‘Contrary to other Maserati four-seat coupés, it was not named after a race track: although there was a suggestion that it had been named in honor of Cooper-Maserati’s victory by driver John Surtees in the 1966 Mexican Grand Prix.

Buyer or Seller Questions? Let’s Talk! 310-975-0272

‘(Although it was truly fitting, it was also pure coincidence that the great Surtees would close that year’s Formula 1 season with a convincing win in the Mexican Grand Prix at the wheel of a Cooper-Maserati T81.)

‘The sleek Maserati Mexico coupe actually derived from this one-off prototype 2+2 body constructed by Vignale for that show. A Maserati 4.9-liter 5000 GT – the flagship model built specifically for the Shah of Persia – had been damaged and was stripped down to the chassis to serve as the mechanical basis for that new build. The finished car was extremely stylish, and was accordingly snapped up by President Mateos.

‘So the Maserati Mexico’s name tells an entire story – or perhaps two in this particular case…

‘With a 4.7 liter V8 engine, the Maserati Mexico had a top speed of 155 mph. Useful for parading extremely rapidly along the Italian autostrade and German autobahns. And this Gran Turismo classic could easily accommodate two or three adults and their luggage.

‘In 1969, however, replicating an option offered for the Maserati Quattroporte, the Mexico started to be made available with a smaller, 4.2-liter V8 engine. Of the 485 Mexicos manufactured 175 came equipped with the larger 4.7-liter engine.

‘(By the way, the Maserati Quattroporte, from which the Mexico philosophically and mechanically was born, has a name that sounds far less sophisticated and sexy when you realise that ‘quattroporte’ only translates from the Italian as ‘four-door’. A Maserati Four-Door as a car’s branding moniker? Doesn’t really pop, does it?)

‘After the 5000GT and the Quattroporte, the Mexico was Maserati’s third road car that used a civilised four-cam version of the firm’s V8 race engine from the 450S sport prototype race car. It shared its general construction with the original Quattroporte; in fact, the Mexico was positioned as a two-door companion to the Quattroporte super-saloon, built on the chassis of the first generation of the Quattroporte, with its wheelbase shortened by 11 centimeters.

True to Maserati form, the Mexico offers an intriguing blend of race-bred performance and innovation complimented by luxurious practicality.

-Alex Manos, Owner