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| I fell in love with a silver on red Maserati Mexico when I was a child and my blue on red 1967 4.7-L 5-speed version still keeps me enthrawled to this day. Why the photo of a cream white example? The picture just does the car justice like none of mine do. (Photo: www.blackhawkcollection.com) |
The new models fit neatly into Maserati's more recent grand tourismo heritage, having produced spectacular coupes and convertibles since the firm's new management started to pay less attention to racing in the mid 1960s to concentrate on their road car business. A personal favorite of the era is the Giorgetto Giugiaro penned 1959 to 1964 3500 GT/GTI. While possibly not quite as beautiful, my Vignale designed 1967 Mexico coupe is a thoroughly enjoyable combination of thundering 4.7-L DOHC V8 performance and opulent luxury, as previously mentioned. This tradition is carried over to the new cars.
Stepping inside the beautifully detailed cabin is almost as exhilarating as stepping on the throttle - more about that in a moment. Soft, supple leather covers nearly every surface with chrome finished metal accenting key trim pieces. Altogether it's one of the most attractive interiors available at any price, unless of course you prefer wood paneling - there's none of it. A particularly classic variation on Maserati's distinctively shaped analog clock (mine still works perfectly after 36 year) sits atop the center stack of secondary controls. These are within easy reach for either driver or front passenger and include a large LCD display panel for navigation, audio, trip computer and telephone. A push button keyboard to the left of the screen also provides quick actuation of audio and telephone functions, similar in execution to both the Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz setup, while heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) controls are placed just below in a user-friendly 3-dial, 2-button configuration. Other ancillary buttons dot the cabin, all with the high quality tactile feel and precise actuation expected in the 4200 GT's price bracket.