It’s really difficult to rank ‘60s coupés. There are so many to choose from, and so many are achingly beautiful. Even if you narrow it down to the Italian ones, the candy store is vast. Would the Maserati Mistral make your top five or your top ten? It’s up there, for sure. Aristocracy achieved.
It’s not just about the car’s marque or looks, though those do of course count for something. This was also the final vessel for the legendary Maserati DOHC hemi-headed straight-6. Caristocrats care about bloodlines and breeding, after all.
That 6-cyl. had powered the 3500 GT (1957-64, Maserati’s first true “production” road car) and the 350S racer before that. It’s not quite the same block as the one used in the 250F that Fangio drove to his last F1 World Champion title in 1957, but there is a strong family resemblance.
Which makes sense, as both the 2.5 litre six used in the 250F and the 3.5 litre that followed were designed by Giulio Alfieri. The very first dozen or so Mistals back in 1963 also had the 3.5, but the engine’s displacement was soon augmented to 3694cc, bringing the output to 245hp.
Aside from its twin overhead cams, the Maserati straight-6 also boasted two spark plugs per cylinder and, since 1961, fuel injection. This was clearly something to boast about: there’s no mention of the model’s name anywhere; the only script on the car, aside from the tiny Maserati badge on the hood, is this trident with the word “Iniezione.”
In 1966, Maserati added a 4010cc variant to the options list, providing an extra 10hp over the 3.7 and available with a 3-speed Borg-Warner automatic. The 4-litre was in great demand, but 95% of clients ordered their Mistrals with the ZF 5-speed manual.
Our Tokyo Mistral has the 3.7 litre engine, albeit with a major (and rather obvious) modification: the fuel injection was replaced here by three Webers. It’s not an uncommon sight on these engines, as the fuel injection system, made by Lucas, is reputed to be temperamental and very difficult to adjust correctly. You can see the small spidery-looking intake for the injection system sitting on the cam cover, blocked off by a metal plate. The Prince of Darkness strikes again. Not sure what this does to the engine’s power, but I bet it hasn’t helped with fuel economy.
The box section chassis was a shortened variation of the 3500 GT’s – not the most innovative setup, but then Maserati were clearly trying to freshen up leftovers. Then again, the Mistral still hails from an era when a leaf-sprung live axle was the norm, even for high-end sports cars. Just look at early ‘60s Ferraris, Jensens or Facel-Vegas.
Where Maserati did not work with leftovers was the styling. There were several extremely talented designers and coachbuilders to choose from, and they picked the man, the myth, the legend that was Pietro Frua.
Actually, they got a twofer: Frua designed both the Mistral and the V8-powered Quattroporte for Maserati’s 1963 range.
And the Mistral came in two flavours, lest we forget: almost from the jump, i.e. from early 1964, a convertible version was available. Quite lovely it was, too. It was outsold by the coupé 8 to 1, but still merits a passing mention.
Said range also included the Sebring (top picture), which shared the Mistral’s drivetrain but had rear seats and a rather different Michelotti-designed body, as well as the super-exclusive chassis-only 5000 GT (seen here with a Touring body, bottom picture). Best-looking range in the world for MY 1964?
Pietro Frua outdid himself with the Mistral. Some of his designs could come off a tad finicky or gawky, especially in this era, but there is none of that here. The simplicity and dynamism of that front end is particularly well executed, in my opinion.
This angle is trademark Frua, with those squinting rectangular taillights on a flat, almost Kamm-like rear end. Just look at the Quattroporte, or the AC 428, the Glas V8, the Monteverdi 375S – or even some of his one-offs, like the gargantuan early ‘70s Rolls-Royce Phantom VI cabriolets.
Classy interior, but then you’d expect that, wouldn’t you? The handbrake looks a little obtrusive, if one might be allowed to hazard a criticism.
Little T87, who figured dials in cars told you how fast they could go, would have been amazed by the speedo, located at the very left of the instrument binnacle: it goes all the way to 300kph. Fancy that!
This fantastic number well beyond the car’s capabilities: in the real world, Italian car magazine Quattroruote only managed a max speed of 227kph with a 3.7 litre Mistral in 1967. They also measured the car’s 0-100kph time at 6.8 seconds. Pretty much level-pegging with the E-Type coupé, but the Jag cost much less than the Mistral.
Perhaps it wasn’t the quickest Italian exotic by the late ‘60s – the Lamborghini Miura, the Ferrari 265 GTB/4 or the Iso Grifo could all outrun it – but the Mistral still sold decently well. When production was stopped in 1970, Maserati’s last straight-6 sports car had managed about 950 units, including 123 drop-tops. That’s less than the 3500 GT, but those benefited from being Maserati’s sole road car for many years, whereas the Mistral had to compete with the rest of the trident’s range.
Was it the best-looking car Maserati made in the ‘60s? A case can be made, but I’d like to see all the other entrants in the metal before voicing an opinion.
What is true is that the deep growl emanating from this sculptural Maserati when on the move makes for a combo of sight and sound that is hard to top. A true caristocrat, for sure.
Related post:
Vintage R&T Driving Impressions: 1968 Maserati Mistral; And A Feature On How It’s Built, by PN
While not as pur-sang with it’s Ford V8, I actually think the DeTomaso Mangusta is a prettier car. Still, I wouldn’t kick a Mistral out of my garage, and this one is certainly a beautiful example.
Stunning italiano…!!!
A lovely example, but IMHO not the greatest Maserati design. It starts with a nice front end, but the proportions are a bit off and it doesen’t hang together all that well. there, said it…beauty is in the eye of the beholder, YMMV. I prefer the Touring bodied 3500 and 5000 GTs – simpler, more understated and beautifully proportioned.
Still, this is one of the nicest I have seen – the color is lovely. And I’m sure it sounds lovely!
I always preferred the Mistral Spyder, but my favorite ’60s Maserati is the Ghibli, in open or closed form. It was a contemporary of the Ferrari 365 GTB/4, but had a much lighter appearance and balanced design, to my eyes.
Beautiful car. My only small critique would be the side rear windows that seem to be too large on the bottom edge. I’d have liked it to have more body panel there.
Hard to find many nicer designs than this one.