It’s 1969, and you are shopping for a Maserati of the grand touring persuasion. The options are prolific. The six-cylinder Mistral, or its sister, the Sebring? In the eight-cylinder category – the Ghibli, the Mexico, or – fresh to the lineup – the four-seat Indy? What a miracle that a company like Maserati, building a few hundred of each model each year by hand, every one designed by the best stylists in Italy, could present so many choices to its buyers. The 1960s were a lush landscape indeed for enthusiasts of all stripes. Today’s Italian diva is a 1971 Maserati Indy, available here on eBay for $95,000 or best offer (down from $99.5k when I started writing this article). The car is located in Crownsville, Maryland, and the odometer reads just 50,550 kilometers. Curvette – thank you as always for the wonderful tip!

Today, as in 1969, collectors have choices when it comes to their next garage inhabitant – and those choices can be from among models, condition, price, and provenance. Many of us buy the former owner as much as we buy the car. Some of us want a very particular configuration. Others sacrifice condition for price, or the obverse – pay a high price for the best condition. This Indy was recently imported from Kuwait; all of its documents are in order. It was in storage for fifteen years, but is said to run and drive well. That’s a 4.7-liter double overhead cam V8 breathing through four Webers in the engine bay – good for 290 hp and an under-seven-second vault to 60 mph. Top speed should come in around 16o mph. Brakes are servo-assisted discs all around. The gearbox is a ZF five-speed, used throughout production – though in 1973, it was given a dogleg reverse and its internals were improved to match the power output of the newly available 4.9-liter V8. Unlike the Ghibli, the Indy’s engine is a wet-sump, resulting in a higher bonnet line. The body is a monocoque type, while the Ghibli sits on a tube chassis with a lower center of gravity. These differences add up to civility over performance, though the latter was nothing to sneeze at.

Not much beats a 1960s Italian car interior. Even the lowliest Fiat was somehow more elegant than many other cars, cabin-wise. Here, we find leather seating, low-profile headrests, a three-spoke wood-rimmed Nardi steering wheel, sparkling sill plates, and an instrument panel that puts a Cessna to shame – what more could you want! The condition of all these surfaces appears excellent, including the rear bucket seats. That’s right – the Indy dished up more than a glorified parcel shelf back there, in keeping with its berth as a true four-seater.

Vignale had designed the Sebring and the Mexico for Maserati; tapping his talents for the new Indy was natural. Challenges included a high bonnet line to account for the wet-sump engine and the bulky four-seat configuration, but Vignale’s solution is brilliant. A creased waistline, the huge rear glass hatch (Espada fans will recognize that idiom!), and generous quarter lights relieve the bulk. If I have a gripe about the Indy’s looks, it’s those Borrani alloy wheels fitted at the factory; they’re 14″ and seem small for the wheel arches. Low mileage or not, Indys are a tough sell. A prospective owner can opt for the sportier Ghibli, or some 12-cylinder Ferrari. Recent sales include this ’70 with an engine swap to the 4.9-liter, sold at Scottsdale last week for $84k; and this 4.2-liter ’70 with a few needs for $41k. As nice as it appears, this Indy will probably require another discount from the seller before it finds a new garage.