Featured in the James Bond movie, The Spy Who Loved Me, the Lotus Espirit is a classic car that was once turned into a submarine. It was a badass-looking wedge-shaped road missile that captured the spirit of the mid 1970s.
“Glamorous” is not a word you hear to describe modern Italian sports and GT cars. It’s a bit of a bygone word in an era when car designers and marketers much prefer terms like “aggressive.” Indeed, the modern versions often seem styled with angry-looking visages, perhaps to frighten other motorists or small children. The Maserati Mistral, built from 1963-1970, wears a happy look up front. Times are different.
We’ve assembled our “12 Classics Cars of Christmas” with cars that inspire lust but won’t end up gathering dust in the garage. A few, admittedly, may also bring back Santa’s own memories searching in every store only to find all have been sold. We even included a few stocking stuffers for family enjoyment.
Named for a North African windstorm, the original 1967-1973 Maserati Ghibli blew through the ranks of Italian GT’s as a 150+ mph instant classic and – to most eyes — one of the most beautiful cars ever made. There is no questioning the original Ghibli’s place in the pantheon of motorized Italian masterpieces.
Want to lease a sexy, 60s Maserati? Everyone knows the ‘only ones’ you could want would be a Mistral or Ghibli, right? Both come as beautiful GT coupes or convertibles and are as sleek, fast and expensive as a thoroughbred vintage Italian should be.
