Maserati Indy - the most successful and spacious sports car of its generation

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Maserati Indy - the most successful and spacious sports car of its generation

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Created on October 10, 2012

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Bruno von Rotz

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Balz Schreier

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Bruno von Rotz

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Maserati Indy (1970) - Vignale created a simultaneously dynamic and elegant sports car

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Maserati Indy (1970) - you were well dressed with it

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Maserati Indy (1970) - was not for people with budget problems

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Maserati Indy (1970) - ready for the big drive

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Maserati Indy (1970) - flat and long - a good recipe for sporty elegance

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Maserati Indy (1970) - with impressive retractable twin headlights_Balz Schreier

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Maserati Indy (1970) - luxurious GT sports car

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Maserati Indy (1970) - the large interior made more extensive glazing necessary

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Maserati Indy (1970) - still a pleasure to drive today

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Maserati Indy (1970) - showed the exhaust tips to most other cars of the time

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Maserati Indy (1970) - generous glazing of the cabin

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Maserati Indy (1970) - also suitable for a lord of the manor

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Maserati Indy (1970) - was longer than the Opel Rekord at the time

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Maserati Indy (1970) - unique look from the rear

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Maserati Indy (1970) - the rear window was very flat

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Maserati Indy (1970) - the two exhaust pipes later came back into fashion

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Maserati Indy (1970) - rounded front end with good aerodynamic qualities

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Maserati Indy (1970) - a good 230 liters in the trunk compartment

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Maserati Indy (1970) - dashboard and controls - we recommend a brief study of the owner's manual before setting off

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Maserati Indy (1970) - Wooden steering wheel with trident

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Maserati Indy (1970) - everything in view while driving

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Maserati Indy (1970) - the ignition lock is on the right-hand side of the steering column

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Maserati Indy (1970) - complete equipment with additional instruments

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Maserati Indy (1970) - Dashboard - you are never left in the dark about what you are driving

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Maserati Indy (1970) - comfortable seats and fine materials

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Maserati Indy (1970) - the gears can be shifted easily and precisely

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Maserati Indy (1970) - elegant connection to the gearbox

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Maserati Indy (1970) - hood opens forwards - huge V8 engine in the front

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Maserati Indy (1970) - filigree door openers

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Maserati Indy (1970) - two tanks with 50 liters each could be filled on the left and right side

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Maserati Indy (1970) - the Vignale sign - slightly faded

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Maserati Indy (1970) - the trident on the rims

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Maserati Indy (1968) - Presentation of the prototype in Turin on the Vignale stand

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Maserati Indy (1969) - independent design by Vignale

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Maserati Indy (1970) - elegant and fashionable

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Maserati Indy (1969) - not quite as sporty as a Ghibli, but unmistakably a Maserati of the early seventies

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Maserati Indy (1969) - Folding headlights were a typical attribute of Maserati sports cars in the late sixties

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Maserati Indy (1970) - front view - open folding headlights

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Maserati Indy (1969) - Interior with plenty of space in the rear

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Maserati Indy (1971) - comfortable and actually usable rear seat

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Maserati Indy (1969) - see-through drawing - note the multi-adjustable steering wheel

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Maserati Indy (1970) - plan drawing shows the dimensions

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Maserati Indy (1970) - Cockpit and functional elements - from the owner's manual

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Maserati Indy (1970) - the carbureted V8 engine

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Maserati Indy (1971) - the 4.9-liter engine with Lucas fuel injection

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Maserati Indy (1971) - was mostly delivered with metallic paint

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Maserati Indy (1972) - the seat design was adapted during the production period

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Maserati Indy (1972) - considered the epitome of the elegant, fast GT sports car

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Maserati Indy (1972) - classic dimensions responsible for refined elegance

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Maserati Indy (1972) - the exterior hardly changed noticeably during the entire construction period

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Maserati Indy (1975) - elegant design by Alfredo Vignale, here the 4900 version with a 4.9 liter V8 engine

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Maserati Indy (1975) - Steering wheel and dashboard of the fastest version with 4.9 liter displacement

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Maserati Indy (1970) - war nichts für Leute mit Budget-Problemen

Maserati Indy (1970) - bereit für die grosse Ausfahrt

Maserati Indy (1970) - flach und lang - ein gutes Rezept für sportliche Eleganz

Maserati Indy (1970) - mit imponierenden versenkbaren Doppelscheinwerfern_Balz Schreier

Maserati Indy (1970) - luxoriöser GT-Sportwagen

Maserati Indy (1970) - der grosse Innenraum machte eine umfangreichere Verglasung nötig

Summary

When the Maserati Indy was launched in 1968, there was no shortage of alternatives in the Modenese sports car manufacturer's range. The Mexico, Ghibli and even the Quattroporte appealed to similar customer segments. As a four-seater, the Indy designed by Vignale was in a position to overtake all other Maserati sports cars over time. And yet today it stands in the shadow of the more sophisticated Ghibli. This vehicle report portrays a Maserati Indy from 1970 and tells the story of this Italian Gran Turismo, supplemented with many historical illustrations and three sales brochures.

This article contains the following chapters

Between Mexico and Ghibli
Restrained in performance?
Larger than (then) mid-range saloons
Space for four people and luggage
Faster than most
Safe to drive and largely reliable
Parking instead of bodybuilding
A bargain?
Further information

Estimated reading time: 6min

Preview (beginning of the article)

It had everything to impress the sports car-loving youth of the time, who pressed their noses against its side windows: an elegant shape with a fastback rear end, a classy, leather-trimmed, light-flooded interior, a speedometer with "300 km/h" at the right-hand stop and a rumbling V8 exhaust sound when it was started. It was hardly less convincing than the Ghibli, which was built at the same time, and yet today it is largely overshadowed by its shorter brother in terms of value and image. At the end of the 1950s, Maserati presented its first luxurious Gran Turismo sports car, the 3500 GT with an inline six-cylinder engine. This was followed in 1963 by the Mistral, which, in contrast to its predecessor, only had two seats. Accordingly, the Mexico with V8 engine was positioned more strongly in the GT corner again in 1966 and thus once again had a four-seater sports car in the range. In 1963, however, Maserati also introduced a four-door saloon, the Quattroporte. And in 1967 another sports car, the Ghibli.

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Images of this article

Maserati Indy (1970) - war nichts für Leute mit Budget-Problemen

Maserati Indy (1970) - bereit für die grosse Ausfahrt

Maserati Indy (1970) - flach und lang - ein gutes Rezept für sportliche Eleganz

Maserati Indy (1970) - mit imponierenden versenkbaren Doppelscheinwerfern_Balz Schreier

Maserati Indy (1970) - luxoriöser GT-Sportwagen

Maserati Indy (1970) - der grosse Innenraum machte eine umfangreichere Verglasung nötig

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