A Cool Wind.(Escape Roads)(Product/service evaluation)

Byline: Eric Tegler

The maserati Mistral is often forgotten among 1960s GTs. That's a shame, because it has most of the ingredients to place it on a short list of lustworthy contemporary exotics. But like the cool French Riviera wind for which it's named, the Mistral failed to warm the imaginations of enthusiasts. The Maserati's 4.0-liter straight-six just didn't have enough cylinders.

The Mistral blew in as a 1963 replacement for the successful 3500 GT. Its engine descended from the six-cylinder unit in the Tipo 350S sports racer and was closely related to the six that powered Maserati's Tipo 250F F1 racer. The car's short wheelbase, small proportions and light weight were the result of a new box-section chassis. Cloaking it was a rakish body by Pietro Frua. Called "Due Posti," the car debuted to favorable reviews at the Turin show in 1963.

Production began in 1964, and it was renamed the Mistral at the suggestion of Maserati's French distributor. Though it had been shown with a 3.5-liter six, early production cars had the engine lightly stroked to 3.7 liters. In the spring of 1964, Maserati introduced Frua's Spyder version. It retained the best lines of the coupe and, top down, a look that many preferred. The twin-plug six was further stroked in 1966 to 4.0 liters, producing a stout 255 hp. In all, just 830 coupes were produced.

At 2800 ...