Vehicle Description
Introduced in 1962, the Sebring was one of the final manifestations
of the landmark 3500 GT which had been the linchpin of Maserati's
program to establish itself as a manufacturer of road cars. Despite
numerous racetrack successes, including Juan Manuel Fangio's fifth
World Championship at the wheel of a 250F and runner-up in the
World Sports Car Championship with the fabulous 450S, Maserati was
by that time facing trouble in the domestic marketplace. Attention
focused itself in 1957 with the launch of the Touring-bodied 3500
GT. A luxury 2+2, the 3500GT drew heavily on Maserati's competition
experience, employing a tubular chassis frame and an engine derived
from the 350S sports car unit of 1956. Suspension was independent
at the front by wishbones and coil springs while at the back there
was a conventional live axle/semi-elliptic arrangement. The
3500GT's designer was none other than Giulio Alfieri, creator of
the immortal Tipo 60/61 'Birdcage' sports-racer and the man
responsible for developing the 250F into a World Championship
winner. The twin-overhead-camshaft, six-cylinder engine was a close
relative of that used in the 250F and developed around 220bhp.
These cars had true superstar genes and it didn't stop there. The
3500GT was continually updated eventually ending up with a
five-speed gearbox and front disc brakes. A car possessing such
impeccable antecedents not unnaturally attracted the attention of
Italy's finest carrozzeria or styling houses. Most coup�s were the
work of Touring whilst the much rarer Spider version was the work
of Vignale. Built on this chassis and likewise styled by Vignale,
the Sebring Coup� arrived in 1962. By now, a five-speed ZF gearbox,
four-wheel disc brakes and fuel injection were standard equipment
with automatic transmission, air conditioning and a limited-slip
differential available as options. With a hefty price tag, the new
Maserati was some 22% more expensive than the contemporary Aston
Martin DB5, its closest rival and certainly exceeded it in terms of
detail and build quality. Introduced in 1965, the Sebring Series II
came with a 3.7 litre, potent 245bhp engine. By the end of
production in 1966, by which time 591 Sebrings had been built, 242
of which were in the second series. Originally delivered to Dr.
Mario Mazzacurati in Rome, it made its way East to New Zealand to
Mr. K. MacD Hunter who, clearly, had exquisite taste as the car he
chose to invest in was a rare Italian sporting coup�. Any parts
required were painstakingly written to Modena for, often by a new
system at the time called a Facimile. The car was maintained over
many years in this way until the early 2000's when it was
comprehensively restored. The coachwork was stripped to bare metal
and painted in the correct Italian colour of Marrone Rossiccio from
the original Argento Auteuil or silver. It was also re-trimmed in
Italian leather at great expense along with the addition of
electronic ignition. That tremendous power plant was also rebuilt
under the watchful eye of Mr. Hunter before it was imported into
the UK in 2015. The work continued this side of the Pacific with a
gearbox rebuild by Ferrari specialists, SMDG of Horsham, as well as
a number of other miscellaneous items including fuel pump,
bearings, half shafts and, of course, a massive service. It was
then sent to Bill McGrath, the last name in Maserati, for a new
clutch and release bearings. Presented in, what can only be
described as, show condition throughout, this automotive work of
art is also accompanied by the much coveted Maserati Classiche
documents including the �Historical Information' and �Technical and
Aesthetic Characteristics' paperwork. You can always tell much
about a motorcar by the attitude of the owner; this owner spends
his money wisely and, more importantly, thoroughly uses and enjoys
his cars. Stunning and, importantly, reliable; we know this because
it has to be. For sale by auction on Saturday 23 September 2017
with Historics at Brooklands, Brooklands Motor Racing Circuit,
Weybridge, Surrey, Call 01753 639170
