The person who buys this 1971 Intermeccanica Italia is going to need some patience when it comes to restoring the car. Their patience should be well rewarded, as once properly restored, they will find themselves owning a car that not only looks stunning, but should possess the performance to match those good looks. Barn Finder Peter R referred this beautiful little classic to us, so thank you for that Peter. The Italia is located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and is listed for sale here on eBay. The owner has set the opening bid for the Italia at $15,000, and while there has been no action to this point, there are 51 people who are watching the listing.

A previous owner commenced the restoration process on the Italia, but then the project stalled. That person then passed away, and things have gone no further. The car is said to be structurally solid, with the lower front fenders being the only areas with any obvious rust issues. The front fenders are also quite heavily damaged, and while both are repairable, it is going to be a big job to get them back to their best. I did a bit of searching to see what was available in the way of parts to replace items that are missing on this car. I found a new grille, and that was $750, while replacement front bumpers can be your for $1,400. Other items that are missing include the glass out of both doors, and I haven’t had any luck locating replacements for these. Mind you, I suspect that a bit of time and patience would eventually secure these parts.

While the interior of the Italia looks tidy at first glance, there is going to be a lot of detail work required to bring the car up to a high standard. The wheel isn’t original, and this would need to be replaced. The same goes for the radio/cassette player, the shifter, and that horrible grab handle on the passenger side of the dash. The cover on the driver’s seat will need to be replaced, as will the carpet. The rest of the upholstery is something of a surprise. It looks like a patient upholsterer would be able to stretch and glue a few of the loose edges, and the interior should then look really nice. It appears as though this is one area of the Italia where the restoration work has the potential to be both easy, and surprisingly inexpensive.

While things may not look that pretty under the hood, the good news is that this Italia is a car that runs and drives. Stopping is a whole other issue, as a faulty master cylinder means that the car has no brakes. What you get is a 351ci Cleveland V8 engine, a 4-speed Top Loader transmission, and a 9″ rear end. With 310hp on tap and a total weight of 2,601lbs, the Italia is a spritely performer. It can demolish a ¼ mile in around 13.7 seconds and head on to a top speed of 135mph. This is no shy little flower, that’s for sure. As befits a car of this type, I would probably be inclined to pull the engine and give everything a good clean, because the current presentation simply doesn’t do the car justice.

Once restored, this Intermeccanica Italia will offer the next owner the best of both worlds. Standing still it will possess stunning good looks and amazing pose value. Fire that 351 into life, and the available performance should be enough to satisfy virtually everyone. It is a car that is going to require a fair amount of work to return it to its glory days, but with good examples commanding solid, six-figure prices today, it would seem to be a restoration that would be well worth the effort.