3,694cc DOHC Inline 6-Cylinder Engine
Lucas Mechanical Fuel Injection
245bhp at 5,200rpm
5-Speed Manual ZF Transmission
Independent Front Suspension - Live Rear Axle
4-Wheel Disc Brakes

*Highly original, preservation class Maserati with less than 34,000 Kms from new
*Matching chassis and engine numbers
*Elegant and powerful Vignale-deigned Maserati GT
*Offered with impressive history file including much original paperwork and Maserati Classiche records

The Maserati Sebring

Introduced in 1962, the Sebring was one of the final manifestations of the landmark 3500 GT, which had been the linchpin of Maserati's program to establish itself as a manufacturer of road cars. Despite numerous racetrack successes that included Juan Manuel Fangio's fifth World Championship - at the wheel of a 250F - and runner-up spot in the World Sports Car Championship with the fabulous 450S - both in 1957, the marque's most successful season - Maserati was by that time facing a bleak future. Its parent company's financial difficulties forced a withdrawal from racing and Maserati's survival strategy for the 1960s centered on switching production from competition to road models.

The Modena marque's new era began in 1957 with the launch of the Touring-bodied 3500 GT, its first road car built in significant numbers. A luxury 2+2, the 3500GT drew heavily on Maserati's competition experience, employing a tubular chassis frame and an engine derived from the 350S sports car unit of 1956. Suspension was independent at the front by wishbones and coil springs, while at the back there was a conventional live axle/semi-elliptic arrangement. The 3500 GT's designer was none other than Giulio Alfieri, creator of the immortal Tipo 60/61 'Birdcage' sports-racer and the man responsible for developing the 250F into a World Championship winner. The twin-overhead-camshaft, six-cylinder engine was a close relative of that used in the 250F and developed around 220bhp initially, later examples producing 235bhp on Lucas mechanical fuel injection. Built initially with drum brakes and four-speed transmission, the 3500 GT was progressively updated, gaining five speeds, front disc brakes and, finally, all-disc braking.

A car possessing such impeccable antecedents not unnaturally attracted the attention of Italy's finest carrozzeria: Allemano, Bertone and Frua all created bodies for the 3500 GT chassis. Most Coupes were the work of Touring, while all but one (a Frua-bodied example) of the much less common Spider version were the work of Carrozzeria Vignale.

Built on the short-wheelbase chassis of the Spider and likewise styled by Vignale, the Sebring Coupe arrived in 1962. By now a five-speed ZF gearbox, four-wheel disc brakes and fuel injection were standard equipment, with automatic transmission, air conditioning and a limited-slip differential available as options. With a hefty price tag, the new Maserati was some 22% more expensive than the contemporary Aston Martin DB5, its closest rival. Introduced in 1965, the Sebring Series II came with a 3.7-litre, potent 245bhp engine, while some cars left the factory with 4.0-litre units towards the end of production in 1966, by which time 591 Sebrings had been built, 242 of which were in the second series.

The Motorcar Offered

One of the most elegant and understated Grand Touring cars of the 1960s, the Maserati Sebring offered here is a Series II model fitted with the 3.7-liter engine and five-speed ZF gearbox. According to Maserati factory paperwork, this highly original example was ordered new at Maserati in December of 1965 by Auto Paris, a Barcelona, Spain based Maserati distributor. The livery was just as it appears today, with the exterior finished in Rosso Cordoba and the interior in Pelle Bianca. The luxurious GT was finally completed in April of 1966, and soon after delivered to its first owner, a Sig. Claudio Vidal Corbera of Barcelona, according to the original Warranty booklet accompanying the car. Although an International Motor Insurance Card was issued for the Rosso Cordoba Sebring II to a Mr. Ernesto Sentis Roldan of Barcelona, Spain in June of 1968, the car is believed to have been owned and cared for by just one owner until 2014, when purchased by an esteemed Southern California based collector of the finest European sports cars. Today, this highly original and extremely well preserved Sebring presents with an absolute lovely patina throughout. Although the paintwork has been touched up, many surfaces are still in original state, and the original interior shows incredibly well. Importantly, the Maserati retains its original, matching numbers engine, and the odometer reading of less than 34,000 kilometers (22,000 miles) is indeed believed to be actual.

The Maserati has been shown at several concours events, including the Arizona and San Marino shows, where it received much recognition. The Sebring's impressive history file include the afore mentioned Maserati Classiche paperwork, containing a copy of the original Internal Factory Order, the Delivery Note and Technical Data Sheet, as well the original warranty booklet, along with many other original documents including period registration cards and owner's manual. A use and maintenance booklet can also be found in the file, as well as books and tools. Ready for further preservation class judging, this fine Maserati is unique through and through.