Vehicle Description
Chassis No. AM101 01549
According to prior research, this early Series I Sebring was
produced in 1963 and would find its first owner in Bologna, Italy.
It would be finished in the very same colors it wears today,
Amaranto Roma over Black leather upholstery. About two years after
purchase, the original owner sold his Sebring, and it would be
acquired by Detroit-based Buick engineer Joe Turlay and brought to
the U.S. Turlay was one of GM's finest engineers, and in his three
decade career, helped design the XP-300 engine as well as Buick's
aluminum engines, among numerous other contributions which included
being awarded various patents for his innovations. Turlay is
understood to have kept the Maserati for some twenty years until
his passing, after which his grandson inherited it and sold it to
Richard Bliznick, who ultimately moved himself and the Maserati to
California. In 1996 the Sebring would pass to Richard Litchfield,
and in 1999 to Harry Garschagen.
It was Garschagen who elected to send the car to McCabe Automotive
Restoration of Mundelein, Illinois, around this time to completely
restore it back to original specifications, reversing certain
tweaks that had been performed by Turlay during his ownership,
refinishing the car in its original colors, and refitting a correct
Lucas fuel injection unit.
By 2014 the rare Vignale-bodied Maserati Coupe would be acquired by
an owner in the Northeast, who later sold it at auction in Amelia
Island in 2016. It would be acquired by a Wisconsin-based owner who
had the car serviced at the well-known Continental Autosports in
Hinsdale, Illinois, with receipts for various services on file from
2016-2023.
The Sebring would be acquired by the Lone Star Sports Car
Collection in 2023. A compression test recorded in September 2023
invoice showed strong numbers of 175-180 psi across the board.
Further work has been entrusted to Red Car Restorations of
Rockwall, Texas, with invoices on file for an additional $11,000+
in sorting. This work has encompassed various mechanical and wiring
related repairs, as well as attention to the fuel system including
replacing the fuel injection high pressure lines. The Sebring is
offered with a tool kit, jack, and knockoff hammer. Finely restored
examples of this model don't often appear; this early car, with its
intriguing history and a high quality older restoration, is a
lovely and highly correct example of one of Maserati's most
attractive 1960s GT cars.
