1971, RHD.
Probably manufactured in 1971, this rare original RHD example spent it's whole life in Italy, a cancelled order !
2008, road tested by
Classic & Sports Car UK in August 2008. Same article in the French
version in 2009. UK registration BNT257K.
14.11.2020, for sale via Silverstone Auctions for £115.000.
"Originally ordered for the Australian market, the order was then
cancelled at which point the Maserati was bought by an Italian
enthusiast, who owned it all the way up to 2006, however, in later
years, it became sadly neglected. In 2006 the car, looking unloved, was
discovered by a Mr Hughes who promptly bought it and imported it into
the UK.
CMC of Bridgenorth had in the past restored a couple of
Jaguars for Mr Hughes and it was natural that he would entrust them with
returning the big Maserati to its former glory. There are three huge
restoration files accompanying this special car, two files contain
pictures of the restoration (250 pages and 1,000 photos) and the third
contains invoices and correspondence. Our vendor informs us that when
you add up the receipts they total just over £150,000!
When
finally restored, the car remained fitted with its original KPH speedo
and the odometer at the time was reading c20,000km. This was replaced
with an MPH speedometer of the correct type taken from another car, and
that was reading approximately 40,000 miles – this reading remained
unaltered, despite the vehicle having only covered less than half this
distance. Since completion, around 2,000 miles have been covered,
suggesting a total mileage of around 17,000 miles from new, not
warranted but as close as we can get.
Our vendor is the fourth
owner, having bought it from Sherwood Restorations in 2010 and it has
formed part of his significant private collection ever since. With room
for four, these usable V-8 Maseratis are long-legged classics from the
golden era of Italian 'Gran Tourers' and given the rarity and quality of
restoration, this really is a special opportunity. Your earliest
inspection is encouraged and very welcome."
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