer to address a problem that should have been identified during testing obviously irked Maniero.

He had a point: we look back at exotics of the Maserati’s ilk with understandable awe, relishing their glamour, power and exclusivity, but the reality was that many were compromised in important areas as sacrifices were made at the altars of outright performance or aesthetics.

Maniero’s decision to replace the flawed Maserati with a car of his own conception was, you could argue, either remarkably brave or foolishly naïve.

But, given that he controlled a not wholly unrelated manufacturing resource already, and doubtless had company funds that could be diverted to cover such a project, the proposition wasn’t so ridiculous.

The Meccanica Maniero GT 4700’s ubiquitous Ford small-block provides plenty of horsepower

Accompanying the GT 4700 today is one of Maniero’s handwritten comparison charts, listing engines installed in performance GTs at the time, including those for a Maserati Sebring, Ferrari 250GT California, Jaguar E-type, Lola Mk6 GT, ‘Ford-Cobra’, Iso Rivolta, Chevrolet Corvette and Pontiac Tempest.

Those featuring US-made V8s must have topped his list because of their everyday usability and durability, at no expense to their outputs.

That a raft of British manufacturers had recently launched GT cars with American powertrains (the AC 428, Jensen C-V8 and Gordon-Keeble, among them) would likely also have coloured his view.

In the end, he settled for probably the best-proven unit of them all: Ford’s small-block 289cu in V8, as already seen in the Mustang and AC Cobra.

The softly sprung Meccanica Maniero GT 4700 lacks the polish of series-production rivals when the going gets twisty

In this application, the 8V-6001 CF (‘6001’ indicating a crate engine, and ‘CF’ for High Performance), displacing 4727cc, produced 271bhp at 6000rpm (SAE) and 312lb ft of torque at 3400rpm, more than almost all of the rivals on Maniero’s list.

To this Ford engine was to be mated to an all-synchromesh, four-speed Borg-Warner manual gearbox, delivering drive to the rear wheels via a Salisbury differential.

However, despite the use of Mustang mechanicals, Maniero resisted employing the pony car’s relatively unsophisticated underpinnings, which would have included a live axle, semi-elliptic cart springs, steering by recirculating ball and all-drum brakes.

The GT 4700’s badges credit the creators of this one-off GT, Maniero and Michelotti

Whether Maniero himself designed the far more advanced chassis and suspension that remain beneath the GT 4700 today has never been recorded.

But what is described in the car’s technical specification as ‘Boxed sections at central members and perimeter with transverses of conjunction – front and rear dismountable sub-chassis at differential resistance’ appears to be thoroughly resolved, superbly constructed and structurally over-engineered for supporting a car with a wet weight of just 1165kg (2568lb).

There is independent suspension at each corner: wishbones and radius rods up front, while the rear uses trapezoidal lower arms and upper arms with a double-knuckle pivot.

‘There is some diff whine once on the move, but it’s easily drowned out by the hammering roar of the 289 V8’

There are Girling disc brakes all round, the rears inboard to minimise unsprung weight, and unassisted rack-and-pinion steering, too.

Naturally, the exhaust runs neatly through the chassis, rather than below it, permitting unobstructed ferry access!

You have to presume that the rolling chassis of Maniero’s new car, complete with its V8 powertrain, was constructed and assembled by people who were more used to producing mobile cranes than 160mph grand tourers, because the entire job was completed at the Maniero factory.

The work was carried out in a confidential section of the plant, and rumour had it that once the chassis was complete, it was too bulky to wheel through the doors.

As a result, the room’s brick wall had to be partially disassembled before the car could exit the works and be transported to one of Italy’s most prolific designers: Michelotti.

The Meccanica Maniero GT 4700’s shape was developed from the design for a unique Ferrari

Maniero had approached the famed stylist at the start of the project, with a 10-point brief for his new GT.

It required a cabin tall enough to accommodate comfortably two occupants of at least 1.8m (5ft 11in) in height, plus ample room for their luggage.

The dimensions would be compact enough to suit its 2400mm (7ft 10in) wheelbase, while retaining the glamorous styling expected of a fast, well-specified GT.

However, Maniero had likely not expected his new car to partially inherit a design first mooted for a Ferrari show car.

The lighter areas of blue reveal Michelotti’s modifications

Maranello’s North American importer, Luigi Chinetti, had persuaded boss Enzo to allow for occasional deviations from a standard Ferrari model’s design, which became known as ‘Chinetti Specials’.

Michelotti had been commissioned to produce one such car, based on 330GT chassis number 9083, for the 1967 Geneva Salon.

When it was evident that the car would not be completed in time, Michelotti adapted the two-seater design to suit Maniero’s brief.

View the cars today (the 330GT still exists and was shown at Pebble Beach recently) and the similarities are obvious – especially around the front wings, bonnet line, grille, headlights and bumper treatment.

The Meccanica Maniero GT 4700’s sturdy chassis is all-independently sprung with four-wheel disc brakes

So, instead of a one-off Ferrari, it was the unheard-of Meccanica Maniero GT 4700 that graced Michelotti’s stand at Geneva.

And by the end of the show’s first day, that was certainly no impediment to the designer’s business, with some 24 potential buyers reputedly lining up to place deposits.

Furthermore, Georges Filipinetti, the owner of race team Scuderia Filipinetti, was sufficiently smitten to place an order for a further 50 cars.

All of which came to nought. For reasons unknown, Angelo Maniero turned down every sales request.

The Ford V8 gives effortless cruising pace

If he had ever intended series production for the GT 4700, by the end of the Geneva show he had resolved to keep this one example – chassis MM 4700 GT – as the sole representative of the marque.

After requiring some fettling at Michelotti’s workshop, the car was finally delivered to Maniero in November 1967.

With no formal registration completed, it’s believed that he only ever drove the GT 4700 on PROVA (trade) plates for the rest of his time with it.

However, it soon became apparent that certain refinements were needed, one of which was to deal with the wheels rubbing against their arches during cornering.

The ‘4700’ in the Meccanica Maniero’s name hints at the V8’s potency

The car was returned to Michelotti for the front wings to be shortened and the rears to be cut higher into the body, with extra flaring.

As a temporary measure, the coachbuilder resprayed these areas a lighter shade of blue, which – again for reasons lost in time – was never corrected.

Today, the car remains completely original and is testament to one man’s single-minded objective to create a high-powered, two-seater GT that was as ergonomically efficient and uncompromised for everyday driving as it was desirable to look at.

The Meccanica Maniero GT 4700’s 14in wire wheels with big spinners

It wasn’t until 2015 – by which time Angelo was over 100 – that its creator agreed to sell.

In the near half-century that Maniero had owned it, the GT 4700 had covered fewer than 6000km (it now shows just 600 more) and, other than Michelotti’s revisions, remained as it appeared at Geneva, right down to its alloy-rimmed Rudge 14in wire wheels with their oversized spinners.

The mismatched paintwork has been left just as it was after the coachbuilder’s modifications, leaving a permanent visual reminder of the GT 4700’s early evolution.

The Meccanica Maniero GT 4700 has a large luggage shelf with retaining straps

Up close, the Maniero is surprisingly small, measuring just 4.2m long and just over 1.6m wide (by way of comparison, the Mustang’s dimensions are nearly 4.6m and 1.73m), but, then again, it is only a two-seater, with the rear cabin space strictly for luggage only on a neatly trimmed shelf with retaining straps.

In profile, the shape is beautifully resolved and appears not to have been harmed by the insistence on a relatively high roofline.

There is a trace of Bertone’s Fiat Dino Coupé about it (which is no bad thing), and if you weren’t aware of what mechanicals lay beneath, you’d be forgiven for expecting it to be powered by a high-revving Italian twin-cam, fuelled by a set of Webers.

The Meccanica Maniero GT 4700’s patchwork-quilt effect gives the neatly proportioned GT a special character

But a turn and press of the ignition key is all that is needed to shatter that misconception.

When it was revealed, the Meccanica was referred to as the ‘closed Cobra’ and, as the Ford V8 fires and settles to a threatening rumble, it’s easy to see why.

The interior is trimmed to a very high standard, belying the car’s one-off status, and retains its original oxblood leather upholstery, which extends to the door cards and across the back of the rear stowage area.

The complete absence of ventilation betrays the fact that the Maniero was never developed beyond the prototype stage, as do small details such as the bottomless ashtray, which opens to reveal the carpeting beneath it.

The Meccanica Maniero GT 4700’s handsome steering wheel

Predictably, the cabin is genuinely spacious, measuring 900mm from seat squab to roof, and more than a metre from the back of the driver’s seat to the pedals – plenty generous enough for my 5ft 7in frame.

Facing you is an instrument panel that feels familiar from Ferrari GTs of the era, with a large tachometer and ambitious 320kph speedo, plus six supplementary dials.

The gorgeous three-spoke, wood-rimmed Hellebore steering wheel is well positioned, avoiding the normal Italianate compromises.

There’s some pedal offset, though, due to the wide transmission tunnel: the 289 V8 is sited low in the chassis and to the rear of the engine bay, behind the front axle line, meaning that the GT 4700 is actually front-mid-engined.

The Meccanica Maniero GT 4700 has a crisp line that wraps around the tail

Either way, you know it’s there as soon as you depress the heavy clutch, engage first with the chunky but positive gearlever and accelerate down the road.

First is very high, allowing up to 110kph (68mph) if you are of a mind, but the intermediate ratios are so closely stacked that there’s no need.

There’s some diff whine on the move, but it’s easily drowned out (in a good way) by the hammering roar of the 289, which thrives on high revs.

There’s a yobbish quality to the soundtrack that feels at odds with your cultured perception of the Maniero, but it’s a contradiction I could easily live with.

The Meccanica Maniero GT 4700 has neatly detailed vents in its rear pillars

Dynamically, while the car has undergone mechanical recommissioning and is largely vice-free, it’s no Ferrari 330 – or Fiat Dino, for that matter – when you hit the twisty bits.

The steering is faithful but heavy and, while the ride is good, there’s sufficient roll when cornering hard for a front tyre to occasionally rub against its arch – so perhaps Michelotti’s team didn’t fully resolve that fault.

Presumably that didn’t bother Angelo too much because, as a machine to reliably schlep up and down the autostrade all day long, boarding ferries with impunity, and to reach his destination without having to consult an osteopath, it would without doubt have been the perfect companion.

Images: Jack Harrison

Thanks to: Paul Garlick; Broad Arrow Auctions

Factfile

Meccanica Maniero GT 4700

Sold/number built 1967/one
Construction steel perimeter-frame chassis with front and rear subframes, steel body
Engine all-iron, ohv 4727cc V8, single Autolite four-barrel carburettor
Max power 271bhp @ 6000rpm
Max torque 312lb ft @ 3400rpm
Transmission four-speed manual, RWD
Suspension independent, at front by wishbones rear trapezoidal lower arms, upper arms with pivots; radius rods, coil springs, telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar f/r
Steering rack and pinion
Brakes discs f/r
Length 13ft 9½in (4200mm)
Width 5ft 6¼in (1680mm)
Height 4ft ½in (1230mm)
Wheelbase 7ft 10in (2400mm)
Weight 2568lb (1165kg)
0-60mph 6.5 secs (est)
Top speed 160mph
Mpg n/a
Price new n/a
Price now €3-400,000 (est)*