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 Florentinefamily 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 the spring of 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 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
^ abcdefghCancellieri, Gianni (2015). Maserati All the Cars. Giorgio Nada Editore. pp. 218–219. ISBN978-8879116091.
