Heron Europa and its relative MBM Tourismo
10/31/2012
Heron Plastics was one of the many manufacturers of plastic bodies in England in the early sixties. The range included attractively shaped bodies for the chassis of the Austin 7, but it was not only private customers who turned to the well-made Heron "bodies", but also small sports car companies such as the manufacturers of the Diva GT.
Around 1961, Heron independently developed its own coupé, which was called the Heron Europa and officially presented at the London Racing Car Show in 1962. Equipped with a tubular steel chassis, it was prepared to take Ford engines with 997 or 1,500 cm3. The chassis was laminated into the plastic body, while the floor was made of wood. The small car is said to have reached around 185 km/h and 12 units were produced. As a kit, the car cost £ 580, partially completed £ 730.
Peter Monteverdi, a racing driver and car designer in Switzerland, also liked the Heron Europe and used it as the basis for his own sports car, which he also presented in 1962. He called the offshoot MBM Tourismo, which was presented in Automobil Revue No. 11/1962 of March 15, 1962 on page 11 - together with the MBM Formula Junior. However, the article (and probably Peter Monterverdi himself) failed to mention the close relationship to the Heron product, even though the specifications were very similar.
The Monterverdi Tourismo was also equipped with the Ford Anglia engine and had a tubular steel chassis. The differences in the suspensions are also likely to have been minor. Monteverdi stated a total weight of 530 kg and a top speed of 150 to 190 km/h (depending on the engine/tuning level). A base price of 12,450 Swiss francs was quoted; funnily enough, Monterverdi wanted a surcharge for the right-hand drive version. A convertible version was even planned, but this was probably never built.
The photos shown here and the sales brochure for the MBM Tourismo( and Formula Junior) are of course stored in the Zwischengas archive.
