1971 Maserati Indy

The Ghia-styled Ghibli two-seater was followed by the Indy 2+2, and was the Maserati company's first use of unitary construction. It was announced in 1968 and wore coachwork by Carrozzeria Vignale and its first public appearance in prototype form was on Vignale's stand at the 1968 Turin Motor Show. Maserati officially launched the Indy a year later, at the 1969 Geneva Salon.

The Indy was given conventional running gear consisting of an independent front suspension, a live rear axle, and four-wheel disc brakes. The power unit was initially the tried-and-true 4136cc four-cam V8, with 4.7- and 4.9-liter versions following. A ZF five-speed manual gearbox was standard, with a three-speed Borg-Warner automatic available to special order.

The 260 horsepower engine gave the luxury four-seater a top speed in the neighborhood of 150 mph. That figure was improved with the subsequent larger-engined versions.

Maserati announced at the 1970 Turin Motor Show the arrival of the 4.7-liter version. It was virtually identical to its predecessor apart from few minor styling changes. Power rose to 290 horsepower. The examples destined for the North American market were renamed 'Indy America.'

Partway through 1971, a 4.9-liter model became available, which was powered by a slightly de-tuned version of the Ghibli SS engine. In 4.9-litre form, the Indy's claimed maximum increased to 320bhp, which pushed up its top speed to around 170mph (274km/h). From 1973 the '4900' was the only model on offer, its smaller siblings having been dropped. Power steering and air conditioning were standard on the '4900'.

By the time production ceased in 1975, a total of 1,104 examples of all types of Indys had been produced. A total of 440 examples of the 4.2-liter, 364 examples of the 4.7-liter, and 300 examples of the 4.9-liter.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2017