1971 Maserati Indy Coupe

Maserati, having a long and proud tradition of building exotic grand tourers, were at their peak by the late 1960s and announced the Indy at the 1968 Turin Salon, with the new model to sit alongside the existing Mexico and Ghibli models. Named after Maserati's famous victories at the Brickyard in 1939 and 1949, the Indy was sleekly styled by Vignale and the full monocoque bodyshell featured plenty of room for four adult passengers in the sumptuous cockpit. Following normal Maserati practice, the suspension comprised of double wishbones and coil springs up front, with a rigid axle and semi-elliptic springs at the rear, along with an anti-roll bar and single radius bar. Powering the Indy was Maserati's magnificent quad-cam V8, derived from the 450S racing model, with four Weber 42 DCNF carburettors and was available initially as a 4.2-litre, then in both 4.7 and later 4.9-litre versions. The Indy sold in both manual or automatic guise and had a large boot area under the glass hatch, making it practical for long trips. Early cars used a 14-inch Borrani rim (this was later increased to 15-inches) and, from 1971, a revised version with new instrument panel was badged the Indy America. The Indy proved popular despite the outrageous asking price - it seemed there was a steady market for high speed, luxury expresses in the period before the Fuel Crisis - and no less than 1,104 were made before production ceased around 1975.