This 1966 Maserati Mistral isn’t the kind of car you expect to see turn up on Facebook Marketplace in what looks like a very cramped garage. Of course, it’s located in Huntington Station, New York, which is a bit of a goldmine for vintage sports cars. The seller doesn’t include much in the way of information, other than noting the engine still turns freely. The Maserati is listed here on Facebook Marketplace with an asking price of $120,000. What other cars do you see hiding out in this dusty garage with the Maserati?
The Mistral was designed by none other than Peitro Frua and was a stunner back in the day. It’s still quite attractive now, even more so if this one features the aluminum bodywork. Engine choices were all inline six cylinders with varying degrees of output, ranging from 235 b.h.p. to 265 b.h.p. The Mistral was a solid performer, with most models capable of reaching 60 m.p.h. in seven seconds and climbing onwards to a top speed of 140. Today, they remain collectible but not the level of its Italian siblings from the same era.
The Mistral looks quite clean inside, with untorn bucket seats, decent looking door panels, a handsome wood-rimmed three-spoke steering wheel, and surprisingly stain-free carpets. We don’t see the tell-tale signs of mice or other rodents that tend to leave the remnants of their nest making materials all over the carpet, and even the shifter boot appears to be intact. This is a very good sign despite the external appearances suggesting the Maserati has not moved in quite some time, as the seller confirms it’s been in storage for 30 years.
The bodywork, at least what we can see of it, looks straight and true going down the sides. There’s no obvious sign of accident damage or prior paint work, but that’s nearly impossible to tell from here. The Mistral is perhaps most coveted in convertible form, but the presence of a hard, fixed roof likely played a role in the cockpit remaining so clean. The asking price is certainly up there for a project, but one can hope the Maserati was fired up once in a while given the company it keeps in this gloomy garage.
Beautiful cars (tiny though ) that bring big money……
IF PROPERLY PRESENTED !
In comparison to a US land yacht, yes it is small, but my 1964 Mistral was about the same size as a Ferrari Mondial and I am 6ft 1″ and had no trouble fitting into it..
I love everything Italian!!! Including my wife. Now only if she could get a discount on Italian sports cars based on being full Italian, Life would be even better. I would need a bigger garage.
The closest I had to one of these was in 1969, and it was a purple Hot Wheel . Until the internet, I’d never seen a real one !
I don’t know anything at all about the Mistral, but this is a pretty little car. There are 2 currently for sale on Hemmings, they both need resto, for $90K. One looks to be a bit nicer than this one, so I think this may be a tad pricey. I can’t find any production figures, but these must be pretty rare.
You could always try this.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maserati_Mistral
Long Island, lousy photos no real information and high price. I was convinced this was going to be a Gullwing Motors ad, and maybe it is?
Here is a nice Aston they have right, great photos IMHO
https://www.gullwingmotorcars.com/1962-aston-martin-db4-c-4254.htm
In the mid-’70’s,I detailed a Moto Guzzi motorcycle for a guy.
Later he brought by a Mistral,& then a Ferrari Daytona.I think that
he paid something like $7500 for it.Interesting car.
Anyone else notice how much this,& an AC 427 look alike?
Yes I did see the resemblance to the AC 428. I even thought Emma Peel was driving a Mistral until I learned it was an AC 428.
That’s because they were both designed by Pietro Frua… he did quite a few for Maserati. Some are more attractive than others.
That’s because both were designed by Pietro Frua, responsible for quite a few Maseratis… some more attractive than others.
A little anachronistic calling the Mistral an AC lookalike, no? (Last I checked, 1963 came before 1965.)
Joe, AC made a car after the Ace (Cobra was based on the Ace) that was a near clone of the Mistral. Frua designed both cars. The doors between the Mistral and AC car were the same. I know this because I have a 1966 Mistral Coupe, 4.0 liter car.
Yes, of course. My point was the the 1963 Maserati Mistral predated the 1965 AC Frua 428, so it’s therefore backwards to say that the former looks like the latter; it’s the other way around.
Maserati cars ( or as I was told by a Italian car restorer) they rust really bad. I bought the above 85 biturbo in 95 with engine disassembled for $1000.00. I rebuilt the engine (parts available from a place in Washington state) for premium money(gasket set alone over $500.00) but once done was quite fast. I eventually gave the car away as I lived in an apartment that constantly complained about parking spaces, and I had 3 or 4 cars.
Good luck to whoever gets this baby.
God bless America
Good for you. I never understood why people hated the bi-turbo. When I worked at the Alfa dealer the SM came to me and asked if I would work on a 89 Bi-turbo Spyder that was run out of oil. I told him I would if he got me the manual. It too came as a basket case for the Ferrari dealer. Worked on it on the weekends in addition to during the week. Labor of love for sure. Gotta love the way you have to adjust valves on these! I loved driving it with the top down. Too bad I couldn’t afford it own it.
They caught on fire a lot. That may be why people aren’t crazy about them!
Biturbos caught on fire regularly. That may be why people aren’t crazy about them!
With all due respect, Biturbos were ugly and had the build quality of a Fiat, nuff said?
Yeah, adjusting the valves is done by grinding or filing little caps that sit on top of the valve stems. Those were missing on mine and cost me about $3.00 ea for a new set.
God bless America
That’s a bit like trying to set the gaps on a Ford “A” where you either grind the valve stem or cut the valve seat deeper.
I believe that Robert Crumberford claims credit for the Mistral, or was it the Indy?
Indy.
Good driving care very similar to my Sebring of the same era. They were built in two different factories as far as the bodies were concerned and final assembly in the same shop. The water pump and head gaskets are a little strange but the rest is very simple. This design appealed to the go fast crowd more than the Sebring. Both tended to be high cost fashion statements just under the performance of the Ferrari’s of the day. The 428 Fura body is almost exactly the same and many of the parts can be interchanged.
I liked the Sebring better because it has a shorter wheel base and better rear quarter visibility and the advantage of a non visible trunk. Both are great fun to drive and are amazing highway cruisers.
Jack: I like this better-
https://www.automobile-catalog.com/model/maserati/mistral.html
but get alotoudda it when usin both. Hope the link is to this M/M/Y. If not, noodle around & you’ll
1) get it;
/&/
2) learn how ta use the site.
8^ )
I use Mike’s Carbs the same way – swap out a carb for performance (pep & MPGs) as I C comparable displacements for off model use (ie – what might I need to put 3 DCOEs on a 3.3L or 4.1 ford i6. Can I find jets pre-purchase for the correct CPM or should I source a different carb that has’em? etc).
I’ll never understand why people use Facebook Marketplace (or Craigslist for that matter) to try to sell cars like this.
For that kind of asking $$, seller needs a better camera! Really!