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The Mistral’s supremely elegant design was further enhanced by convertible offered in 1966. The coupé’s styling, came courtesy of Giovanni Michelotti pen, and Vignale was the coachbuilder. It was offered with a choice of either the 3.5 litre engine from the 3500 GT or the 3.7 litre variant, to which a further enhanced 4 litre unit was added a couple years later.

In the first year of coupé production the car was still called simply “2 Posti” spyder before it was christened the more poetic Mistral. Even in 3.5 litre guise, performance was much more than simply poetic, as a healthy 235 hp was on tap. Mistral roadsters were predominately steel-bodied, with the bonnet, doors and boot lid in alloy. A very rare optional hardtop was designed for the car and was also produced in light alloy.

Already available in the coupé and in the Sebring, it became a somewhat less popular choice, when, in 1966 the new 4 litre unit was introduced. However, more than half of the Mistral Spyders assembled were produced with the 3.7 litre engine. A customer could specify an automatic gearbox on both the 3.7 and 4.0 litre versions.

Wire wheels came as standard, but from 1967 light alloy wheels similar to those on the Ghibli became available. Maximum speed was around 250 kph (156 mph). Italian actors Alberto Sordi and Ugo Tognazzi figured amongst Mistral Spyder owners. Overall, 125 Mistral Spyders were assembled between 1964 and 1970, 20 of them were right hand drive models. In 1968 the Mistral Spyder became the most modern car ever to win the Best in Show award at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d'Elégance.

Story by Maserati S.p.A.

Chassis & Sales

1967 Maserati Mistral Spyder - sold for €136,125 Of those 120 Spyders, the number of right-hand drive cars was only 20, and they remain quite rare in today’s collector car market. The Mistral Spyder presented here is one such right-hand drive example, fitted with a 3.7-litre engine mated to a ZF five-speed manual gearbox. The car comes equipped with Borrani wire wheels and a rare optional factory hardtop as well. This numbers-matching example currently shows 49,460 miles which, however, cann... more
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1965 Maserati Mistral Spider - sold for $130,750 This 4-liter Mistral, the last Spyder built in 1970, is a right-hand drive model with English-unit instrumentation by Lucas and Smiths. A largely original car, it has covered fewer than 62,000 miles, although the interior shows considerable wear. The black leather seats are cracking and worn in places, but the car is otherwise clean. The instrument panel is clean and unmarked, and needs only modest detailing. The exterior white paint is in ver... more
Gallery: 2009 Bonhams Exceptional Motorcars at Quail Lodge Resort

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