Maserati struggled in the sixties while Ferrari thrived. It was one of the storied Italian brands with a racing heritage, but with only six or eight cylinders, its mystique just couldn’t rival Ferrari’s V12s. The Mistral was the essentially the successor to the 3500 GT, and was very traditional Italian GT in its mechanical elements: a DOHC inline six dating back some years, a 5-speed ZF transmission, and a lice rear axle suspended on leaf springs. In reality, these cars were not all that different than the classic Italian sports/racing/GT cars from the mid-late thirties and forties.
So although a bit out of date, the Mistral still had a lot of charms, as R&T discovered in this test. And in addition to driving it, they also did a story on just how it was built, very much in the classic Italian tradition too. Both are good reading to have a better understanding of what made (and still makes) classic hand-built Italian sports cars so attractive.
In that fine CC tradition, I actually saw a red Mistral coupe recently, in my local supermarket parking lot. As luck would have it it was the one day I didn’t have my phone with me, so no photos 😟. I usually see some nice 1960’s Italian exotica on local highways during the Monterey Historics week, but that is still a few months out, and that crowd probably doesn’t shop here. In any case it might be only the second or third Mistral I’ve ever seen. It looked surprising small compared to modern supercars … or even compared to the mid-size Asian cars parked nearby.
My dad had a 1968 Maserati Quattroporte for awhile, and some of the things in this road test sound so familiar, including the excellent 5-speed gearbox and the unassisted steering with strong self-centering. Tony Hogg was right that five speeds were not strictly necessary in the context of the time, but I will still say they were nice to have. It also had the curious mixture of Marelli and Lucas electrics, though I don’t remember what was what at this point. (It may even have had a Bosch alternator.) The four-wheel discs were by Girling, and there was a big notice on the reservoir to use only Girling Crimson brake fluid. Try finding some of that! The fuel recommended on the data panel was Agip Supercortemaggiore, which sounds awesome, whatever it was.
Anyway, some nice memories.
Stay tuned; a R&T review on the Quattroporte is coming up very shortly.
Seems quite nice! There’s an interesting Maserati documentary currently on Amazon Prime that gives a good overview of the company’s history (to call it turbulent would be an understatement) and most of the cars produced over the years. It’s perhaps not the best documentary I’ve ever watched, but definitely interesting with some good footage and interesting commentary by various individuals involved with the marque.
Thanks for the tip.
So, it could have been a Maserati Mistrial?
I have never, ever been able to see Mistral. It always registers as Mistrial.
I have the same problem with Toyota TRD.
And I see Minstrel. The medieval version, not the later American one. I guess I’m more music oriented?
Maserati may not have been able to compete with the Ferrari V-12, but lowbrow me has always thought that V-8 is always the correct answer.
Maserati seem to be making the right moves for their future recently with the MC20 and Grecale fleshing out their range and quality now at last on a par with their rivals. Being part of the Stellantis group seems to have worked out….
I have owned and enjoyed a 1966 Maserati Mistral 4.0 since 1975. It’s simple elegance is timeless. Last Monday I toured the factory in Modina watching the new MC20 being built. It is a drop dead gorgeous car with another simple elegant but modern design. I am now considering a second Maser in my garage.