A rare Maserati 5000 GT, one out of only 34 such vehicles ever made and one out of three to feature a coachbuilt Carrozzeria Touring body, will go under the hammer in late January 2022 and is expected to fetch up to $900,000 USD.
The 5000 GT chassis was commonly believed to be the pinnacle of Maserati engineering back in the late 1950s, and the most serious rival to the Ferrari Superamerica. The Italian automaker sold the chasses to third-party coachbuilders like Bertone, Ghia or Pininfarina, who then proceeded to design an exterior and an interior for them.
This example was the third and final car to be coachbuilt by Carrozzeria Touring. The company made all three cars slightly different from each other, so it is perhaps justified to call this 5000 GT unique. Originally displayed at the Geneva International Motor Show in 1960, the coachbuilder later used the coupe to test a 3.8-liter engine. The company replaced that experimental engine with a stock 5.0-liter V8 before selling the car, though.
Throughout its history, the GT had changed hands multiple times, but always in private. The current owner had started a restoration project to re-finish the coupe in its original Azzurro Vincennes color and re-trim the interior with black leather, bringing back the original aesthetic from the early 1960s. However, he was unable to complete what he had started, so the car is now going to the block in a ‘partially restored’ condition.