Beschreibung:

With the 3500 GT nearing to the end of its successful run, Maserati entrusted to Pietro Frua the task of designing a new two-seater coupé, based on the Tipo 109 chassis. So was born the Mistral, the first in a series a classic Maseratis to be given the name of a wind and the last model from the Casa del Tridente to be equipped with a straight six cylinder engine before Maserati moved on to V8 engines for their production cars. Frua's new creation, originally named the ' Due Posti ', was first shown in a preview at the Salone Internazionale dell'Automobile di Torino in November 1963. This classic Italian granturismo entered production in 1964 and remained so until 1970, this seven years of production was proof of the beauty and originality of its design: it is in the view of many, the most beautiful body to come from Pietro Frua of Turin and it was at the suggestion of Col. Simone, the French Maserati Concessionaire, that the Due Posti should be renamed Mistral . The engine was a direct descendent of the 6-cylinder unit mounted in the Tipo 350 S sports racer and boasted a close relationship with the engine that powered the Tipo 250F F1 single-seater, driven by Manuel Fangio, to Maserati's one and only F1 World Championship in 1957. It is worth remembering that the crankshaft was manufactured adopting same technology used for Maserati's competition engines. The cylinder head has hemispherical combustion chambers with camshafts driven by a double chain, twin-ignition by distributor with 2 spark plugs per cylinder and fed by a Lucas indirect fuel injection system. This stunning and extremely rare righthand drive example was first delivered in December 1964 and sits on 16""Borrani chrome/alloy wire wheels with almost new Vredestein tyres. This is the 3.7 litre model with a five speed manual gearbox. Overall condition is described by the vendor as excellent throughout with Azzuro Vincennes blue metallic paint and tan/cream leather interior with contrasting blue carpets. In the early 1990's, the car received a repaint with new floors and sills etc. All chromework has been re-plated and is in excellent condition. Much mechanical work has been undertaken over the years and a thick file containing various bills and invoices accompany the car. Also included are a number of original Maserati publications including parts manual, Workshop manual and drivers handbook together with an extremely rare and original sales brochure. A car cover is also included as well as a large box containing various spares. Purchased by the current owner, and recently out of storage, the Mistral was owned by a previous owner for over 20 years and is now presented with road tax until June 2011 with a valid MoT until January 2011. This model was tested at its launch by Quattroruote, one of Italy's top motoring magazines, Ciampino and recorded a top speed of 227kph. With performance like this, it is no surprise that this model confirmed the commercial merits of Maserati's constructive philosophy in the prestigious field of Italian Gran Tourismo motorcars and indeed why this tipo is so collectable today.