1997 Maserati 300s Evocation For Sale

What could be better than an appreciating classic car with 1960’s styling that is bulletproof reliable, has all the features of a modern BMW, can be fixed and diagnosed in any garage and can be used all year round.

If you want a stunning looking, rare, unusual, reliable convertible that you can drive daily then look no further. The car is not concourse standard but does look spectacular. It is used by me, on a weekly basis.

This Z300s is based on a modern BMW Z3 so has 1960s sports convertible looks and performance with none of the downsides. It is cheap to insure (I pay around £250 fully comp), returns up to 35MPG and is cheap to service. It is not a replica but is inspired by the beautiful lines of the fabulous Maserati 300s. From the front it could be an E-type, Ginetta or TVR but the rear is unique. The Z3 is a modern vehicle with a legendary record of reliability, well equipped and now with thick strong fibreglass panels should last forever. No renovation work needed every year like classic cars. Only a handful of these are in existence (7) and it will appreciate.

This particular vehicle was built by Tribute Automotive, with the interior handled by Classic Coachworks. Both companies build to an extremely high standard and provide ongoing support to their customers.

Donor car
A solid BMW Z3 5 speed 1. 9 manual that has 140BHP and is perfectly suited to drives through our country roads. As the Z3 was based around the E36 3 series, parts are plentiful and cheap.

Specification
Electric windows with 1960s style switches, ABS, period seats, power steering and with a 10 month MOT. The roof is brand new, manually operated, black mohair and takes seconds to put down and up. The logbook is in my name and is correctly registered as a Z300s and not a BMW Z3.

Engine & Gearbox
The car starts first time every time, does not smoke and is quiet on tick over. Put your foot down and it roars thanks to the custom quad pipe stainless exhaust. It has just had a full service, including oil & filter change and new brakes.


Wheels and tyres
The Z300s sits on a set of 16" Aston Martin chrome spoked rims, they look gorgeous on the car and cost a significant amount. Tyres are brand new.


Exterior
It was resprayed in Mazda Soul Red which looks stunning in the sun. If you are close to the car, you can see some imperfections. If stood more than 5 feet away, you would be hard pressed to see any issues. In keeping with the 60s design queues, the bonnet is front hinged rather than rear hinged.

Interior
The interior has been fully trimmed. The doors cards, centre tunnel, hand brake and gear lever have all been trimmed in black. All windows switches and heater controls have been relocated to the new centre dash. Period 1960's switches are used to operate the windows and petrol release cap. The dashboard has been custom made and contains modern, Veglia period look cream / black dials for Oil Temp / Oil Pressure / Water / Petrol / Analog Clock. All dials have Italian script and look period. Wooden Naardi effect steering wheel.

Badges
The badging is not currently on the car but will be provided to the new owner before the sale. Badges include Maserati trident for the front grille, Maserati logos on the side, ceramic badge on boot. The reason the car isn’t badged up is because I don’t want the car falling foul of certain auctions sites rules and regulations. Certain auction sites place strict terms of sale upon vehicles that are evocations of Italian style cars.

Other
White and yellow number plates (black & silver also supplied), period chrome headlights, Perspex headlight covers with chrome clips, chrome side repeaters, vintage 1970s stereo (MW/ LW) fitted with aux in, bullet style custom mirrors, recent replacement uprated battery, alternator, the list is endless.

Work still to do for the new owner
The paintwork is now 2 years old and as the car is in weekly use there are some blemishes.

The build sheet for this car is over £30k and it is insured via an agreed value with a specialist kit car insurance broker for £250 per year. It draws looks wherever it goes. It doesn't matter whether you're filling it up, driving down the motorway or parked up having lunch, you are going to get questions. What is it, how old is it, can I sit in it? People wave you out at junctions and sit there smiling at you.

Note: The seats in the car are bucket seats and some people find them a little snug. Under your ownership they could easily be swapped out as they are on runners.
I use the car at least once per week so mileage will increase.