1971 Maserati Indy 4700

Named to commemorate Maserati's two victories at the Indianapolis 500, the Maserati Indy (Tipo 116) first appeared in 1968, at the Salone dell'Automobile di Torino as a prototype by Carrozzeria Vignale. The production model was launched by Maserati at the Geneva Motor Show the following March as a comfortable four-seat Grand Tourer with good luggage space and a top speed in excess of 150mph.  For the 1970-72 model years, the Indy was offered with a 4.7-litre, 290bhp, V8 engine, fitted with power steering and air conditioning as standard, with the intention of capturing the US market these later cars were billed as the "America". Maserati was a low-volume manufacturer and Indys were only made to order and of the 1,136 cars being built in all forms, only 364 benefitted from the 4.7-litre V8.

Documents within the substantial history file indicate that this example was supplied new in Milan before being exported to the Middle East and subsequently returning to Europe in the mid-70s. It's classically finished in Rosso Fuoco with a superbly presented, light tan leather interior.

In the early nineties, it was subject to a ground-up restoration in Denmark by Skallebolle, a specialist in Italian cars from this era, with photographic, stage by stage, evidence in the history file. A substantial 800 hours of work is documented with the bodywork taken back to bare metal and all mechanical aspects of the car carefully rebuilt or replaced.  The odometer is now indicating 15,207km which is understood to be the total mileage covered since the restoration. Today, the paintwork and interior stand up to the test of time very well indeed and the Indy starts instantly on-the-button and sounds very healthy.

Accompanying the car is a fitted luggage set, two large history files with various documents and invoices, a workshop manual, current V5C (UK registration paperwork) ready for export or transfer and all import/export paperwork. Recent maintenance includes a check over and engine tune up by a well-regarded UK-based, Italian sports car specialist in February of this year.

With good performance, even by today’s standards, razor sharp looks and very limited production numbers, the Indy has a strong enthusiastic following. This example has been featured in numerous magazine articles due to the quality of its restoration and would make a great addition to any collection of landmark sports cars, or perhaps a super classic GT that will continue to turn heads on driving tours throughout Europe.