Maserati 3500 GT by Scaglietti

With the 3500 GT, Maserati presented a pure road sports car for the first time in 1957. Initially it was only available as a coupé, and from 1960 also as a Spider. In total, production up to 1966 comprised only 245 Spiders built at Vignale and 1,972 coupés from Touring, around 40 of which had the steering wheel on the right-hand side. In addition to the versions offered ex works, there were some special bodies from Allemano, Bertone, Boneschi, Frua, Moretti and Pininfarina. Much less well known, however, was a one-off from Scaglietti, which car fans would normally know more for Ferrari bodies. This vehicle will soon go under the hammer at the online auction house Car & Classic. This offers a good opportunity to take a closer look at this rarity. The basis for the conversion was a 3500 GT with right-hand drive first delivered in South Africa in 1964. Already in the following year, the body conversion took place.

Scalco used a Scaglietti bodywork

This extensive work over a ten-month period took place in South Africa, but was carried out by a well-trained Italian coachbuilder named Pierino Scalco. All major body parts were imported, having been previously manufactured by Scaglietti. The unique coupé has nothing in common with the base car. At the front there is a chrome radiator grille with auxiliary lights, headlights hidden behind clear glass covers and an air scoop on the hood. Behind the front wheels are two rows of three air outlets each. The roof line and rear end are reminiscent of various Ferrari and some Aston Martin models. Spoked wheels and dark red paint round off the design. The interior retains the dashboard with Jaeger instruments and the four leather-covered seats of the 3500 GT. Added to this is a three-spoke sports steering wheel.

Restored to concours condition

Under the hood is the familiar inline six cylinder engine with 3.5 liters of displacement. Two spark plugs per cylinder and three Weber twin carburetors provided 169 kW/230 hp and 314 Nm of torque. This power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a five-speed gearbox. All technical components, as well as the body and interior, were extensively restored a few years ago. As a result, the sports car is now in concours condition, but also shows little of its earlier history. The first 30 years or so it spent in the collection of the original owner and the car was rarely driven. From his estate, the Maserati came to another car collector in South Africa. In 1999, the current owner brought the car to the UK. Although he knew about its rarity, he had it prepared for vintage racing at Colin Denyer Motorsport.

Rich documentation available

In fact, the Maserati 3500 GT by Scaglietti participated in events such as the Goodwood Revival, Silverstone Historic and the Brighton Speed Trials. In addition, the owner loaned the car to Maserati UK a few times for appearances at motor shows. Finally, he shipped the one-off to the U.S. to have the aforementioned restoration done at The Creative Workshop in Miami. In the process, the 3500 GT was restored to a road car. As part of the online auction, the highest bidder will not only receive a one-of-a-kind Maserati. The sports car also includes three large boxes full of documents, invoices and photos. In addition, the original tool set including a hammer for the wheel spinners is also present.

Images: Car & Classic