MASERATI. Often called 'The Thinking Man's Ferrari' or 'The Gentleman's Ferrari' , the name evokes images of great cars - the A6GCS, 250F, 450S, Birdcage - and great drivers like Moss, Fangio, Shelby, Gurney, and Salvadori to go along with all their championships. Here is an example of the first DuePosti (two seater) GT car ever produced by Maserati - a 1965 Mistral. With performance of 150mph and 235 bhp, the Mistral is no slouch.

This Mistral had a complete cosmetic restoration a few years ago, and just recently completed a major mechanical restoration, including a complete rebuild of its original numbers-matching dual coil, twin plug 3.7 litre engine, at no small expense!

Everything was done to the engine, from milling the head, to grinding and balancing the crank. The car has gone through its post-rebuild checkup, to have everything re-inspected, valves set, etc. to insure no surprises. The troublesome Lucas Fuel Injection has been upgraded to the preferred 3 Weber configuration. Tyres shaved, and wheels trued and balanced by Hendrix Wire Wheel. Brake booster rebuilt by White Post.

Changing circumstances dictate that now that I've spent a fortune getting this car just right, I have to sell it, so my loss will be your gain. The car, often called the masterpiece of Pietra Frua's career, is a straight, accident-free example executed in aluminum. The car rides on rebuilt Borrani wire wheels (including the spare). The magnificent engine drives through a 5-speed gearbox, which shifts effortlessly, and is complete with 4-wheel disc brakes which really perform up to the level of the car!

And a good thing, because this is one fast Italian masterpiece! Electric windows, electric fan, electric antenna for the AM/FM/CD unit. The paint is very nice, but not show, as there are some small paint chips and a few small bubbles, but from 10 feet these are all unnoticeable. There is also a small cracking in the dash from the sun. The black leather interior was also redone, and is beautiful.

This car is meant to be driven, and it's a head-turner. The speedometer and rev counter have just been rebuilt and recalibrated by Nisonger. This is the perfect car for any of the vintage rallies held around the country, including those limited to Ferraris and Maseratis - an exclusive gathering! Great all-weather car, the heating actually works well (unlike British cars), and there's plenty of flow-through ventilation for warmer weather. The car even retains it's original cargo-cover roll, very rare.

Included with the purchase will be the Dustop car cover, original jack, original keys, extra oil filters, manuals, original advertising brochure, and technical articles so the new owner has complete information on enjoying the car.

The Mistral is a very hard example of Maserati to find in such nice condition, and is the culmination of the straight-6 DOHC masterpiece that powers the car. Maseratis have always been undervalued, but are climbing steadily, so at $57,500, about the same price as a dime-a-dozen Healey 3000, or half the price of a comparable Ferrari 330GTC, here's your chance to enjoy the car for years with little or no downside.

For questions, pictures, or anything else, serious buyers can email me at bowmanpj@hotmail.com

Will only be sold to an enthusiast who will give it a good home! This car will not be going down in price, as these early Maseratis are really starting to climb in price. If you've been watching eBay, you've seen the less desirable 2+2 models (3500GTs and Sebrings) that need total restorations selling for $20,000-$25,000 and they didn't even have wire wheels!

If anyone thinks they can do a cosmetic and mechanical rebuild to the standards of this more desirable Mistral for the difference in price between a project car like those, and a finished one like this, they are in for a shock, even if they do all the work themselves at $0.00/hr, not counting the length of time it takes! So why go though the agony when you can be driving this car tomorrow??