Lot 77: Maserati Indy America

Styled by Carrozzeria Vignale, the Maserati Indy was intended to replace the ageing Mexico and Quattroporte and was named in honour of the marque's two great Indianapolis wins in 1939 and 1940. It first appeared in prototype form on Vignale's stand at the 1968 Turin Motor Show and was officially launched at the following year's Geneva Salon. The first unitary construction Maserati, its fastback coupe styling clothed a spacious 2+2 interior luxuriously trimmed in typical Italian style. Initially powered by a 4.1-litre quad-cam V8, this was soon upgraded to a 4.7-litre unit that produced a healthy 290bhp and could propel the car to 60mph in just 7 seconds on its way to a top speed of 157mph. Brakes were discs all round with independent coil-and-wishbone front suspension and a live rear axle. A worthy rival to the contemporary Ferrari 365 GT 2+2, the Maserati Indy was well received by press and public alike, Motor magazine revelling in the restrained ferocity of the exhaust note, the "tremendous performance" and the "outstandingly smooth and quiet race-bred V8." Autocar also enthused over the beautifully smooth power unit, silky gearbox, balanced handling, comfortable ride and superb stability. Of the 364 cars made in 4.7-litre form, only around 35 were in right-hand drive, making this example a rare car indeed. Dating from 1972, this 4.7-litre automatic is said to have covered less than 50,000 miles from new, though the service history was lost some years ago when the car was put into storage in the South of France while awaiting export to Australia (a move which never came to pass). The car is said to have been formerly owned by well-known 1970s fashion photographer, Bob Gothard, and was restored at Bill McGrath Maserati, receiving a full engine rebuild in 1984 at 47,212 miles and a full body restoration and interior retrim in 1987 at 48,990 miles. At the time of cataloguing the vendor was in contact with McGraths in an effort to retrieve some of the service history for inspection on sale day. Still said to be in very good order throughout and to drive very well indeed, it is currently in regular light use and has an MOT until April 2009. With top examples now fetching in excess of �30,000, this Indy looks excellent value at the guide price suggested today.