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Incredibly Rare 5.0-Liter V8 1961 Maserati 5000 GT Is About to Set Auction Records

It's almost impossible to know when history is being made at the moment. Yet, when the Maserati 5000 GT arrived on the scene, it was this version that impacted the lineup for decades to come. Now, this ultra-rare grand tourer can be yours for a number that could stretch into seven figures.
Maserati 5000 GT Touring 6 photos
Photo: Gooding & Co
Maserati 5000 GT TouringMaserati 5000 GT TouringMaserati 5000 GT TouringMaserati 5000 GT TouringMaserati 5000 GT Touring
The Maserati 5000 GT was the brand's direct answer to the Ferrari Superamerica. While the house of the prancing horse only made 47 examples of their car, the folks at Maserati only managed 34 total examples. The one up for sale at Gooding and Co. in January is one of them.

Still, it's even more special because of the 34 5000 GTs in existence, only three were bodied by Milan-based coachbuilder Carrozzeria Touring. This one was first displayed at the Geneva Motor Show in 1960 and will be the first Touring-bodied 5000 GT to ever go under the hammer.

The special sauce doesn't stop there, though. Under the hood of the 5000 GT is a 5.0-liter V8, the first-ever offered in a road car by Maserati. It was largely based on the 4.5-liter unit used in the company's 450S racecar of the day. Since then, it's inspired a number of Maserati cars.

Since 1960 the car has changed hands a number of times in private transactions. First, it was sold to a member of the Orsi family (who owned Maserati at the time) before being returned to the company in 1965. It was then sold to a Saudi prince before being owned by others in the USA and Europe.

The current owner recently undertook a complete restoration of the car to return it to final factory configurations. That meant repainting it in the Azzurro Vincennes color you see here and installing black leather upholstery.

It goes up for sale on January 28th and is expected to bring anywhere from $700,000 or more. We can't wait to see what number it sets for the other two cars to meet.
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