The Maserati Mexico was the marque’s first production V8 coupé to become widely available, following the highly exclusive 5000 GT. It shared its general construction with the original Quattroporte, although the first Mexico prototype was actually derived from a damaged 5000 GT and was thus powered by a 4.9 liter engine.
A true four-seater, the Mexico sported very elegant and refined coachwork courtesy of Vignale. Contrary to other Maserati four-seat coupés it was not named after a race track; the name was chosen because the prototype was once owned by Mexican president Adolfo López Mateos when it was still a 5000 GT, delivered to Mexico after having appeared at the 1965 Turin motor show. It was truly fitting, but also pure coincidence, that John Surtees would close the 1966 Formula 1 season with a convincing win in the Mexican Grand Prix at the wheel of a Cooper-Maserati T81.
Launched in 1966 at the Paris motor show, the production Mexico was offered with the same engine variants as the Quattroporte, either a 4.2 or a 4.7 liter version (the same engine sizes offered in the modern GranTurismo and Quattroporte). The chassis itself was derived from the Quattroporte II, with a wheelbase shortened by 11 cm.
The 4.7 liter engine first seen in the Quattroporte II in 1966 became available in the Mexico the very same year, eventually accounting for approximately one third of all the Mexicos sold. In this guise the top speed was boosted to 255 kph (159 mph) compared to the 4.2’s 240 kph (149 mph). Minor developments were introduced on the model in 1970, including alloy wheels replacing the wire wheels – however wire wheels remained available in bolt-on form instead of knock-on. In total, 480 Mexicos were sold in seven years, with Italian actress Virna Lisi, American actor Ronald Reagan and middle-weight boxing champion Nino Benvenuti among its original owners.
