Maserati Indy

About the Maserati Indy

The Indy was conceived as an alternative to the Ghibli offering a V8 engine and room for four people; it effectively replaced both the ageing six-cylinder 2+2 Maserati Sebring—which descended from the 1957 3500 GT— and the first generation Quattroporte. Two coachbuilders showed their proposals at the November 1968 Salone dell'automobile di Torino, both based on a Maserati 4.2-litre chassis. On Ghia's stand there was the Simùn, a 2+2 berlinetta designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro; on Carrozzeria Vignale's, a sleek 4-seater fastback penned by Giovanni Michelotti.Both coachbuilders had already an established relationship with Maserati, as Vignale had been responsible for the 3500 GT Spyder, Mexico and Sebring, while Giugiaro had recently penned the Ghibli at Ghia.

Vignale's prototype was preferred, and the production model was launched by Maserati at the Geneva Motor Show the following March.The car was christened Indy in honour of Maserati's two victories at the Indy 500.

At its launch in 1969 the Indy was offered with a 4.2-litre V8 engine. From 1970 a 4.7-litre Indy 4700 started to be offered alongside the 4200; the same year some interior updates were introduced, including seats with retractable headrests and a new dashboard. In 1972, Maserati added the Indy 4900 to the range, equipped with the new 4.9-litre V8.

Steel semi-monocoque with front subframe
Engine : V8 dohc with four Weber carbs
Transmission : 5 speed manual or 3 speed Borg Warner automatic, rear wheel drive
Suspension : front double wishbones, coil springs, anti roll bar. rear live axle, semi elliptic springs, telescopic dampers, anti roll bar.
Steering : Power assisted ZF recirculating ball
Brakes : discs all round with servo

Production of the Indy ended in 1975. In total 1,104 were produced,[4] 440 of them Indy 4.2s, 364 Indy 4.7s and 300 Indy 4.9s.