1960 Maserati 3500GT Touring

Maserati earned numerous racetrack successes during the 1950s including Juan Manuel Fangio's fifth World Championship (with the 250F), and a 2nd in the World Sportscar Championship with the 450S, both in 1957. Despite these accomplishments, the company's future was in jeopardy and the parent company's financial difficulties eventually forced withdrawal from racing. Limping along into the 1960s, the company's survival strategy centered on establishing the company as a producer of road cars. This journey began in 1957 with the introduction of the Touring-bodied 3500 GT, its first road model built in significant numbers.

Using the company's racing experience, the 3500 GT was given a tubular chassis frame and an engine derived from the 350s sports car unit of 1956. Its designer was Giulio Alfieri, creator of the Tipo 60/61 'Birdcage' sports-racer and the individual responsible for developing the 250F into a World Championship winner. The engine was a twin-overhead-camshaft, six-cylinder unit that was closely related to the one used in the 250F and developed around 220 horsepower. Initially offered with drum brakes and a four-speed ZF S4-17 gearbox, the 3500 GT was continually developed eventually gaining five speeds (a ZF S5-17 5-speed unit with a hydraulically actuated Borg & Beck single-plate dry clutch), front disc brake, and finally all-disc braking.

The 12-valve straight-six engine used an aluminum block, cast iron cylinder sleeves, aluminum cylinder heads, cast iron valve seats, and hemispherical combustion chambers. It received a dual fuel pump, dual ignition, and a mechanical Marelli ignition. When equipped with three twin-choke 42 DCOE Weber carburetors it developed 217 horsepower at 5,500 RPM. With the Lucas mechanical fuel injection system, the engine developed 232 horsepower.

The early cars used Pirelli Stella Bianca tires while later examples were fitted with Pirelli Cinturato radial-ply tires. 185x16-inch radial tires were optional, as were the Borrani knock-off wire wheels.

Several coachbuilders created unique bodies for the 3500 GT chassis including carrozzerie Allemano, Frua, and Bertone. Most of the coupes were created by Touring, Frua built a single spyder, while the remainder of the Spyder versions were the work of Carrozzeria Vignale. Introduced to the international public on November 10th of 1959 at the Turin Motor Show, Vignale's Maserati 3500 GT Spyder was designed by Fiovanni Michelotti and built on the slightly shorter wheelbase size of 250cm (instead of the standard 260cm platform). It used steel panels rather than the closed coupe's aluminum.

Production of the Spyder lasted until 1964 with 242 (as many as 245) examples produced, representing slightly more than 10-percent of 3500 GT production. The total production of both coupes and convertibles, built between 1957 and 1964, reached 2,226 units. 1961 was the 3500 GT's best selling year with 500 examples sold. Touring coupes accounted for 1,981 examples built while the remainder were bodied by other coachbuilders.

Carrozzeria Allemano built four coupes including the 1957 prototype. Both Touring and Allemano had displayed a 2,600mm wheelbase prototype with aluminum bodywork in March of 1957 at the Salon International de l'Auto in Geneva. Touring's example was later selected for series production after a few changes were implemented, mostly to the frontal grille area.

Pietro Frua built as many as three coupes and one spider. Bertone built the 1959 Turin Motor Show car - a coupe to a design by Franco Scaglione. Carrozzeria Boneschi built a coupe designed by Rodolfo Bonetto that was shown in 1962 at the Turin Motor Show and the 1963 Geneva Motor Show.

by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2007