Chances are you’ve never heard of the Rayton-Fissore Magnum, or Laforza, before but in the mid-1980s and through the 1990s, it was designed as a luxurious off-roader to rival the Range Rover.
This bizarre 4×4 is based on the platform of an Iveco truck and also uses differentials, suspension, and brakes from Iveco. During its 18 years in production, just 6,000 examples were sold, with about 1,200 of them finding homes in the U.S.
While the Rayton-Fissore Magnum had quite a complex name in Europe, it was simply badged as the Laforza in the U.S. The example tested by Doug DeMuro has a 5.0-liter Ford V8 later equipped with a supercharger, although other variants came outfitted with a GM 6.0-liter supercharged V8 paired to a four-speed automatic transmission.
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This being a vehicle from a small Italian car manufacturer, there are unsurprisingly a lot of interesting features. This is particularly evident in the interior where the 4×4 came fitted with a radar detector from the factory. The owner of this Laforza notes that the radar detector still works. Also found within the cabin is lots of plush leather that DeMuro notes makes the interior of the vehicle feel more luxurious than a Range Rover from the same time period.
Meanwhile, the exterior of the Laforza features a host of parts from different Fiat models, including the headlights and taillights while the panel gaps are also very inconsistent.