1961 Maserati 5000 GT

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, commissioned Maserati to build a special road car inspired by the Maserati 3500 GT but fitted with the race-bred five-liter V8 engine that powered the 450S sports racing car. Maserati was obliged to accommodate their wealthy clients and set about the task, with engineer Giulio Alfieri reinforcing a 3500 GT chassis and installing an unused 450S motor. The new model was dubbed the 5000 GT and made its debut at the Turin Motor Show in November of 1959. Two additional cars were soon built with similar mechanical configurations, followed by an additional 31 cars for a total of 34 examples.

The exclusivity of the Maserati 5000 GT was guaranteed by its price tag, which was nearly twice the price of the 3500 GT. No less than eight different coachbuilders created various designs for the elite ownership which included Gianni Agnelli, Briggs Cunningham, and the Aga Khan. Approximately 22 examples were bodied Carrozzeria Allemano (designed by Giovanni Michelotti), three by Pietro Frua, 2 by Monterosa, and 1 example each by Pininfarina, Ghia, Michelotti, and Bertone. Touring bodied the first example followed by two additional bodies.

The first two Maserati 5000 GT were equipped with lightly detuned 450S engines. This was followed by further developed powerplants suitable for road use, with revised internal dimensions and replacement of the competition-spec gear drive with more conventional timing chains. The 450S Weber carburetors were replaced in favor of Lucas mechanical fuel injection. The five-liter engine had dual-overhead camshafts, hemispherical combustion chambers, and twin spark ignition. It developed approximately 325 horsepower at 5,500 RPM. The engine was backed by a ZF manual gearbox with a twin-plate clutch sending power to the rear wheels.

The tubular platform chassis, constructed from tubes of square, round or elliptic section, had a wheelbase size of 102.4 inches and was suspended by an independent coil-springs suspension at the front with telescopic dampers. At the rear was a live axle with semi-elliptical leaf springs with telescopic dampers. Four-wheel servo-assisted Girling disc brakes provided the stopping power. Steering was of the recirculating ball type.

Production of the Maserati 5000 GT lasted from 1960 through 1965.

by Dan Vaughan

Coupe by Ghia
Chassis number: AM103 018
Engine number: AM103 018

This Maserati 5000 GT Coupe by Ghia was completed in July of 1961 and was the ninth example built. Sergio Sartorelli, head of the style prototyping department at Ghia, created its one-off design. Many of the unique design elements were later seen on other Ghia designs.

The car was built for Ferdinando Innocenti, an Italian businessman whose factories were destroyed in World War II. In 1947, he created the Lambretta scooter which offered affordable transportation. This led to him becoming one of the wealthiest people in the country.

This Maserati was displayed on the Ghia stand in 1961 at the Turin Auto Show. It was shown in its original color combination of silver over black. Prior to being delivered to Innocenti, Maserati loaned the car to Sports Car Graphic editor Bernard Cahier for a high-speed road test featured in their January 1962 issue.

Innocenti later sold the car, and it eventually found its way to Saudi Arabia, where it was long thought to have been lost. Rubayan Alrubayan later found and acquired the car in the 1970s. He parked the car and it sat unmoved for decades. After he passed away, his heirs brought the car inside to prevent further decay.

The car sat outside for nearly 50 years and is in complete, unrestored condition. It has never been disassembled, or stripped of parts. Currently there are 15,561 kilometers on the odometer.

by Dan Vaughan

Indianapolis Coupe by Allemano
Chassis number: AM103.014
Engine number: AM103.014

A mere 34 examples of the Maserati 5000 GT were built between 1960 and 1965, with eight Italian coachbuilders creating unique designs for the chassis. Befitting a vehicle of this technical prowess and favored by the affluent in society, it demanded a staggering $14,000 when new. Based on the 3500 GT and powered by a version of the V8 engine that powered the 450S sports cars, it was one of the most potent vehicles on the market with a top speed in excess of 165.

This particular example was one of the first twenty-two examples to receive Coupe coachwork by Torino-based Carrozzeria Allemano to a design by Giovanni Michelotti. It was given the name 'Indianapolis' and unlike the Allemano Coupes that followed, it received unique features that included the unique script on the rear quarter panel, a different grille design, and dashboard arrangement. When it was completed in October of 1961, it wore Grigio Montebello with red leather upholstery. The Indianapolis Coupe was the only 5000 GT illustrated in Maserati's official brochure for the model and was featured on the cover of Auto Italiana magazine.

This Maserati was originally owned by William H. Brown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who collected the Indianapolis Coupe in Modena and drove it throughout Europe. Before returning to the United States, Mr. Brown returned to the Maserati factory where he requested the car be tested and tuned to ensure it was fully capable of reaching its advertised 168 mph top speed.

On October 19, 1961, Maserati loaded the 5000 GT on the Pia Costa, and, when it arrived in the US that November, Mr. Brown took delivery in New York and drove it to his home in El Mirado, in Sasabe, Arizona. In April 1962, Mr. Brown drove the car to meet his daughter in Beverly Hills, California and then shipped it to Italy for general servicing.

Jimmy Castle of Tucson, Arizona became the car's next owner in September of 1967. By 1975, it was owned by Richard Kreischer, who rescued the neglected car after it had been left sitting in the Arizona sun. Oliver Kuttner, of Charlottesville, Virginia purchased it in the late 1980s, and by March 1988 it was advertised by English dealer Griffon Motor Cars. It later joined Lord Charles Brocket's collection. When Randy Simon acquired the Maserati in the mid-1990s, its engine had been removed and hidden during Lord Brocket's infamous insurance scam. Mr. Simon was able to locate the car's original engine and reunited it with the car.

John F. Bookout purchased the Maserati in 1996 and in 2001 he shipped it to Italy, where it was dismantled for restoration and the coachwork stripped to bare metal. The upholstery was re-trimmed in red leather and the body was refinished in its original color. The work was completed in May of 2006 and made its restoration debut at the Keels & Wheels Concours d'Elegance in Houston.

In August of 2016, the current caretaker acquired the Maserati at Gooding & Company's Pebble Beach Auction.

by Dan Vaughan

The Shah of Persia, now Iran, visited Maserati in 1958 in search of an exclusive supercar. He was a Maserati enthusiast and greatly enjoyed their offerings. A test drive in a Maserati 3500 GT amplified his determination to have the Maserati, but it was not exclusive as he would like. Information pertaining to the Maserati 450S caught his eye.

The story with the Maserati 450S models goes back a year to 1957. 1957 was a good year for Maserati racing, but one that left them in financial difficulty and in the shadows of the World Sportscar Championship. Though they had won the Formula One World Championship, they were not able to secure a World Sportscar Championship. They were in the lead going into the final race at the Caracas, Venezuelan Grand Prix but due to accidents, they were not able to capture the overall victory. Three of their entrants crashed, with two of those being the 450S models. Both of the 450S's had been promised to buyers. The loss of cars and the championship was devastating. Along with losing the championship, they lost bonuses.

The Maserati 450S sports racers were powered by 5-liter V8 engines. Rules changes in 1958 by the FIA reduced the maximum engine size for the World Sportscar Championship to three-liters, which immediately made the 5-liter engine obsolete. Additional rule changes to the fuel regulations meant that Maserati would need to invest heavily in new technology and testing to produce a competitive solution. Maserati was left with V8 engines that could not be used in racing, large amounts of debt, and staggering development and research costs. They decided to withdraw from racing.

The Maserati 3500 GT was an immediate success and the sales helped Maserati regain its financial stability. The car had impressed the Shah of Persia but the exclusivity was an issue. The solution was to create the limited production, custom made, 5000 GT (factory designation of Tipo 103) with engines that had been intended for the 450S. The engines were nearly identical to the 450S racers; the only difference was a larger bore and a decrease in the compression ratio. Though the engine was now larger in size, 4935 cc compared with 4479 cc, the vehicles produced less horsepower. The racers produced 400 horsepower while the 5000 GT with its four twin-choke 45 IDM Weber carburetors produced 340. The decrease in power was to make the cars more comfortable and suitable for road driving. The chassis of the car was from the 3500 GT with minor modifications, mostly to increase its strength to better combat the powerful V8 engine. The wheelbase and track dimensions are identical. The 450S's chassis had been considered, but since it would have required a lot of modifications and it had not undergone the testing that the 3500 GT had endured, the design was not used. The front suspension is comprised of A-arms with coil springs. In the rear is a solid axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs. Disc brakes were used in the front and drums in the rear. Power was sent to the rear wheels through a ZP four-speed manual gearbox with a hydraulically operated clutch.

The first few Maserati 5000 GT's constructed were given the 340 horsepower engine. Later models were given less powerful engine with a slightly decreased bore, increased stroke, and a Lucas indirect fuel injection system. The result was a 4941 cc engine that produced 325 horsepower.

The Maserati 5000 GT's were very exclusive, with only 34 produced and each receiving custom coachwork by some of the greatest coachbuilders of all time. Frua, Pinin Farina, Ghia, Bertone, Touring, Monterosa, Allemano, and Michelotti were some of the names who outfitted the cars. The first two cars produced were bodied by Touring. Briggs Cunningham, the famous American millionaire sportsman who put on impressive showings at LeMans during the 1950's, purchased one. Aga Khan, Giovanni Agnelli, and Ferdinando Innocenti were some of the other names of individuals who purchased a 5000 GT. The Shah was given chassis number 103.002. Chassis number 103.004 was shown at the 1959 Turin Show before being sold to South African native Basil Read, the owner of the Kyalami race circuit. It was reported to have a top speed of over 170 mph. Chassis number 103.006 was the first 5000 GT to be fitted with fuel injection.

Thanks to the considerably good taste in automobiles by the Shah, the 5000 GT had been created. The luxury, performance, style, and ambiance that came with the car had created a following that was so elite, only 34 owners were given a chance to own one. The 5000 GT is considered by many as one of the greatest postwar gran turismo cars.

Production lasted from 1959 through 1965.

by Dan Vaughan