To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' Monterey event, 15 - 17
August 2019.
Estimate:
$700,000 - $850,000
- Briggs Cunningham's personal 5000 GT
- Reportedly the fastest and most aerodynamic 5000 GT built
- Unique 450 S-inspired bodywork commissioned from
Michelotti
- Inarguably one of the most significant Grand Touring
Maseratis
THE MODERN CAR OF KINGS
As the old question asks, "What do you buy the man who has
everything?"
Having exhausted the realm of mere production models, the Shah of
Iran in 1958 went to Maserati and requested something
special�specifically, a 3500 GT fitted with one of the massive,
potent 450 S racing engines. Maserati's entire team of 450 S cars
having been obliterated in racing accidents, the company thought it
was a fine idea that would use some of the spare engines and set
about producing three 450 S-powered road cars for special
clients.
Following additional tuning of the 450 S engine to make its unruly
specifications more suitable for regular use on the street, the
so-called 5000 GT would eventually reach a production run of 34
bespoke automobiles, each one of the ultimate Italian road cars of
its era. The small list of clients included the world's elite
motorists, including Gianni Agnelli, the Aga Khan, and the American
racing driver Briggs Cunningham, a man whose wealth was equaled
only by his thirst for speed. A more ideal 5000 GT driver could not
have been created by Maserati themselves.
BRIGGS CUNNINGHAM'S 5000 GT
Cunningham requested that his 5000 GT resemble as much as possible
the 450 S upon which its engineering had been based. As so often
happens, in translation this became something different but equally
wonderful. Michelotti's design had a trace of 450 S in the rounded
curves of its fenders, but was otherwise a fully and remarkably
modern creation. With a glassy linear greenhouse, ventilation
scoops with decorative chrome "strakes" tucked behind the front
wheel arches, and a semi-tapered rear deck, it was reminiscent of a
Ferrari 330 GTC. Hidden headlamps flanking a relatively small oval
grille opening helped to preserve the car's aerodynamics. The
muscular, menacing side exhaust is subtly visible peeking out
behind the wheels.
It may not resemble a road-going Le Mans car, but if performance
was what Cunningham was after, and it usually was, then Maserati
and Michelotti delivered. Reportedly this was the most aerodynamic
5000 GT built, thanks to its lines having been developed in the
wind tunnel at Universit� degli Studi di Torino, and arguably it
was the fastest, as well. Cunningham insisted on test-driving it
prior to delivery . . . at Monza, presumably ensuring that its
speed was up to his standards. He then used it to commute between
various European racetracks at which his team was competing.
Records of Maserati historian Adolfo Orsi indicate that the car had
by 1968 made it to Cunningham's home base in California, then to
Oliver Kuttner of Virginia, who in 1988 offered it for sale. It was
subsequently restored in the early 1990s in Europe, making its way
to Poland, where in 1998 it was acquired by Alfredo Brener. Mr.
Brener is well-known for having owned more 5000 GTs than any other
individual, including several well-known one-off designs. At the
time of his sale of this car to its present owners in 2003, he
noted, "This is the fastest [5000 GT] that we have"�testament
indeed to its aerodynamics and highly tuned engine.
The car's restoration now bears considerable patina of its finishes
and would benefit from cosmetic freshening. The interior, however,
is in quite good condition, and appears correct, original, and
authentic, as do the physical engine and chassis number stampings,
as well as the accompanying serial number tags. Accompanying the
car is the original spare chrome wire wheel mounted in the
trunk.
Inarguably one of the fastest, most unique, and most potent 5000
GTs, the Briggs Cunningham car is true to the audacious personality
of its original owner, America's most famous and respected
gentleman racer of the era. It is offered here with considerable
pride as the closest thing to a road-going 450 S that Maserati ever
made.To view this car and others currently consigned to this
auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/mo19.
