Maserati Medici

The Maserati Medici is a

The Maserati Medici was a design study for a luxury sports sedan.[2] Both versions of the Medici were designed on the frame of the Maserati Indy as a four door fastback. Both versions had a longitudinally mounted 4.9 Liter V8, which was also borrowed from the Indy.^[1]

Medici I

The Medici I was built in the spring of 1974, and it shared many design elements with Giugiaro's previous Asso Di Picche concept.

The front end of the Medici I was very similar to Giugiaro's 1974 Maserati Coupé 2+2 (also known as Tipo 124), which was the potential successor to the Indy. Alike the Medici, the Coupé 2+2's front fascia ended in a point and had pop-up headlights.^[5]

Inside, the Medici I was designed to have six seats. Behind the two front seats were two benches installed opposite each other; the passengers in the middle row sat opposite to the direction of travel. The space in the rear cabin was crowded, leading to changes for the Medici II.^[3]

The Medici I was first publicly displayed in April 1974 at the Turin Auto Show.^[2]

Medici II

In 1976, Giugiaro presented Medici II. Unlike the Medici I, it was a four-seater. The interior was fully redesigned, and the benches were replaced by two chairs. The rear also included a bar, refrigerator, desk, and file holder, as well as a television and a radiophone which were futuristic for the time.^[6] The main difference in the styling of the Medici II was in the front fascia. Instead of the semi-pointed front of the Medici I, the Medici II carried a higher front end, allowing for four high-set square headlights and a square, chrome-framed grille.^[3]

The Medici II is considered the stylistic predecessor of the Maserati Quattroporte III, which was produced starting in 1979.^[3]

The Medici II was exhibited at the 1976 Paris Motor Show^[1] and sold in 1977 to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Persia, who had a fondness for Maserati models.^[7] The car now resides in the Louwman Collection.^[8]

References