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Born in the late 50's, these hand-built Maserati 5000 and 170 mph GT’s
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were likely the world’s fastest production cars, the ultimate crown jewel for
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monarchs or industrialists. For those who produced these blistering bolides,
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the Italian design houses and prestige constructors like Maserati and Ferrari
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acknowledged masters of custom coachwork game. The more famous and
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prestigious the client, the better it fired the willingness to offer the
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highest performance engines with direct roots into motor sport and to
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clothe these automobiles with the very finest Italian design out of the hands of
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renowned artists like Allemano, Pinin Farina, Carrozzeria Bertone, Frua,
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Touring, Ghia and Michelotti.
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The 5000 GT was the car of the “Elite” of the 60’s when introduced in 1959
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and soon acquired an almost mythical reputation. Only 34 of the 5000 GT’s
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were built on special order through early 1964. The first 5000 GT # 103 002
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was ordered and specially built with a One-Off design by Carrozzeria
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Touring in Milan for the Imperial Highness Shah of Iran, Muhammed Reza
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Pahlevi. Following the initial presentation of the Shah’s new purchase some of
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the world’s wealthiest and most influential people desired the 5000 GT. These
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Included the Italian industrial Magnate Giovanni Agnelli # 103 008, Alfonso
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Lopez Mateos, the president of Mexico # 103 022, Aga Khan # 103 060,
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Briggs Cunningham # 103 016, a famed sportsman who won the America's
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Cup, competed at Le Mans in the early 50's with his own cars, and was
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currently campaigning Maserati's mid-engined Tipo 63 and front- engined Tipo
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151, Basil Read # 103 004 was also among others.
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One of the demands by the first owner and one of the promises by Maserati
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was to achieve with the new born legend a top-speed of 280 km/h which was
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an astronomical ambition to fulfil in the late 50's. The heart and soul to
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achieve this matter was the implanting the 5000 GT four-cam engine which
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was almost identical to the fierce V-8 used in the 450 S racing thoroughbred.
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The Maserati 450 S with their mighty 4.5 l four cam engines in the hands of
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the most capable race drivers of its time, like Manual Fangio and Briggs
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Cunningham, it achieved the maximum speeds and best lap times in the
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Grand Prix races around the globe. The Tipo 103 engine of the 5000 GT born
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from competition have had the racing engine’s gear drive, Weber carburettors,
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similar sized valves and aluminium heads and engine block. In fact, the only
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real difference was a lower compression ratio just to reduce the stress for the
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engine being used as a road car. But to minimize the difference from the
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original 4.5 l race unit, Maserati decided to increase the bore and stroke
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slightly to a total displacement to 4.935 ccm. This was good enough to
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receive a power output of 360 bhp. Guerino Bertocchi, the famous Maserati
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works test driver, confirmed the mission as being accomplished by mentioning
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that he slightly exceeded the 280 km/h.
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"If anything can be said against this fabulous car, it is only that these speeds
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are too easy, everything is smooth and quiet. At 170 mph the car seems to be
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doing 90 mph and I feel that without a skillful driver at the wheel this effect
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could be disastrous." noted in America's "Sports Car Graphic" by famous
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Hans Tanner in 1960 after his test drive with the new driving machine.
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The 5000 GT was undeniably “the” landmark Maserati, likely the world’s
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fastest production car from 1959 – 1964. It was a milestone for Maserati and
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was very influential on future Maseratis. It also marked a turning point in Italian
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auto history, signaling the end of the custom coachwork, “fuori serie” era.
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On 20 th December 1963 the Spanish Maserati distributor Auto-Paris of
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Barcelona visited the Maserati factory and placed an order for a Maserati 5000
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GTI Allemano in Blu sera met. (FIAT code 439) with white leather upholstery,
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wire wheels, seat belts, air conditioning, limited slip differential headrest
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for the passenger seat and for delivery within April 1964. This was going to be
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the Maserati 5000 GTI # 103 058. On 2nd April 1964 # 103 058 was shipped
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to Auto-Paris with the note “car to be shown in the Valencia Fair from 1st to
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20th May 1964". The first owner of the car was Joaquim Valls of Barcelona.
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The Maserati 5000 GT # 103 058 is the 4th last Maserati 5000 GTI produced
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by the works and it is just one of only 22 cars having received the bodyshape
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by Allemano.
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It seems that the 5000 GT was located in Spain until the late Eighties while it
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was offered for sale in 1989 at well-known GTC in Marseille. From then on it
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was exposed in an Automobile Museum in the South of France.
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In April 2010 it was displayed at the Techno Classica, Essen/Germany where
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it found a new home at one of the new modern era car collectors. |
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The first step was to dissemble the car part by part and make a list of
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everything which needed to be done. We realized that very little had been
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done in the last 50 years in favour to keep # 058 GT alive. We needed to
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replace lots of metal sheets of the bodywork because of its poor condition. It
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received at least the necessary ground up work to be able to reassure that the
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whole body appears now in like new condition. The bodywork alone took 1 ½
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years at our body shop and the hours in labour was summing up at 1365
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hours. After the essential bodywork it was underneath perfectly painted before
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starting to reassemble the suspension and brakes. The exterior paint in its |
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For the mechanical side of things, the work was commissioned to the
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Hamburg based and specialized company Thomas Steinke
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Sportwagenservice. Thomas is known for his ability to carry out the most
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challenging projects by fulfilling the highest expectations. He took care for the
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complete overhaul of engine, gearbox, differential and steering box. The work
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carried out within two years exceeded 150.0000, - Euros which is an
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equivalent today at 175.000, - USD. The engine achieved on a dyno test a
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staggering 360 bhp. The gearbox being rebuilt is shifting gears smoothly and
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the differential is doing its job flawlessly without any noise or any vibration
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coming out of the drive train.
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We sadly have to admit that we exceeded as well the expectations of the
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owner regarding the costs of this incredible adventure. The invoices for
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bodywork, upholstery, rebuilding engine, gearbox and diff, dissembling,
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assembling and detailing work totaled in invoices near to 685.000, - € which is
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an equivalent of 800.000, - USD. The whole work carried out is documented
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step by step by 1200 photos of its restoration and a countless number of
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invoices.
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