Maserati Mexico

The Maserati Mexico has one of the better origin stories in automotive history. The prototype — a Vignale-bodied coupe on a modified Quattroporte platform — debuted at the Turin Motor Show in October 1965. Shortly after, it was sold to the President of Mexico, Adolfo López Mateos. Maserati named the production car in his honour. This is not the sort of brand story you can manufacture.

Built between 1966 and 1972, the Mexico (Tipo AM112) is a two-door grand touring coupe in the finest Italian tradition: beautiful to look at, serious to drive, and entirely committed to the idea that a car should be an event rather than a vehicle. Only 485 were made, which is the kind of production number that guarantees you will never see two at the same traffic light.

The engine

The heart of the Mexico is a quad-cam V8 descended directly from the 450S racing engine — Maserati's all-conquering sports-racer of the late 1950s. Detuned for road use, it came in 4.2-litre and 4.7-litre forms. In the larger configuration, the engine produces enough torque to make the ZF five-speed gearbox feel like a sensible suggestion rather than a technical necessity, and will push the car to a top speed north of 250 km/h. In 1966. With drum brakes.

Most buyers chose the five-speed manual, though a three-speed automatic was available for those who preferred their Italian thoroughbreds slightly more domesticated.

The body

Vignale's design is restrained by the standards of the era — no excessive chrome, no baroque flourishes, just clean proportions and a roofline that flows exactly as it should. Wire wheels, quad headlights behind a classic Maserati trident grille, and that unmistakable long-bonnet silhouette. In red, standing on a driveway in the morning light, it is difficult to argue with.

The Mexico sits in an interesting position in Maserati's history — more discreet than the Ghibli that arrived around the same time, more practical than the Bora that followed. It was the grand tourer for the Maserati buyer who needed four seats but was not prepared to apologise for it. Only 485 examples built means most people have never seen one in person. That is entirely their loss.