Here’s something you don’t see every day, a LaForza captured in Vermont and posted at the CC Cohort by William Oliver.
A what…? What in the world is a LaForza? You may ask. Look, if the model doesn’t ring a bell, don’t you worry; these were rare from the start. The LaForza is part of an early wave of exotic luxury oriented 4x4s from the 1980s, about which 1200 supposedly sold in the US throughout its ’89-’03 run.
And mind you, the shape may be boxily anodyne, but this is not some weird Japanese off-roader with Italian pretenses. Instead, it’s a real Italian concoction from specialty builder Rayton-Fissore, and with lines penned by Tom Tjaarda, of Pantera and Fiat 124 Spider fame. Hard for me to tell if the rather plain shape was just trés-avant-garde back when it first appeared in ’84, or if assembly issues kept Tjaarda from being more expressive…
Perhaps today’s black one may not be the best hue to appreciate the LaForza’s styling. Here’s an ’86 model in white, better showing the model’s 1980s austere cleanliness. Any improvement?
The Rayton-Fissore was a product of the exotic-obsessed 1980s, with the spin of offering a high-end luxury 4×4 rather than another sports car or GT. Partly to carve out a niche in the then saturated exotica market, and partly following the Range Rover’s lead, which was still rather solitary in that segment.
Then again, the vehicle was perhaps more influenced by Peter Monteverdi’s 4×4 Safari. An earlier upper class 4×4 from ’77, for which Carrozeria Fissore (Yes, there’s a family link to the Rayton-Fissore enterprise) had done design work for.
The Rayton-Fissore reached the US market in ’89, rechristened LaForza, and sold in limited numbers all the way to 2003. As with many exotics from small houses, powerplants and other hardware came from a variety of sources, so that may explain why this one is still in apparent running condition. After all, US models carried American sourced gear.
About which, the “supercharged” badge on this one indicates an optional setup that first appeared in US models for ’95. A Kenne Bell one from ’95 to ’97, and an Eaton one from then on. Through those years, either a Ford 5.0 or 5.8 V8s found their way into the US vehicles, with an additional GM-sourced 6.0 V8 showing up in ’99.
While these are rare, a few have shown up at CC before. Still, they’re rare enough that any running one deserves a short moment in the CC spotlight. A trailblazer in the luxury 4×4 market now little remembered, but what can I say? Groundbreakers either get to live in fame, earn cult status, or fall into oblivion. Now, to which does the LaForza belong to?
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: La Forza 5-Liter – May The Forza Be With You
CC Capsule: 1989 LaForza 5-Liter – The Force Was Not With Me Just Then
There was a place selling these in Beijing when I lived there in 2003.
The rear view is at first, second and third glance a Fiat Uno look-alike!
In the European market, it was called Rayton Fissore and came equipped with several engines: one manufactured by the diesel specialist company Sofim, later acquired by Iveco, and another diesel manufactured by VM Motori. It also had an Alfa Romeo petrol engine.
I remember seeing a few when they were new. They were expensive but didn’t look expensive. That’s a recipe for failure in any language.
The LaForza makes a lot more sense when you see its interior, which really is much nicer than any other SUV of its era.
I’ve seen a handful,of these in the US, and was surprised to see the original Rayton-Fissore in police livery in Italy about 25 years ago. Apparently the American LaForza company HQ, and the factory which did some final assembly/configuration, was in Hayward, California not too far from where I was born and just across the Bay from where I was living at the time. Hayward is perhaps better known for Gillig bus (still operating) and Mack truck (closed in 1980’s) manufacturing plants.
Visually, an intriguing mix of refreshed Range Rover Mk1 and supersize Fiat Uno, and not very original or elegant for a premium product.
I’m relying on the Curbivore Commentariat to identify the source of the lights
+1 I know hat you mean about the rear light clusters, they look familiar but I can’t place them
A real rarity in my backyard! Not literally (I haven’t seen it around the Burlington area) but close by.
In the context of the late ’80s these made sense for the US market – segment competition was limited to the ancient Jeep Grand Wagoneer, the not too much fresher if newly officially imported Range Rover, the Toyota Land Cruiser that then was only about as plush as a contemporary Corolla DX and the top-of-the-line Chevy Suburban and (2-door only) Blazer and Ford Bronco – and as with the LC, “top of the line” meant cloth seats and carpeting along with a few power assists.
By the late ’90s the world had changed and the Laforza hadn’t changed as much, I’m surprised it was made as long as it was.
I’ve only ever seen one Laforza in my life, and that was while I was driving my 1993 Allante. The irony of two Pininfarina cars with American drivetrains sharing the road was delicious.
It reminds me of something, I guess it’s the Range Rover, but I think most of that market segment is almost interchangeable visually. With a couple of exceptions, basically the real ugly ones, they all look the same to me, including this one. On the other hand, so many of the ultra boutique builders cars are ugly, so being forgettable may in itself be an achievement.
That’s a nice find!
A point of interest in the LaForza (called Magnum in Italy) is that it was a close cousin of the VM90, a light military vehicle. A junior Hummer, if you will, predating it by a decade.
The styling was very clean, perhaps too much,reminding of a scaled up Fiat Uno; the interiors on the other hand were nicely appointed for the time, and with the V8s performance should have been adequate (unlike the European version, which was underpowered, especially with the original diesel engine)