Housewife in a hurry
We just mentioned the Maserati Sebring, which was referred to at the beginning as the 3500 GTI S. Now we come to another Maserati model that began its career as the 3500 GT, this one with the addition of 2posti. This also makes it clear whom Maserati saw as its competition: the Jaguar E-Type. Giulio Alfieri was given the task of developing the vehicle again and again. He shortened the wheelbase of the already shorter 3500 GT Spyder by another 10 centimetres to just 2.4 metres (and once again used that old-fashioned rigid rear axle, while the suspension and springs also came from the 3500 GT). The powerplant was familiar, the usual 3.5-litre inline-six with 235 hp. But it was the design that caused a sensation: it was the work of Pietro Frua, and like the E-Type, the 2posti had a tailgate. And at the beginning it was a pure two-seater, with an aluminium body. (And if you want to see a certain similarity to the AC Frua 427/428, you’re certainly not wrong.)
The Maserati was only named Mistral from 1966; the name was inspired by the French Maserati importer John Simone. By then, the Maserati had already been given rear seats, so it was a 2+2, was mostly made of steel, and now had a 3.7-litre engine with 245 hp – and an open-top sibling (see below). From 1966, there was also a 4-litre version with 255 hp. The Mistral was built until 1970, with a total of 828 coupes and 123 Spyders being produced. We can show one of the prototypes here, AM101/950 – later, the Mistral was given the internal designation AM109. Surprisingly, they were more popular in Great Britain than anywhere else in the world. An American journalist wrote: ‘An excellent shopping trolley for the housewife in a hurry’.
As promised, there’s more to come:
VIN: AM109/S 055 (1965)
Auction: RM Sotheby’s, Monterey 2024, sold for 395’000 Dollars, with these informations: «Completed on 15 March 1965, this Mistral Spyder was initially finished in Argento Metalizzato (Salchi #106E1) over a Rosso Connolly (Rosso-pac.1603) leather interior. It was sold new to Jaguar Daimler Distributors, Inc. of New York for display at the 1965 New York Auto Show, per historical documentation provided by the Maserati Club. Its first known private owner was Joseph B. Quatman, a prominent Ohio lawyer and philanthropist, who purchased the car in 1966. Mr. Quatman traded it in for a Maserati Ghibli in 1968 via Trident Importers, Inc. of Pennsylvania. The car was restored in the late 1990s, after which it was acquired by its current owner—himself a restorer by profession—in 2006. It is now handsomely finished in black over a crème Connolly leather interior. Further, a rebuild of its numbers-matching engine, completed in March 2020, saw the car’s 3.5-liter inline-six upgraded to 3.7-liter specification. While the Mistral was originally equipped with Lucas fuel injection, it has since been fitted with triple carburetors—a common conversion that provides better and more reliable performance. The original fuel injection system is, however, included in the sale. In 2024, at a reported cost of approximately $25,000, the car was sent to Italy for inspection by Maserati’s Classiche program. Upon review, it was found to retain its original, matching-numbers chassis, engine, and gearbox, and factory-numbered body and trim panels. The car is accompanied by a Maserati Classiche dossier including its Blue Book and Certificate of Authenticity, maintenance and restoration invoices dating from the 1980s, and historical documentation.»
–
We have more Maseratis in our archive.