The Maserati Indy was an attempt to give backseat passengers some of the classic grand touring experience, adding a set of cramped rear seats into a supercar’s body. Supercar is relative, I realize, but for the era in which it was built, most of Maserati’s vehicles were at that level. Featuring an all-aluminum, quad-cam V8 and gorgeous styling by Vignale, the Indy was not produced in huge numbers and this example here on eBay may represent a good opportunity to complete a started-and-stalled project.
The seller is asking £22,995, and the Indy is located in the town of Fleet in the United Kingdom. Bodywork looks fairly straight but it’s hard to discern exactly what the prior owner was remedying based on the primer slathered on the front fenders. All glass looks good and the wheels appear original. The Vignale body doesn’t make it immediately evident that the Indy has rear seats, which should give some indication as to how cramped the rear quarters are. The blue on red color combo is quite attractive, in my opinion.
The interior is clean enough that I have to believe the Indy was stored carefully while it was torn down. The seller indicates the attempted refresh began in the 1990s, “…when the car was laid up, post being stripped for restoration.” The 4.2L mill is still installed, and may indicate the restoration was purely cosmetic in nature. While this may not be the case, I’m still grateful this isn’t one of those projects where the wiring harness is in one box and the interior is sitting in a crate at a remote location. Even the dashboard looks serviceable.
The UK provides a service I desperately wish our country did: the ability to look up a registration plate (or, license plate) to see what the car’s status is. By getting a sense of when it was last taxed/registered, and/or passed inspection (MoT in this case), you can discern whether a potential project you spotted may be up for sale. In the case of the Indy, it hasn’t been taxed since 1981, so the long-term storage may have began prior to the restoration attempt in the 1990s. Regardless, the price seems fair if rust isn’t pervasive or hopefully non-existent, but you will have to adapt to right-hand drive.
I have been in a couple and the back seats are similar to that of a modern Camaro or Mustang. Not big but still useful. These are bigger cars than they seem in photos. Based upon a similar chassis layout of the better looking contemporary the Ghibli but all the parts underneath are nearly exactly the same.
I suspect that this car has been cared for because if not these can rust very quickly and I see no major holes in the photos here. Better to think of this car as an Italian Camaro in layout. They can be great fun but remember they have the solid rear axle so beware on rough roads.
The only really bad points of this engine is the water pump and head gaskets. They do not fail but they are a major pain to get right. The other is the Webber Carbs. Find an expert let him set them up and then LEAVE THEM ALONE. I have seen so many bad running Ferrari, and Maseratis that have had a ham fisted mechanic mess up the carb set up. Other wise this is a very reliable car.
This car was most often sold to Senior Bankers, High Level Lawyers, Heads of Industry in Europe and were treated accordingly. Most I have seen could use a paint job as the paint has deteriorated over the years but the rest is extremely sound and mechanical parts are often sourced from Jaguar or other similar more mass produced cars. Only the body, glass and engine is truly harder to find parts for. This is eased by the fact that the factory is proud of all the cars they made and parts can generally be made if not in stock. The cost is high but they can be made available if required.
Great color scheme! Can imagine a Brit glam rocker in some kind of gaudy ‘70s attire with the door open posed for a photo op. Always loved the Ghibli but these and the Khamsin took years and probably maturity to appreciate.
Of the 4 Corvettes I’ve had, I didn’t actually own the first. My next door neighbor had a 1969 Corvette. He used to leave the keys in all of his cars, and he told me that if I needed one or the other of them, just come over and take it.
Yes, he was in many ways just that generous. However; he was not entirely selfless. He knew for a fact that when I brought the car back, it would be in better shape than when I got it.
When that Corvette again graced his driveway, the tank would always be filled. Many times, I changed the oil. I did brake jobs on it, tuned it up, and ALWAYS cleaned it inside and out. This was no small thing, since he was fond of beer, and there would never be fewer than 20-30 cans and their associated pop-tops strewn everywhere (fishing out those little strips of sharp metal from between the seats and console left many, many cuts on my fingers). I can still feel them.
Equally, I am sure that the evening’s date appreciated all the blood, sweat and tears I went through, so as not to have to pick them up in a 4 year old Impala station wagon.
My neighbor also had a Lamborghini Espada (the direct equivalent of an Indy). He told me on more than one occasion that I would be the number one hit with the ladies, if I would just come and take the Lambo. I never did. The reason is simple: my father. As many on BF know, my father died in 1964; at the time, he was the commanding officer of the 19th Bomb Squadron out of March A.F.B.
In our short time together, he instilled in my brother and me (among many other qualities) an acute sense of responsibility. I knew that I could fix anything on that Corvette, in the event I was responsible for breaking it.
Not so much for the 12-cylinder super car.
One day, I heard the wail of that V-12 scream into my driveway, whereupon my neighbor jumped out and threw me the keys, bellowing “We’re going for a drive”.
What could I do? He got in. I got in… and off we went. I admit, that the marvelous motivation of that magic carpet, winding tight, sharply released by a press on the clutch and short motion of the shifter – to further its song, octaves higher, again and again only inches behind my head, was a near-spiritual experience.
As much as I appreciated this wonderfully generous man’s offer, I made the same things clear to him that I stated just above… If I broke it, I knew I couldn’t fix it; therefore preferred to forego the agony and the ecstasy.
He finally understood.
His Corvette, though, served to scratch that itch nearly as well until I got my own, some 3-4 years later.
Sure would have been a chick-magnet for me though.
Epilogue: I remember the first time I saw an Indy. It looked like a big, copper space ship, parked in a no-parking area by the valet at Coco’s restaurant on Scottsdale Road and Highland. It was right there in the driveway (completely isolated from other parked and parking cars).
As I walked by, I stopped to stare… and to marvel.
Decades later, Jay Leno told the story of one of the reasons he got into comedy. He said he was walking along Sunset Boulevard, and passed a comedy club (or some such), whereupon he was startled by the visage of a gorgeous, white super car. It was a Lamborghini, too. It was a Countach. Leno asked who owned such a miracle on wheels, and was told it belonged to comedian David Brenner. He decided then and there that, if comedy paid that well, he wanted that to be his career, too.
Years later, he was able to tell to story to Mr. Brenner, who was a guest on ‘The Tonight Show’, where Leno had become the host.