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 Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2019