One of a Kind – Maserati 3500GT

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Chris Pollitt

When it comes to car design, you can always rely on the Italians to push the notion of what can be done. Coachbuilding runs through the veins of Italy, and it does so proudly. Got an already beautiful car? It doesn’t matter, as someone in a workshop in the Italian hills will set to it with a hammer and dolly and do the impossible – improve it. A glorious example of that is the car you see here. It may have started life as a Maserati 3500GT, but today it is more than that. It has been rebodied, reimagined and reshaped into something jaw-droppingly beautiful and truly unique. And that word, unique, is one that’s thrown around a lot in the classic car world. But in the case of this 3500GT, it’s true. There is no other like it. Mainly because the way in which it came about would be impossible to replicate.

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Built as an original right hand-drive 3500GT, this car’s journey started in South Africa (hence that configuration). It was already an exquisite, special car. While the car was a success for Maserati, it wasn’t built in large numbers. In fact, only around 2,000 were made. Of those, only a few were right-hookers. However, special and sought after though it may have been when new, it wasn’t special or sought after enough for the owner. As such, coachbuilders were employed to build something breath-taking. And on that front they delivered, but when you learn who they were, you’ll realise that breath-taking was a walk in the park.

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The main craftsman behind the car’s new look was Pierino Scalco. That name on its own might not set the old mental bell ringing. Drop in the fact he worked under the eye of Scaglietti, and as such, has his name attached to cars like the Piper 250 GTO, the Ferrari P3 and the 275 GTB and it all makes sense. It also makes sense when you look at the nose of this incredible car, which is indeed a Scaglietti product. Scalco took this, melded it with the Maserati 3500GT and then built his own body from the A pillars back. And what a car he built.

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The build took around ten months, and is verified by both witness accounts and the word of Scalco’s own son, who remembers the car being built. In fact, the aforementioned independent witness even went as far as to provide us with pictures of the car back when it had been completed, showing the car in its unusual but strangely flattering shade of metallic green. Though we must admit, the current red suits it much better. This is the kind of heritage you can’t beat. First hand accounts and photographic evidence aplenty. Factors that prove incredibly important when looking to cement the authenticity of such a rarity.

The resulting car is nothing short of being a self-propelled sculpture. The nose has unmistakable Ferrari flavour to it, as one would anticipate from the hands of Scaglietti. The doors, roof and coupe body with that distinct kamm-tail design has been mated with effortless flow. Though of course, the realities were anything but effortless. For nearly a year, Scalco toyed with and teased metal into shape. His meticulous efforts were, it seems, well worth it. It has presence without looking ‘heavy’. It flows as one, cohesive design. It looks… proper. It doesn’t look like a one-off. If we told you he built 200 of them, you’d believe it. It’s a resolved, complete, high quality design. It is then, testament to the work of Scalco.

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Of course, we could carry on tippy-tapping words about the altogether pleasing aesthetic of this 3500GT, but it is more than just a pretty face. This thing has the mechanical minerals to back up the looks. The 3.5 litre, straight-six engine was a modern unit for the time, boasting twin overhead cams, which in the case of this car is fast road specification. It was also advanced in that it had 12 spark plugs – two per cylinder. Bigger spark means you can ignite more fuel and air. Bigger bang, more power. To funnel in the fuel, you’ll find a bank of three twin Weber carbs. The noise of them snarling and gulping at the air is intoxicating. On the road, the sense of occasion grows, as you can then hear the engine sing the most soulful of songs through the custom exhaust system. The pitch of which changes when it comes on cam. The five-speed manual transmission, which is crisp and direct after being reconditioned, pulls you fully into the waters of vehicular immersion. An automatic would have killed this car. The manual means you feel like a part of this 3500GT, albeit filled with bones and meat rather than oil and metal.

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Of course, the car you see here is very red. As you may recall, when it was first created it was in fact a metallic green colour. So what happened? Well, once built the car was acquired by a local collector who hid the 3500GT away for a frankly unfair 30 years. Hidden away, left idle, the car suffered of course. However, 23 years ago it was once again rolled out into the welcoming light of day. It was then put on a boat and brought to UK soil. Keen to see the car live once again, the new owner had the car recommissioned by Colin Denyer Motorsport, which in turns brought the 3500GT back into the land of the living. However, owing to the fact the car is so rare and so special, it was eventually shipped to the USA for a full restoration by The Creative Workshop in Miami. You can read the auction listing to get the full flavour of the restoration. For now though, all you need to know is that when completed, the car was invited to Pebble Beach. And trust us when we say that those invites aren’t given out lightly.

Flattering though the invite was, the 3500GT didn’t go to Pebble Beach. The owner was, somewhat understandably, keen to get the car back to the UK so he could enjoy it, just as the Maserati engineers and Scalco intended. And that he has. It hasn’t been a daily driver for popping to ASDA, obviously, but it has been used, enjoyed and also celebrated as a runner up at the coveted Hampton Court Palace Concours of Elegance in 2021. Now though, after bringing this car back to life, after bringing it back out into the world, the owner has opted to part ways and send the 3500GT on to have fresh adventures with a new owner. And that owner could well be you, as the car is currently for sale via the Car & Classic Auctions platform.

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If you want a car that is beautiful, that is steeped in history, that celebrates some of the finest names to ever walk within the automotive world and that will bring many, many miles of pure enjoyment, this is the car. There is, quite literally, nothing else like it.

 

 

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