1965 Maserati Mistral

Maserati Mistral (Coupe/ Spyder) 1964-1970

Maserati's replacement for the 3500GT was unveiled at the 1963 Turin Motor Show Torino and reached dealerships a year later. Called the Mistral, it continued Maserati's tradition of naming their cars after winds. This Frua-designed two-seat coupe was available with either steel or aluminium body panels mounted on a box section tube frame and would be the last Maserati to use the fabled DOHC twin-plug straight-six engine that had racing heritage. The car was also available as a convertible Spyder.

Initially the car was offered with a 3.5-litre engine, however this was soon upgraded to a 3.7-litre unit with 240hp, and a 4.0-litre version with 255hp followed in 1966. All used Lucas fuel injection and a five-speed ZF transmission. The 4.0-litre cars achieved sub-7-second 0-60 times and top speeds in excess of 140 mph, with four-wheel disc brakes, independent front suspension, and Maserati's typical Salisbury rear axle insuring that the car was stable at speed. Subtle bodywork changes came in 1966 at roughly the same time as the introduction of the larger motor, and later cars had alloys rather than the original Borrani wire wheels.

From 1964 to 1970, Maserati built 830 Mistral coupes and 125 Mistral Spyders, the latter being offered with an optional hard top. Today, the Maserati Mistral is often regarded as Frua's prettiest design, and model is recognised as a top performer of the era. Spyders are valued more highly than their coupe counterpart, so the latter offers a more affordable route to ownership. Look out for rust around wheel wells, in the frame, and at the base of the windscreen as well as intermittent Lucas injection problems on 3.5- and 3.7-litre cars. Original hard tops are now rare, and add to the value of a car.