1971 Maserati Quattroporte

The first generation of the Maserati Quattroporte was built between 1963 and 1969 and wore styling by the Turinese coachbuilder Pietro Frua who used the Maserati 5000 GT built for Prince Karim Aga Khan as design inspiration. Construction was handled by Italian coachbuilder Vignale and power was from a 4.1-liter eight-cylinder engine delivering 260 horsepower and backed by a five-speed ZF manual transmission or a three-speed Borg-Warner automatic. 230 examples were built by 1966 when the Series II was introduced, incorporating dual headlights already used on the U.S. model, a redesigned interior, and a leaf-sprung solid axle. A larger 4.7-liter engine replaced the 4.1-liter version in 1968, offering nearly 290 horsepower. Production continued until 1969, with the second generation of the Quattroporte following several years later, in1 975.

During the intervening years between the first and second generation, Maserati built two special examples of the Quattroporte for important clientele. The first of the two Prototipo examples (chassis number 002) built by Frua was shown to the public at the Paris Salon in October of 1971 where it was presented by Juan Manuel Fangio and rested on Frua's stand. It was later shown in 1972 at Geneva and at the Trophé des Journaliestes in Monaco prior to the 1972 Monaco Grand Prix, once again at Paris in 1973, and at the Salón Internacional del Automóvil de Barcelona in 1973. It appeared in Barcelona once more in 1974. Chassis number 002 later went to the King of Spain, who acquired it directly from Frua. The second example, chassis number 004, was sold by Maserati to the Aga Khan in 1974.

by Dan Vaughan

Sedan
Chassis number: AM121 002
Engine number: 0A02917

This Maserati Quattroporte Prototipo is the first of two such examples built by Frua. It was shown to the public at the Paris Salon de l'Automobile in October of 1971 where it sat atop of Frua's stand. The car was presented by Juan Manuel Fangio. The car enjoyed an extensive career on some of the world's greatest stages including Geneva in 1972, at the Trophé des Journaliestes in Monaco prior to the 1972 Monaco Grand Prix, once again at Paris in 1973, at the Salón Internacional del Automóvil de Barcelona in 1973. It appeared at Barcelona once more in 1974.

The Aga Khan, impressed by the vehicle, commissioned a one-off Quattroporte for himself, chassis number 004.

This car was believed to have been acquired new by the Spanish royal family for use by King Juan Carlos I. It was originally delivered in Barcelona, registered as B 6997 AZ, on May 17th of 1975, and remained in the city with a handful of owners through 1988, when it was sold to Kurt A. Kunti of Alicante, Spain. Mr. Kunti had the car restored in 1980, including being refinished in dark blue with a beige interior. The car remained in Europe throughout the 1990s before being sold to Alfredo Brener in 2000.

In July of 2003, the car was sold by Mr. Brener to Bruce D. Milner of Los Angeles. At the time, Mr. Milner owned chassis number 004, thus having both of the Frua-bodied Quattroportes under the same roof.

The next owner was Doug Magnon for inclusion in the Riverside International Automobile Museum. It was shown at Concorso Italiano in 2015, where it was voted Best of Maserati.

by Dan Vaughan