Mastretta

Mastretta was established in Mexico City in 1987 by industrial designer Daniel Mastretta. Its early work was not limited to sports cars. During the 1990s, the company developed body and chassis designs for microbuses used in the Mexico City metropolitan area and for urban buses. These projects gave Mastretta experience in practical vehicle structures, fabrication, and transport-oriented engineering. That background led to the company's first known kit-car project, the Unediseño-Mastretta MXA, constructed in 1995. The MXA used the chassis of the Volkswagen Beetle, called the Vocho in Mexico, and retained an air-cooled Volkswagen engine. The documented prototype produced 44 bhp and reached a reported top speed of 127 km/h. Mastretta produced only a small number of examples. Some were exported to Germany, Japan, and the United States, where low-volume kit cars attracted collectors and enthusiasts. A related MXB version was also built, distinguished by different headlights and other minor changes. The MXA received specialist recognition when Automóvil Panamericano included the Unediseño Mastretta in its February 1998 Modelos annual catalogue. Mastretta's more important turning point came with the development of the MXT. In June 2007, Automóvil Panamericano reported that the MXT was being produced in Mexico City by Daniel Mastretta's company, Tecnoidea. Unlike the earlier Volkswagen-based kit cars, the MXT was developed as a dedicated sports car intended for international commercial availability. The project used a mixed supply model: the chassis, body, interior, and many additional components were made in Mexico, while the engine, transmission, and some other parts were sourced from the United States. The proposed production level was approximately 200 cars per year. This placed the MXT in the specialist, low-volume performance market rather than the mainstream automobile industry. The vehicle also supported Mastretta's claim to be an indigenous Mexican automaker, although descriptions of the company as Mexico's first mass-production car maker require qualification. Mexican companies including Dina, VAM, D.M. Nacional, and the Ramirez Industrial Group had previously developed their own vehicles and produced them on a small national scale beginning in the 1950s. The Mastretta identity is closely tied to Mexican national symbolism and motorsport imagery. Its shield-like badge uses green, white, and red, together with a diagonal black-and-white racing stripe associated with the Mexican coat of arms and racing aesthetics. The MXT became the company's principal international reference point and its first vehicle identified in the available material as reaching international commercial availability. However, the reference material does not provide reliable information about a continuing production operation, later ownership, current management, or a present corporate website. Accordingly, Mastretta's current status cannot be confirmed from the supplied sources.

• 2007

  MXT production plans are reported

  [1]Mastrettaen.wikipedia.org

  Automóvil Panamericano reports the planned production of the MXT by Tecnoidea in Mexico City, with a proposed annual volume of 200 cars.

• 1998

  MXA receives specialist catalogue coverage

  [1]Mastrettaen.wikipedia.org

  Automóvil Panamericano features the Unediseño Mastretta in its February Modelos annual catalogue.

• 1995

  Unediseño-Mastretta MXA is built

  [1]Mastrettaen.wikipedia.org

  Mastretta constructs its first documented kit car, using a Volkswagen Beetle chassis and air-cooled engine.

• 1990

  Expansion into public-transport vehicle engineering

  [1]Mastrettaen.wikipedia.org

  During the 1990s, Mastretta works on body and chassis design for Mexico City microbuses and urban buses.

• 1987

  Mastretta is established

  [1]Mastrettaen.wikipedia.org

  Industrial designer Daniel Mastretta establishes the automotive design and manufacturing business in Mexico City.

Low-volume, Mexican-designed and engineered performance vehicles combining lightweight construction, specialist fabrication, and international sports-car aspirations.

• Kit car · 1995

  Unediseño-Mastretta MXA

  The MXA was Mastretta's first documented kit-car project, built in 1995 on a Volkswagen Beetle chassis. It used the Beetle's air-cooled engine, reported at 44 bhp, and had a stated top speed of about 127 km/h. Only a small number were made, with some examples exported to Germany, Japan, and the United States. The car represented Mastretta's early transition from transport-vehicle engineering into enthusiast-oriented vehicle design.

• Kit car

  Unediseño-Mastretta MXB

  The MXB was a variation of the MXA. Available descriptions identify revised headlights and other minor modifications relative to the earlier Volkswagen-based project. Like the MXA, it was a low-volume specialist vehicle rather than a conventional mass-market model.

• Sports car · 2007

  Mastretta MXT

  The MXT was Mastretta's principal production sports car and the first Mastretta-developed vehicle described as reaching international commercial availability. It was developed and produced in Mexico through Tecnoidea, with the chassis, body, interior, and many other components fabricated locally. The engine, transmission, and certain additional components were sourced from the United States. The proposed production volume was approximately 200 cars annually, positioning the MXT as a low-volume performance vehicle.

1. 1Mastrettaen.wikipedia.org