60 years of the Maserati Mistral
06/24/2024
Production of the Maserati Mistral, which was initially simply called "Due Posti", meaning "two seats", began in 1964. To mark the 60th anniversary, Classiche Masters, a company founded by a Belgian Maserati collector, invited Mistral owners to a Mistral reunion in Durbach in the Black Forest from June 14 to 16, 2024.
Classiche Masters is not only known as the publisher of the book on Maserati workshops published in 2020 (see book review ) and the English-language Maserati magazine "Alfieri", which is published twice a year. It also maintains chassis registers of classic Maserati road models on its website, provides advice on restoration, finds specialists and also organizes events and workshops to promote the community of Maserati enthusiasts and the preservation of Maserati cars.
The event was attended by die-hard Maserati enthusiasts with six Mistral Spyders and two Coupés, as well as two other Maseratis from Belgium, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and even a couple from Australia, who were there in their Mistral Spyder based in England after an extended road trip in France. On Saturday morning, after the drivers' briefing by editor-in-chief and organizer Pedro Cappelle, the route led from Durbach along picturesque roads to the lunch break on the Schlossberg in Freiburg. The road book was not only available with Chinese symbols, but also much more conveniently as a navigation route for the smartphone. After a three-hour lunch menu with a magnificent view over Freiburg with its Gothic cathedral, the route took a wide arc on winding mountain and valley routes via Triberg and Wolfach back to Durbach.
Adolfo Orsi, grandson of the Maserati owner of the same name, under whose aegis the Mistral was created, awaited the participants there after several breakdowns. In his presentation with many historical pictures, he explained, among other things, how after four rejected proposals from Carrozzeria Touring and Carrozzeria Vignale for a 3500 GT successor, the Frua prototype "2 Posti" presented at the 1963 Turin Motor Show with the "4 Porte" was selected due to the positive reaction of Maserati customers and the press. Pietro Frua had derived both vehicles from the design of his Maserati 5000 GT . In my introductory presentation, I showed Frua's classic working method, which led from the 1:10 design, via the 1:1 construction drawing and a wooden model, to the two hand-bodied, ready-to-drive prototypes for the Mistral Coupé and the Spyder.
The all-round successful weekend ended with a group photo on Sunday morning after further petrolhead discussions over dinner and the distribution of spare parts lists following an extensive breakfast.
