The Maserati Mexico (''Tipo AM112'') is a 4-seater

grand touring A grand tourer (GT) is a type of car that is designed for high speed and long-distance driving, due to a combination of performance and luxury attributes. The most common format is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive two-door coupé with either ...

coupé A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...

produced by Italian automobile manufacturer

Maserati Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...

between 1966 and 1972. It was based on the second series of the original ''AM107''

Maserati Quattroporte The Maserati Quattroporte () is a four-door full-size luxury sports sedan produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati. The name translated from Italian means "four doors". The car is currently in its sixth generation, with the first g ...

, and it was powered by the same 4.2 and 4.7 L

V8 engine A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. The first V8 engine was produced by the French Antoinette company in 1904, developed and us ...

History

1968 Maserati Mexico - white - int (4637649374)

The Maserati Mexico's design derived from a 2+2 prototype bodywork by

Virginio Vairo Virginio Vairo is an Italian automobile designer who has collaborated with Carrozzeria Vignale. Designs * 1964 Fiat 1300 and 1500 Sportiva fastback. * 1964 Fiat 850 Coupé, Spider, Berlina (derived from Giovanni Michelotti designs). * 1965 Fiat ...

shown on the

Vignale Vignale is the luxury car sub-brand of Ford Motor Company used in automobiles sold in Europe.Salone di Torino and built upon a 4.9-litre 5000 GT chassis, rebodied after it had been damaged. As the car after the show was sold to Mexican president

Adolfo López Mateos Adolfo López Mateos (; 26 May 1909 – 22 September 1969) was a Mexican politician who served as President of Mexico from 1958 to 1964. Beginning his political career as a campaign aide of José Vasconcelos during his run for president, Lóp ...

, the model became known as the Mexico. By coincidence,

John Surtees John Surtees, (11 February 1934 – 10 March 2017) was a British Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver. On his way to become a seven-time Grand Prix motorcycle World Champion, he won his first title in 1956, and followed with ...

won the

Mexican Grand Prix The Mexican Grand Prix ( es, Gran Premio de México), currently held under the name Mexico City Grand Prix ( es, Gran Premio de la Ciudad de México), is a motor racing event held at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City. It first a ...

on a Cooper-Maserati T81 the following year. Vignale's prototype was so well received that Maserati immediately made plans to put a version into production. The production Maserati Mexico debuted in August 1966 at the 20° Concorso internazionale di eleganza per auto in

Rimini Rimini ( , ; rgn, Rémin; la, Ariminum) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It sprawls along the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia (the ancient ''Ariminu ...

, while its international première was at the October

Paris Motor Show The Paris Motor Show (french: Mondial de l'Automobile) is a biennial auto show in Paris. Held during October, it is one of the most important auto shows, often with many new production automobile and concept car debuts. The show presently take ...

. It was built on the chassis of the first generation of the

Quattroporte The Maserati Quattroporte () is a four-door full-size luxury sports sedan produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati. The name translated from Italian means "four doors". The car is currently in its sixth generation, with the first g ...

with a wheelbase shortened by . Originally powered by a 4.7-litre 90° V8 fed by four twin-choke 38 DCNL5

Weber carburetor Weber Carburetors is an automotive manufacturing company founded in 1923, known for their carburetors. History Eduardo Weber began his automotive career working for Fiat, first at their Turin plant (in 1914) and later at a dealership in Bologna ...

s that was rated at 290 hp, the car managed to turn out a top speed between . In 1969, however, contrary to Maserati tradition, the Mexico was also made available with a smaller, 4.2-litre V8 engine. Apart from the smaller engine option the Mexico underwent few changes during its production life span. Its luxurious interior included a rich leather seating for four adults, electric windows, wooden dashboard, iodine headlights and air conditioning as standard. Automatic transmission,

power steering A power steering is a mechanical device equipped on a motor vehicle that helps drivers steer the vehicle by reducing steering effort needed to turn the steering wheel, making it easier for the vehicle to turn or maneuver at lower speeds. Hydraul ...

and a radio were available as optional extras. The 4.7-litre version was fitted with 650x15"

Borrani Ruote Borrani S.p.A. (established 1922 in Milan) is an Italian manufacturer of automobile and motorcycle wheels. They are known for supplying Rudge-Whitworth design centerlocking wire wheels to many Italian racing cars, sports cars and luxury car ...

chrome

wire wheel Wire wheels, wire-spoked wheels, tension-spoked wheels, or "suspension" wheels are wheels whose rims connect to their hubs by wire spokes. Although these wires are generally stiffer than a typical wire rope, they function mechanically the sam ...

s and the 4.2-litre version with steel disc wheels. When leaving the factory all Maserati Mexicos originally fitted

Pirelli Cinturato The Pirelli Cinturato is a Pirelli-developed car tyre that was the first example of a wrap-around radial tyre structure. It was used to good effect in motorsport, and most modern tyres are based upon the design. The five-times Formula One World C ...

205VR15 tyres (CN72). The Mexico was the first production Maserati to be fitted with servo assisted ventilated

disc brake A disc brake is a type of brake that uses the calipers to squeeze pairs of pads against a disc or a "rotor" to create friction. This action slows the rotation of a shaft, such as a vehicle axle, either to reduce its rotational speed or to hol ...

s on all four wheels. In May 1967, under commission from the German concessionnaire Auto Koenig for one client, Herr Rupertzhoven, Maserati built a 'Mexico' similar to Vignale's original prototype design but it was the work of Frua. Appearing like a 4-seat

Mistral Mistral may refer to: * Mistral (wind) in southern France and Sardinia Automobiles * Maserati Mistral, a Maserati grand tourer produced from 1963 until 1970 * Nissan Mistral, or Terrano II, a Nissan 4×4 produced from 1993 until 2006 * Microp ...

and built on the same tubular chassis as the 3500 GT (2600 mm wheelbase), this prototype 'Mexico' was fitted with the Mistral's six-cylinder 3.7-litre Lucas fuel-injected engine. It was finished in Oro Longchamps with a black leather interior. Its dashboard came from the Quattroporte. 485 Mexicos were produced, 175 equipped with the 4.7-litre engine and 305 with the 4.2-litre engine.

References

External links

The Maserati Mexico - Enrico's Maserati Page
{{Maserati early timeline

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Grand tourers 1970s cars Cars introduced in 1965