The Kokuyo Mistral series of body-knock pencils (and pens) is probably the most successful, if not prolific of its kind. I remember doing a search and finding out that ‘Mistral’ was taken from the name of the cool northwesterly wind that blows from southern France into the Mediterranean. I filed it away as a marketing move by Kokuyo to give the series a classier image than Platinum’s awkward ‘Angle’.
When I decided to do this series of cool cars paired with equally cool writing instruments, the Mistral was a definite milestone I wanted to plot into the journey. However, the first true ‘Mistral’ car, a Maserati from 1963, would turn out to be a bit outside the fascination zone of miniature car makers. I would have to go for a rather large model, which did not fit with the visual style I wanted.
Instead, the earliest “famous wind” Maserati I managed to find would turn out to be a Ghibli from 1967, miniaturized with loving detail in 1/64 scale by Kyosho. It came in several colors but my eyes locked on to the candy red version right away. It seemed to be a perfect match for my Mistral PS-3, which came in a similar metallic scheme. Perfecto!
Honest confession: I was never a big fan of Maserati cars while growing up, partly because I wasn’t as exposed to them, either in real life—Maseratis were a rarity in Singapore relative to Ferraris and Lambos—or in games: the Top Trumps playing cards emblazoned with beautiful sports cars and their technical specifications were pretty lean for Maserati. I think I subconsciously tied the Trident logo with Prince Namor or Aquaman, superheroes that sat on a lower tier of popular consciousness
I am glad to find out now that the Ghibli is yet another design from the gifted hands of Giorgetto Giugiaro. The next “wind” will also be a Giugiaro masterpiece.