 The Indy was conceived as an alternative to the Ghibli offering a V8 engine and room for four people; it effectively replaced both the ageing six-cylinder 2+2 Maserati Sebring—which descended from the 1957 3500 GT— and the first generation Quattroporte.Two coachbuilders showed their proposals at the November 1968 Salone dell'automobile di Torino, both based on a Maserati 4.2-litre chassis.On Ghia's stand there was the Simùn, a 2+2 berlinetta designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro; on Carrozzeria Vignale's, a sleek 4-seater fastback penned by the internal technical office led by Virginio Vairo and Elio Mainardi.