50 Years Ago To This Day, Maserati Delivered The First Indy Coupe

Many manufacturers are celebrating all kinds of milestones this year – on its part, Maserati marks the 50th anniversary of delivering the first Indy Coupe, which took place on July 1, 1969.

Customers were asking Maserati for a more practical sports car and the result was the four-seater Indy Coupe, named after the company’s wins at the Indianapolis 500 in 1939 and 1940.

Designed by Carrozzeria Vignale, the Indy came with a large glasshouse that made it much easier for the driver to place it on the road but still managed to look sleek like a proper Italian sportscar ought to.

Also Watch: 2019 Maserati Levante GTS Is Fast, Loud And Makes You Feel Good

That first production example was finished in “Oro Metalizzato” (that’s metallic gold) over a brown leather interior and was shipped to Switzerland to meet its new owner.

Power comes from a 4.2-liter V8 fed by four Weber carburetors and bolted to a five-speed manual transmission. The unit was rated at 260 HP, which was enough to sent the Indy to a top speed of 155mph (250km/h), an impressive achievement in 1969.

But Maserati didn’t stop there with the Indy, as in 1970 it started offering a larger, 4.7-liter V8 that featured the (then new) electronic ignition from Bosch. Maximum power was rated at 290hp, increasing top speed to 174mph (280km/h). In 1971, the Indy became available with a 300hp 4.9-liter, which became the single option available two years later, in 1973.

All cars came with plenty of kit as standard, including leather seats, a mechanical anti-theft system, am adjustable steering wheel, heated rear window, tinted power windows and more, while optional features included an automatic transmission, power steering and radio. From 1973 onwards, air conditioning became standard.

Overall, Maserati built 1,102 examples of the Indy Coupe from 1969 to 1975, when production of this Italian four-seater sports car ended.