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 Dan Vaughan

Coupe

The 3500 came as a coupe or spyder using a Giulio Alfieri developed 350S race car motor - inline six cylinder 3482cc, 220 horsepower at 5500 RPM - in a 2600mm wheelbase steel chassis. Weber carburetors were superseded by Lucas direct fuel injection in 1961. ZF's four-speed became a five-speed in the same year.

Series production, Maserati's first real attempt, started in late 1957 after a launch at the Geneva Salon in March. It was successful by any measure. By 1964 some 2000 plus cars had been built of which 1973 were the aluminum 'superleggera' bodied by Carrozzeria Touring, and 242 the spyder from Carrozzeria Vignale. The remaining cars were special bodies from a variety of coachbuilders.

Coupe

First production Maserati subsequent to the now-famous 'Bird Cage' race cars. Approximately 2,000 cars were manufactured from 1959 through 1965, of which 125 were convertibles; the base price of this car was $5,300. The body is hand fabricated aluminum Super-Leggera by Touring. It is fitted with a five-speed transmission and a de-tuned 3.5-ltier engine from Race Works.

The car was stored in a barn for over a decade. That individual planned to restore it, but lost interest. The current owner purchased it in 1996. A detailed nut-and-bolt teardown and rebuilt of the entire car was accomplished.

The car is rarely shown; however it was awarded Best Maserati at the Meadowbrook Concours d'Elegance in 2005. The car is very comfortable to drive at 80 mph, but it drives like a garden tractor at speeds less than that. It is surprisingly fast, but not quick.

Coupe
Chassis number: AM101860
Engine number: AM101860

The Maserati 3500 GT was the first Maserati produced in quantity, though all bodies were coach built, mostly by Touring or Vignale. The chassis were welded from large tubes and power was from a dual overhead cam six-cylinder engine. Production lasted from 1957 through 1964 with 2233 examples produced during that time.

The engine was from a detuned version of the 350S racing engine with twin-plug ignition. The early versions were carbureted and produced about 220 horsepower. In 1962, a Lucas mechanical fuel injection system was added.

This 1960 Maserati has been in the same care for 24 years. It is equipped with Weber carburetors and triple round head, driving and turn-signal lamps. There is a four-speed manual gearbox and hydraulic front disc brakes with drums in the rear.

In 2011, the car was offered for sale at the Monterey auction presented by RM Auctions. The car was estimated to sell for $80,000 - $110,000 and offered without reserve. At auction, the lot was sold for the sum of $101,750, including buyer's premium.

by Dan Vaughan

Coupe
Chassis number: AM101.930

This Maserati 3500 GT is a carbureted example with front disc brakes and a coupe body wearing coachwork by Touring. It left the factory in 1960 and was finished in cream with black leather upholstery. Two cars, this and another finished in cream with red leather upholstery, were purchased by two brothers, one who lived in Milan, Italy, and the other a few hundred kilometers outside the city. Years later, both examples were sold to Sig. Litrico of San Giorgio su Legnano who specialized in selling Italian sports cars to Americans. In 1979, John Ratto visited the Italian sports car business and discovered the pair of 3500s. Mr. Ratto purchased one example (chassis number 101.930) and had it sent back to the California Bay Area. Once in the US, the car was treated to a restoration which included a bare-metal re-spray. Selected mechanical work was carried out with some of the chrome being re-plated and the carpets were replaced.

Once completed, the car won Best of Show at the 1981 Maserati Club International (MIE) meet. In the mid-1980s, the car was purchased by Seattle resident Stan Baker. In 2003, the car was acquired by Mr. Baker's granddaughter.

In 2011, the car was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction where it was estimated to sell for $100,000-$125,000 and offered without reserve. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $148,500 inclusive of buyer's premium.

by Dan Vaughan

Coupe
Chassis number: AM101*708*
Engine number: AM101*708*

This Maserati 3500 GT Touring Coupe was dispatched from the Maserati factory in December 1959 to Stanley W. Good in California. Mr. Good showed his 1964 Maserati Mistral Coupe at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 1968 and was named Best of Show, making it the most recent postwar car to take that top honor. Introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 1957, around 2,200 of these 3,500 GT Coupes were built, each one a tribute to the racing heritage of one of Italy's most famous car builders. The 3500 GT's alloy body was styled by Carrozzeria Touring utilizing its famous Superleggera lightweight construction techniques. After several owners, the car was put away for over 13 years before its current owner acquired it in this original condition in 2010.

The Maserati 3500 GT was produced from 1957 through 1964 with over 2000 examples built. The vehicle was penned by Carrozzeria Touring gathering many styling cues from the Maserati A6G54 coupe. The 3500 GT is seen as a savior for the Maserati Company. Prior to its production, the company produced less than 140 cars in a ten-year time span. Racing and competition nearly exhausted the funds; the company needed help. Becoming a mass-produced company and the widely accepted 3500 GT saved the company and allowed for Maserati to continue its racing efforts with the design and development of the famous birdcage design.

In March of 1957, the 3500 GT was shown to the public at the Geneva Motor Show. Two prototypes were shown; one was designed by Touring and the other by Allemano. The Touring design was a 2+2 coupe, which was later selected by Omer Orsi selected for production. There were minor modifications to the production design. The headlamps, radiator grille, and dashboard were slightly modified but remained mostly unchanged.

Over the Maserati 3500 GT's production lifespan, many improvements were made. In 1960, front disc brakes became standard; also this year the four-speed manual gear was replaced by a ZF five-speed transmission. In 1961, disc brakes became standard on all four corners. In 1962 the engine was mated to a Lucas Fuel Injection system which increased horsepower by 15.

Under the hood was a 3.5 liter DOHC inline-six-cylinder power-plant equipped with three side-draft two-barrel carburetors achieving 240 horsepower. The engine was an evolution of the Tipo 250F Formula 1 car. The top speed of the 3500 GT was achieved at 145 mph.

In 1960 Carrozziera Vignale introduced a 3500 spider that sat atop a shortened chassis. Other coachbuilders such as Allemano, Frua, Moretti, Bertone, and Boneschi produced bodies for the 3500 chassis.

The car was impressive both visually and mechanically. It was Maserati's first production car built in great numbers. During its eight-year production lifespan, over 2225 examples of the Coupes and Spyders were produced.

by Dan Vaughan