4. 1961 Maserati 5000 GT Coupe (Gooding & Co)
Introduced in 1959, the 5000 GT was the ultimate Maserati road car of its era. In all, Maserati built just 34 examples of the 5000 GT, which were clothed in elegant, custom coachwork by eight Italian coachbuilders including Allemano, Pinin Farina, Frua, Bertone and Ghia Touring as the example here. These Maseratis were incredibly rare and expensive cars, retailing for twice the price of a contemporary 3500 GT, and attracting an elite clientele that included several VIP customers such as the Shah of Iran, Briggs Cunningham, Gianni Agnelli and Karim Aga Khan. The car presented here is the last of three chassis to receive coachwork by Touring, the famous Milan-based coachbuilder. All three Touring-bodied 5000 GTs featured similar styling, including a distinctive frontal treatment that referenced the company’s famous 250F Grand Prix cars. This car was first displayed at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1960, then modified and shown later that year at the Torino Motor Show in November. It remained in Maserati ownership through 1961, during which time it was used to test an experimental 3.8-liter V-8 engine.
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