Maserati Medici

Maserati Medici
Maserati Medici II
Overview
Manufacturer	Maserati
Production	1974, 1976 (Concept car)
Assembly	Italy
Designer	Giorgetto Giugiaro at Italdesign
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door fastback saloon
Layout	FR
Platform	Maserati Indy [1]
Powertrain
Engine	4.9 L DOHC V8 [1]
Transmission	5-speed + reverse Manual transmission
Dimensions
Length	5,220 mm (205.5 in) [1]
Width	1,860 mm (73.2 in) [1]
Height	1,370 mm (53.9 in) [1]

Maserati Medici II rear view

The Maserati Medici is a concept car developed by the Turin design firm Italdesign for Maserati. Two slightly different models, the Medici I and the Medici II were produced in 1974 and 1976. ^[1] The design was led by Giorgetto Giugiaro. ^[2] The Medici's design had an influence on numerous other production vehicles in the 1970s. ^[3] The Medici was named after the Florentine family of the same name, renowned for their power and patronage of the arts during the Renaissance. ^[2]

Concept

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 1974, and it shared many design elements with Giugiaro's previous Asso Di Picche concept. ^[4] One influential feature of the Medici I was the trapezoidal C-pillar, which became wider as it ran down the side of the car. ^[3] Giugiaro later used this design in many different cars, including the Lancia Delta I and the 1980 Audi Coupé. ^[3] While the Medici's C-pillar was made of solid sheet metal, other vehicles such as the Audi 80 B2 and the Yugo Florida had an additional trapezoidal window in the C-pillar.

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 October 1974 at the Turin Auto Show. ^{[2] [6]}

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. ^[7] 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. ^[8] The car now resides in the Louwman Collection. ^[9]

References

1. Cancellieri, Gianni (2015). Maserati All the Cars. Giorgio Nada Editore. pp. 218–219. ISBN   978-8879116091.
2. "Project: Medici I - 1974 - Italdesign". Italdesign. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
3. "Maserati Medici I (1974) & II (1976) - Car Design News" . Retrieved 18 October 2018.
4. "1976 Maserati Medici II: the Original Luxury Super-Saloon". CarBuzz. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
5. "Project: Coupé 2+2 1974". italdesign.it. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
6. "Domani il Salone" [Tomorrow the Show]. La Stampa (in Italian). 106 (244 ed.): 13. 29 October 1974.
7. "Project: Medici II - 1976 - Italdesign". Italdesign. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
8. Buckley, Martin (2011). Maserati : Italian luxury and flair. Sparkford: Haynes. ISBN   9781844255047. OCLC   659243500.
9. "Louwman Museum - Collectie Automobielen". www.louwmanmuseum.nl. Retrieved 18 October 2018.