MASERATI MEXICO 4200 1969 Lot n° 25

2-door, 4-seat coupe body style Front engine, 8 cylinders in V Displacement 4,136 cm3 Power 290 hp Maximum speed 225 km/h Mileage 108 000 km Serial number AM112 576 Maserati abandoned racing in 1957 to start building Grand Touring cars in series, under the aegis of the Orsi family, who had taken over the brand from the Maserati brothers, who had left to found Osca. The first production Maseratis with 6-cylinder engines, the 3500 GT coupes and cabriolet, were no longer built individually like the A6G 2000s of the early 1950s, and were successful from the start. The Grand Touring range was expanded upwards with the very exclusive 5000 GT equipped with a "civilized" version of the 450 S's racing V8. This four overhead cam V8, still watered down and refined, was to find a place under the bonnet of the Quat - troporte saloon in 1963 and the large four-seater Mexi - co coupe, unveiled at the Turin Motor Show in 1966. This imposing Grand Touring coupé, whose bodywork was designed by Carrozzeria Vignale, which was to become Maserati's official coachbuilder, was said to have been originally designed for a private client of the carmaker. It had elegant, but very discreet lines with classic volumes. Maserati was looking for a replacement for the 5000 GT and decided to build it in series. The Mexico was based on the contemporary Quattroporte sedan, with the exception of the De Dion axle, which was replaced by a rigid rear axle, with an independent double wishbone front suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, a five-speed ZF gearbox as standard, and an optional automatic transmission. It was equipped with the 300 hp 4.7 litre (94 x 85 mm) V8 engine (type 112) from the Maserati Quattroporte, which gave it a top speed of 240 km/h. A more economical version, equipped with the 290 hp 4.2-litre (88 x 85 mm) V8 (type 112/1) was also offered, obviously not as fast, as it "only" reached 225 km/h. Far from being as exclusive and as powerful as the 5000 GT, the Mexico was aimed at customers looking for a luxurious four-seater that was less bulky than a sedan like the Quattroporte. The interior was very spacious, with a high roof, good headroom in the rear seats and a pleasantly bright interior, luxuriously treated with leather and wood, with a particularly complete instrumentation. The Maserati Mexico was named after the victory of a Cooper-Maserati in the 1966 Mexican Grand Prix. Production of the Mexico, carried out by the Vignale bodywork, ended in 1973 after 480 units were built, making the contemptible Ghibli with its 1,274 units a mass-produced model. This beautiful Maserati Mexico with its 4.2 liter engine left the factory on March 18, 1969 (chassis number AM112*576*) in its original dark red Cordoba colour and with only 108,000 km. It has a normal registration. The bodywork and underbody are free of corrosion and the chrome is in good condition. Inside, the original brown leather upholstery with a nice patina is also in good condition, as well as the trim and the dashboard. The engine runs smoothly and the gearbox shifts smoothly. These prestigious coupés, which have long been in the shadow of the Ferrari 2+2, are starting to find their rightful place in the hierarchy of Italian grand tourers. Very rare, they deserve special attention when one of them emerges in a sale.