Description
To be offered by Silverstone Auctions at ‘The Classic Motor Show’ on the 10th November 2019 at the NEC, Birmingham, B40 1NT. For further details please contact Harry via email link or number below.
Estimate: £115, 000 - £130, 000
+buyer's premium of 15% including VAT @ 20%
-The earliest and purest version of the refined, well-engineered, long-lived Coupe
-Matching numbers, manual gearbox and retains the original Lucas Fuel Injection. One of only 383
-Delightfully presented in its original colours of Celeste Chiaro with white leather and polished Borranis
-Subject to a bare metal, nut and bolt restoration in 2013
-Specialist service with a fuel injection rebuild in March 2019
-Full history and provenance from new
-Supplied with original Italian registration, owner's handbook, workshop manual, various service and parts invoices, restoration photos, recent service invoices, an MOT (February 2020) and its UK V5c
With the 3500 GT nearing the end of its successful run, Maserati entrusted to Pietro Frua the task of designing a new two-seater coupé, based on the Tipo 109 chassis. So was born the Mistral, the first in a series of classic Maseratis to be given the name of a legendary wind and the last model from the Casa del Tridente to be equipped with a straight six-cylinder engine before Maserati moved on to V8 engines for their production cars.
Frua's new creation originally named the 'Due Posti' (two seats), was first shown in a preview at the Salone Internazionale dell'Automobile di Torino in November 1963 before entering production in 1964 which continued until 1970. Seven years of production in a world where fabulous new designs from established Carozziere appear almost annually was proof of the beauty and originality of Pietro Frua's original design. It was at the suggestion of Col. Simone, the French Maserati Concessionaire, that the Due Posti should be renamed 'Mistral'-"a sleek and streamlined phenomenon that takes your breath away when it first arrives, wraps itself around you and whisks you who knows where", altogether more appropriate and certainly better than "Two Seats".
The engine was a direct descendent of the 6-cylinder unit mounted in the Tipo 350S sports racer and boasted a close relationship with the engine that powered Maserati's Tipo 250F Grand Prix car. Mistral engines evolved throughout their production life from 3, 500cc to 3, 700cc and finally 4, 000cc. In total, just 828 Mistral Coupés were manufactured.
AM109 466 was manufactured on September 16th 1965 for European delivery (not USA) and is one of the earliest and purest examples of the model, retaining its original 3. 7-litre engine, five-speed ZF manual gearbox, and most importantly, its original Lucas fuel-injection system (most Mistrals having sacrificed originality for Weber carburation). It remains finished in its original factory colours of Celeste Chiaro with White leather.
It was first registered on September 23rd 1965 to Signor Giovanni Carlo Bronsini who lived within a short drive of the car’s birthplace and in July 1969 he sold it to Signor Camillo Bondiolo, who subsequently passed it on, in August 1971, to Signor Luigi Tambellini. Some eighteen years later, in January 1989, the Maserati was purchased by Mr Edward Victory of Gibraltar who was eventually persuaded to sell it by the knowledgeable and charismatic English collector Tom Walduck in 2013. Detail of the car’s ownership is well-documented in the ‘Identificazione e Caratteristiche Dell’Autoveicolo’ issued by the Automobile Club D’Italia and in the history file.
Tom Walduck was a well-known and much-respected English collector of significant cars, all of which were impeccably maintained and used in tours and rallies such as the Tour Auto and Modena Cento Ore. For over three decades his collection was maintained by a full-time highly-qualified mechanic, wholly-dedicated to the maintenance of these rare and valuable motor cars. Once in his ownership, the Mistral underwent a complete ‘nut and bolt’ restoration and repaint from a bare metal shell (supporting photographs in the History File), which included the rebuild of every mechanical component including the engine, gearbox, differential, brakes, suspension and fuel injection system.
In early 2019 the car was entrusted to the Project Workshop in Bicester for a thorough post-restoration service, an important and necessary step that most owners of newly-restored cars tend to forget. As part of this post-restoration service and check-up, the fuel injection system was serviced and recalibrated by the leading Lucas injection specialists, Props Injection Service of the Netherlands.
At the same time, the brakes, clutch and electrics all received attention, the car was fully serviced with fresh fluids, and after a thorough road test, we understand the car is now running perfectly. During this post-restoration service and review, the decision was also taken to recover the front seats in matching Salisbury Moonglow leather, which included all new foam. The invoice for all this came to £8, 987 with an additional £783 of parts provided by Mcgrath Maserati all detailed in the Owner's File along with copies of the original Italian registration, owner's handbook, workshop manual, various service and parts invoices, restoration photos, recent service invoices, an MOT (Feb 2020) and its UK V5c.
Anyone who has ever driven a 6-cylinder Maserati will tell you that they are an incredible driving experience. Driving a 1960's rare Italian classic in any number of events will give the new owner unparalleled opportunities for touring in the Grand Manner. I know that's equally possible in a Jaguar or an Aston but this car's name ends in 'i', it's a Maserati, you can't even pronounce that without sounding like an Italian Chef, and it's been owned by people called Bronsini and Bondiolo and Tambellini. Bellisima.
This Mistral's interesting history, fabulous presentation and recent mechanical attention make it a coveted usable asset for the serious enthusiast and it is now ready for a new owner and more adventures. Maybe it's time to be 'taken by the wind'.
