MASERATI Indy 1969-1974 Photos, engines & full specs

Named after the Indianapolis racetrack where Maserati triumphed in 1939, the Maserati Indy was a more practical and roomier alternative to the well known Maserati Ghibli.

As Maserati Sebring’s production ceased in 1968, the Indy was its successor. While the Sebring was available with a straight-six engine, the Indy came with a choice of 3 V8 powerful engines: a 4.1-liter V8, 4.7-liter V8, and a 4.9-liter V8, which produced 260, 290, and 320 horsepower respectively.

Purists criticized the Indy’s 3-speed automatic transmission as it didn’t offer the sporty feeling of the Ghibli. But considering the Indy was designed for touring, it was a great car that even today could keep up with the highway traffic. A 5-speed manual transmission was also available.

The bold design was the work of Giovanni Michelotti from Vignale. The Maserati Indy featured a long hood with a smooth nose that incorporated the iconic pop-up headlights. The functional design ensured a low drag coefficient and great stability even at high speeds - 246,7 kp/h was the maximum speed the Indy achieved while being tested by the German magazine Auto Motor.

To offer seating for four, Michelotti had to compromise the low and long profile specific to the attractive Gibli, thus the Indy had a higher roofline.

At the rear, the fastback featured a tailgate which provided facile access to the spacious loading area.