1970 MASERATI MISTRAL SPIDER

細節
1970 MASERATI MISTRAL SPIDER
COACHWORK BY FRUA

Chassis No. AM 109 SAA 725
Metallic bronze with beige leather interior and black hood.

Engine: straight six, double overhead camshaft, 4,014cc, three Weber carburettors, 255bhp; Gearbox: five speed ZF manual; Brakes: discs all round; Suspension: front, wishbones and coil springs; rear, live axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs. Left hand drive.

The Mistral was the swansong of the straight six Maserati engine (with its twin overhead camshafts and twin spark plug per cylinder ignition system) which had first seen service in the 3500GT launched in 1957. After the Mistral, all front-engined Maserati's used a larger four camshaft V8 engine.

Styled by Pietro Frua, the Mistral was a luxury two-seater with a large glass opening hatch at the rear giving access to the luggage platform. 70lbs lighter than its predecessor, thanks to the use of aluminium for the opening panels, the Mistral had a good power-to-weight ratio, especially with the 4 litre engine as offered here. The top speed was over 140mph and Maserati claimed almost 160mph.

The Mistral Spider was announced at the Geneva Show in 1964, mechanically identical to the Coupe but with a conventional boot lid and a retractable fabric roof. 120 were built in total, compared to 800 Mistral coupes, so the convertible is instantly the more collectable of the two. Production of both ended in 1970 so this 4 litre convertible must be one of the very last produced and is rare with the 4 litre engine.

All Mistral models - 3.5, 3.7. and 4.0 litre cars - used Lucas petrol injection. Some owners, however, decided to replace the injection system by Weber carburettors which were easier to maintain and more "musical". Disc brakes and alloy wheels were also part of the package and the standard transmission was the widely used, and very strong, ZF five speed manual.

This desirable open-topped Maserati is in excellent structural and cosmetic condition and drives well, although the exhaust system may need some attention. The car has power assisted windows. It comes with Italian documents and is also Swiss duty paid.

NO RESERVE