By the time I finish writing this, the eBay auction on this 1967 OSI 20M will be over, and judging from the action for the last hour, ownership of the car will come down to a last-minute battle between auction snipers. I would imagine that normally selling a used car for a six-figure price is difficult without having an auction house filled with slightly inebriated rich folk who are used to surfing the crème de la crème of the automotive world. eBay is not that kind of place…yet, here this rare piece is, sitting like a 10-carat diamond ring in a pile of costume jewelry. One of maybe five in the United States and 170 or so worldwide, this car is achingly beautiful, surprisingly powerful, and has been haunting me for the better part of the afternoon. Pardon the way I phrase this, but I want nothing more than to drive this beast into a Concours show like Pebble Beach just to screw with some heads before driving it out to California Highway 1 for a sunset cruise.

So, what exactly are you looking at here? This is a coach built body on the underpinnings of a German-market Ford Taunus. OSI (Officine Stampaggi Industriali, “Industrial Stampings Workshops”) did the work. The company was supposed to act as a independent, niche product bureau of Ghia, but after founder and former Ghia president Luigi Segre died in 1963, the company fluttered along for a few years before closing down the coach building sections of work in 1968. The bodywork was penned by Sergio Sartorelli, the man who also designed the Karmann Ghia Type 3. How much did OSI change when they re-skinned the Taunus?

Safe to say, a significant amount. And bless them for doing it. The Taunus isn’t a bad looking car…in my eyes, it looks a lot like a first-generation Holden Monaro with Ford Fairlane styling cues here and there. The OSI 20M, on the other hand, looks like a mid-1960s Ferrari coupe from the right angles. Do you care if it completely apes a Ferrari? Not when it looks that sexy. Now, there is one fault with the OSI: originally, you got whatever V6 the Taunus got, either a 2.0L or 2.3L  version. And that’s what makes this 20M different than the others…sure, they’re still rare and collectable and worth a freaking mint, but this particular scratches one itch we all have:

Oh, sweet mother. While we don’t know the displacement, what you are looking at is a Ford small-block wearing four Weber 44s like jewelry. Backed by a Tremec five-speed, running power out to a Ford 8.8, this 20M will rock as hard as it’s looks will stun. Take note of the Wilwood brakes, and those hoses running to the firewall are for the Vintage Air a/c unit. Someone spent some money getting this car into top-tier condition, and bless them for going this route. But look inside if you really want to top this beauty off…

That’s it. I’m done. I can’t torment myself anymore. The auction ended, with the reserve met to the tune of $70,100. To whoever bought this beauty, enjoy it, drive it, show it and take excellent care of it. And please, be sure to piss off any and every pain-in-the-ass Ferrari owner you ever meet when they start flapping their gums about rarity and exclusivity. You have a much rarer coach built Italian gem, and one that has been perfectly restomodded.

(Courtesy: Bring A Trailer)