In 1973, Penrose was still pondering what to do with the Reverence. He had already sketched out some designs for a more conventional 4x4 pickup, but when the oil crisis hit, any hopes of designing a brand new ladder chassis and factory for the truck went out the window. Penrose feared that the existing FWD architecture would have to soldier on, perhaps with some updated engines.
But out of the darkness, came an opportunity. Mexican automaker Mastin had recently split from its parent company ADM and was struggling in the crisis. Burdened with oversized factories and dwindling sales, Mastin was faced with crippling overproduction. The company was trying to sell everything it could - crate engines, transmissions, and even the ladder chassis from the Borzoi SUV/pickup.
And so, in early 1974, Adenine and Mastin hammered out a deal that would benefit both sides. Adenine would purchase the Borzoi chassis and replace exterior and interior components as necessary. It would supply its own engines and transmissions. Meanwhile, Mastin could expand to the lucrative US market while reducing overproduction.
Penrose was overjoyed to sign the deal with Mastin. The Borzoi chassis was perfectly suited for his needs, with its galvanized steel frame and solid axle, leaf-sprung rear suspension. And he didn’t have to pay any of the costs to develop or produce it! Even better, the longitudinal orientation meant that he could simply drop in the new 3.2L I6 turbo being developed for the Veranda. So a large portion of the engineering for the brand new truck was already done.
The main challenge for Adenine was designing the new 4x4 drivetrain. Penrose hadn’t worked on 4x4s in 30 years, and none of his engineers had experience with them either. Fortunately, Mastin engineers were happy to work with him to integrate their 4x4 system with Adenine’s 4-speed automatic. Anything they could do to sell more components was a plus!
Aside from dropping in the new turbo engine, Adenine didn’t need to make too many changes to the Borzoi chassis. The wheels and brakes were a little different, and the base trim came with no radio to save costs. A more premium interior and the high-end 8-track cassette player from the Veranda were available as options. Higher trim levels also added additional safety features.
The end result was a Reverence that was almost completely different than the one that came before it. Its old-fashioned ladder frame, built for the toughest Mexican environments, was resilient and durable. Combined with RWD and 4x4 capability, the new Reverence was able to withstand heavy loads and towing duties. Serious pickup drivers were satisfied.
However, in making the change to compete with conventional pickup trucks, many of the original Reverence’s unique advantages were lost. The new drivetrain was considerably heavier and more expensive than the compact, space-efficient FWD layout. With a starting price of $12000 (+20%), the new Reverence was quite a bit more expensive than its predecessor. It was also slower (0-62 in 10 seconds) and had poorer handling, largely due to the extra weight and reduced rigidity. In addition, the exotic turbocharged engine raised questions about reliability.
But what was undeniable was the Reverence’s impressive 18mpg fuel economy. In the wake of the 1973 oil crisis, the Reverence offered all the utility of a conventional full-size pickup truck but with nearly twice the gas mileage. In a time when even the largest American V8s were getting strangled by emissions regulations, Adenine’s turbo six balanced excellent power with class-leading efficiency. Highly capable, durable, and economical, the Reverence finally started to gain respect within the pickup truck world. And for that, Penrose had to thank his friends down in Mexico.
The '75 Reverence was a unique combination of automotive engineering from around the world. A classic American pickup truck, built on a Mexican chassis, with an exotic turbocharged heart designed by American and European engineers. During a difficult decade for the US automotive industry, Adenine was able to succeed by turning to creative solutions and people. By the 1980s, Adenine had made enough money to build its own factory for the Reverence, and Mastin was eventually acquired by Meliora Automotive.