1958 Rino
Meliora was slowly growing, with more staff working in a bigger factory. By the mid 50s, Eugenio’s son, after being an engineer in ADM for a couple of years joined to his father’s company, and soon he began to work in a new car. It was called Rino, and it was based in larger (and rejected) Olimpo chassis. As the car was to be sold in US and Mexico to a bigger scale in comparison to previous models, a ladder chassis was used, since spaceframe will take too long to make and monocoque was to expensive for the small company.
The car was launched in 1958, using a soft top. The engine was provided by ADM, a Venturi 400 unit heavily modified (more agressive camshaft and twin DCOE carburetor) paired to a manual 4 speed.
The Rino convertible did 0-100 in 9.7 seconds and the 1/4 mile in 17.34s with a top speed of 221 km/h. It also had power steering, and all the commodities you will want in an premium car, such as leather seats and a hi-fi stereo.
Despite the departure of the Meliora style (light weight fast cars) the Rino was an instant success.
1959 Rino Maximum celeri
A year later, a new trim was released, called Rino Maxium Celeri. It was a fastback version of Rino, with the same engine, but ligher due to a more simple interior. It had an improved suspension tuning as well, and the result was the fastest Meliora so far:
0-100 in 8s, 1/4 mile in 16.4s and a top speed of 224 km/h.
Figures for fruinian markets.
Rino Convertible - 1958 price: $2,058
Rino Maxium Celeri - 1959 price: $1,838