The Maserati cars named after the winds
In 1963 Maserati unveiled its tradition of calling some of its sports models by wind names. The first one was Mistral, followed by Bora, Merak, Ghibli and others.
If many of the Moto Guzzi motorcycles have received their name from the world of birds, such as Nibbio (kite), Galletto (cockerel), and Falcone (hawk), some Maserati models have been baptised with wind names. The first one was the Maserati Mistral with Frua bodywork, presented in 1963 at the Turin Motor Show a Berlinetta 2+2.
The Mistral was called after the name of a typical kind of wind blowing in the South of France, upon suggestion of Colonel John Simone, business partner of the French importer Jean Thépenier, a great friend of Frua. Since then, some sports models were renamed after winds. Bora, Merak, Ghibli are just some of the examples. Considered symbols of the 60’s, these models have also played roles in a lot of Italian and foreign movies. Though this tendency only lasted a few years, it has recently returned in full force. On the 19th April 2013 the new Ghibli was presented in Shanghai, the first Maserati ever presented in world pre-release at an Asian Motor Show.
Finally, the Maserati world has another fil rouge that ties the names of some of its models. The four-seaters have often been named after racetracks suggested by Adolfo Orsi Jr like Sebring, Mexico, Indy and Kyalami. Things are different for the sedan model, which has always kept the name “Quattroporte”.