Lot 420: 1964 Maserati Mistral by Frua

In the 1950s Maserati had been one of the keenest exponents of sports car racing, often producing beautiful and successful cars capable of competing on even terms against Jaguar, Aston Martin and local rival Ferrari. More often than not a straight six cylinder, double overhead camshaft engine was employed, a derivative of which found its way into Maserati's range of road cars, production of which began in 1958 with the glamorous 3500GT, a Touring bodied coupé powered by a detuned version of Maserati's famed 350S competition engine of 1956. The 3500 proved to be a great success and represented the pinnacle of Grand Touring cars until it was superseded by the Mistral of 1963. Romantically named after the wind which blows over the French Mediterranean coastline, conjuring up images of speed and beautiful scenery, the Mistral employed a short, 2,400mm, square-section tubular chassis with independent coil spring suspension at the front, a live, semi-elliptically sprung rear axle and all round telescopic shock absorbers. Power for the twin camshaft, six cylinder, 3.7 litre engine, breathing via Lucas fuel injection, was quoted as 245bhp at 5,500rpm (a 4.0 litre engine was later available as an option) delivered to the wheels via a five speed manual ZF gearbox; automatic transmission was optional. With extensive use of aluminium in its construction, particularly the opening panels, weight was reduced considerably in comparison to the Mistral's earlier stable mates, making this car the swiftest of the line and capable of 152mph. And with no concessions to rear seat passengers, it was designed from the outset to be a more overtly sporting car than had been offered in the recent past, and Frua's pretty and elegant coachwork quickly found favour. Its opening rear glass panel was one of the earliest manifestations of the now common hatchback, and this innovative approach was typical of Frua. The Mistral enjoyed a relatively long production life from 1963 until 1970 with a total of 948 cars built, of which a mere 120 were spyders. In the same ownership for the past 20 years, this 1964 right-hand drive example was taken off the road in 1992 to undergo a comprehensive restoration. This included replacement of the sills and floor-pans prior to a bare metal re-spray in the original and factory-matched Metallic Azure by an experienced Maserati specialist, full servicing of the engine, manual gearbox and rear axle, the fuel injection system rebuilt by Lucas, replacement of all fuel lines, and refurbishment/replacement of other mechanical and interior items as necessary using only original parts throughout. Presented in excellent condition, and with fewer than 50,000 miles recorded, this attractive and rapid Maserati comes with numerous receipts for the restoration, amounting to many thousands of pounds, a copy of the original factory build sheet, V5 registration document, and a MoT test certificate valid until June 2009.