Maserati 5000 GT

Maserati
Maserati 5000 GT with Allemano body
5000 GT
Production period:	1959-1964
Class :	Upper class
Body versions :	Coupe
Engines:	Petrol engines : 4.9 liters (239–250 kW)
Length:	4500-4700 mm
Width:	1700 mm
Height:	1300 mm
Wheelbase :	2600 mm
Empty weight :	1450 kg

The Maserati 5000 GT (internal: Tipo 103) was a luxury-class sports car built by the Italian car manufacturer Maserati from 1959 to 1964. Maserati used the chassis of the 3500 GT for him , which was connected to the engine of the 450S, which was successful in racing . The 5000 GT was one of the fastest and most luxurious cars of its time. It is considered the "most glamorous of all Maseratis" and a "high society toy of the very first order". The 5000 GT competed directly with the Ferrari 400 Superamerica . The car, which was made with eight different bodies, was produced in very small numbers.

History of origin

The development of the 5000 GT was a response to the severe economic crisis that Maserati suffered in the late 1950s. The Formula 1 program with the Maserati 250F had been successful - Juan Manuel Fangio had won his fifth and final world championship title in 1957 on a 250F used by the works team - but it had led to high levels of debt for the plant. They forced Maserati to discontinue the factory motorsport commitment at the end of the 1957 season. At the same time, sales of the 3500 GT, the brand's first series-produced street sports car, began. The withdrawal from motorsport meant that its sales from 1958 were no longer supported by the positive effect of racing successes. During this time the idea arose to develop an exclusive road vehicle that was located in a market segment above the six-cylinder 3500 GT. The initiative for the development of the 5000 GT went back to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi , the Shah of Persia, according to a consistent description in the literature . Pahlavi was a car enthusiast and valued sports cars from the Maserati brand, among other things. He drove several 3500 GTs which, however, did not seem exclusive enough to him. At his request, Maserati developed a particularly sporty car that combined the chassis of the 3500 GT with the engine of the eight-cylinder racing sports car. This vehicle was initially intended as a one-off for Pahlavi; After the Italian and American media reported about the car and the car met with considerable interest from international customers, Maserati decided to run a small series. The 5000 GT emerged from it.

technology

The 5000 GT was developed during 1958 under the direction of Giulio Alfieri . Maserati limited itself to the technical components. The design of the superstructures, on the other hand, was left to several independent body shops, who responded to customer requests with their designs and created very different designs overall.

Alfieri had the chassis of the 3500 GT reinforced to accommodate the heavy eight-cylinder engine. The suspension, however, remained unchanged; in particular, Maserati retained the rigid rear axle. Initially, a manual four-speed transmission served as power transmission, which was later replaced by a five-speed transmission from ZF . From 1961, disc brakes were finally provided on all four wheels.

During the five years of production there were three engine variants for the 5000 GT:

• In the original version, the 5000 GT used eight-cylinder engines with a displacement of 4937 cm³. The mixture was prepared using four Weber carburettors . The engine had double ignition. The power was given as 340 hp. The first two 5000 GTs were equipped with this engine, including the one delivered to the Shah of Persia.

• From 1960 the 5000 GT had a revised engine. By slightly increasing the stroke while reducing the bore, the displacement was now 4941 cm³; the power was given as 325 hp. With these changes, Giulio Alfieri increased the drivability of the engine; the engine was “more customer-friendly” or “of a somewhat more civil character”. Initially, the mixture preparation also took place in these versions via four Weber twin carburettors; From 1961, however, a petrol injection system from Lucas was available as an alternative .

• The last 5000 GT Coupé, which was manufactured in 1964, received a 4.7 liter eight-cylinder engine. The coupé was bodyworked by Frua.

Body versions

From 1959 to 1964, eight bodyworks produced individual bodies for the 5000 GT. They included all the well-known Italian carrozziers. The first bodies were manufactured by Carrozzeria Touring in Milan , but Allemano produced most bodies in Turin . In addition, several individual pieces were created.

Some chassis were bodyworked several times. In the summer of 1962, chassis number 103.048 was given a body by Pietro Frua. A year later it received a new body - also from Frua - and the chassis number was changed to 103.064. The chassis no. 103.022, originally bodyworked by Allemano, received a new body from Vignale in 1966 .

The touring version: Scià di Persia

Maserati 5000 GT "Shah of Persia" (construction of Touring)

In 1959 Touring designed the first body for the 5000 GT. The vehicle designed by Carlo Bianchi Anderloni had a concise coupé structure that combined contradicting features. The massive, elongated body of the car was contrasted by a short, filigree roof structure with extremely thin vehicle pillars, a rear panoramic window and a striking front section. The B-pillar also formed the rear end of the passenger cell. The front section had an oval opening in which the brand emblem, the trident, was integrated.

The Maserati 5000 GT with touring body was first presented at the 1959 Turin Motor Show. The exhibit (chassis number 103.004) was sold to the South African Basil Read, who was the owner of the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit at the time. A second, identically bodied vehicle (chassis number 103.002) had already been delivered to Reza Pahlevi a few months earlier, the initiator of the project and the first 5000 GT customers. The Touring body was given the nickname Scià di Persia (Shah of Persia).

Touring later built two more, more or less identically designed 5000 GT models.

The Milanese coachbuilder Touring Superleggera presented the Coupé Touring Sciàdipersia in March 2018 , which is based on the technology of the Maserati GranTurismo and is intended to be reminiscent of the 5000 GT Scià di Persia. The convertible version followed a year later. A small series of 10 or 15 vehicles has been announced for both versions.

The Allemano version: the 5000 GT Indianapolis

5000 GT with body from Allemano

Most of the bodies for the 5000 GT were made by the Turin-based Carrozzeria Allemano. Allemano also created a tight roof structure that only had A and B pillars. The front section was smoother than that of the Touring version; it had two horizontally positioned broadband headlights and a simple, glittered grille. At the stern there were small horizontally running tail fins, under which three round taillights were housed on each side. It is generally accepted that the design of the car was not developed by Serafino Allemano himself, but by Giovanni Michelotti. Allemanos' share was then limited to the manual production of the bodywork.

In view of some of Maserati's motorsport successes on the American Indianapolis Motor Speedway , the Allemano version was unofficially referred to as the 5000 GT "Indianapolis".

The Frua version: The 5000 GT Aga Khan

On behalf of a French customer, the Turin-based Carrozzeria Frua created a nearly four-seater coupé with a raised roof, a curved rear side window and a conspicuous panoramic window in the rear. The vehicle was exhibited at the Paris Motor Show in October 1962. The vehicle was given a new chassis number at the factory during the 1960s.

In 1963, Karim Aga Khan IV. Ordered an almost identical bodywork vehicle (chassis number 103.060) from Frua, which in the following period was at least temporarily owned by Rita Hayworth . Because of the prominent owners, the Frua version of the Maserati is sometimes referred to as the "5000 GT Aga Khan". The Aga Khan car auctioned off in 2007 for $ 1,100,000. Another vehicle with a Frua body was created in 1964.

Michelotti

Giovanni Michelotti designed an individual body for the 5000 GT in 1961 for the American racing driver Briggs Cunningham . The car was designed as a four-seater coupe. As a special feature, it had a steeply sloping front section with pop-up headlights. Since the Michelotti studio did not have its own workshop, the Cunningham car was built at Ghia.

Ghia

On behalf of the Italian industrialist Fernandino Innocenti , Tom Tjaarda designed a 5000 GT with Mannerist lines for Carrozzeria Ghia . The vertical front section was heavily chrome-plated, the front and rear bumpers were curved.

Pininfarina

Maserati 5000 GT from Pininfarina

Pininfarina , the most successful Italian stylist in the 1950s who was closely associated with Ferrari , did not manufacture its own version of the Maserati 5000GT. Nevertheless, a Pininfarina body was combined with the 5000 GT chassis. The trigger was the Italian industrialist Giovanni "Gianni" Agnelli , long-time managing partner of the automobile manufacturer Fiat . Among other things, Agnelli privately drove a Ferrari 400 Superamerica, which was equipped with an individual body from Pininfarina. The structure, which was generally perceived as strict, had a front panorama window, a high front section and a large radiator opening. In 1961 Agnelli had the Pininfarina body of his Ferrari connected to the chassis of the Maserati 5000 GT. The car drove without any branding in the following years.

More unique pieces

For Bertone , Giorgetto Giugiaro designed a smooth-surfaced 5000 GT Coupé with twin headlights at the front and a semi-hatchback. The Bertone body is sometimes seen in the literature as the most beautiful Maserati 5000 GT. The small Carrozzeria Monterosa made a one-off piece for the tennis player Filippo Montanari; With the general layout, Monterosa stuck closely to the Allemano body, but changed the front and rear sections significantly.

Overview: the individual bodies

The production of the Maserati 5000 GT was distributed as follows:

Carrozzeria	construction	number of pieces	Chassis number
Allemano	Coupé, 2 + 2-seater "Indianapolis"	22nd	103.014, 103.020, 103.022, 103.022, 103.024, 103.026, 103.028, 103.030, 103.032, 103.034, 103.036, 103.038, 103.040, 103.042, 103.044, 103.050, 103.052, 103.054, 103.056, 103.058, 103.062, 103.066.
Bertone	Coupé, 2 + 2 seats	1	104.004
Frua	Coupé, 2 + 2-seater "Aga Khan"	4th	103.048, 103.060, 103.064, 103.100
Ghia	Coupé, 2 + 2 seats	1	103.018
Michelotti	Coupé, 2 + 2 seats	1	103.012
Monterosa	Coupé, two-seater	1	103.012
Pininfarina	Coupé, 2 + 2 seats	1	103.008
Touring	Coupé 2 + 2-seater, "Scià di Persia"	4th	103.002, 103.004, 103.010, 103.010, 103.090

Distribution and current market situation

The Maserati 5000 GT was an exclusive luxury sports car. The exclusivity was reflected in the sales prices. The German Maserati importer offered the 5000 GT with an Allemano body in 1963 at a price of DM 70,400. The Maserati 3500 GT cost 44,400 DM at the same time, a VW Beetle Standard was offered for 4,200 DM.

First-time customers of the 5000 GT were regularly wealthy personalities from politics, society or sport. The buyers of the Maserati 5000 GT included Giovanni Agnelli, Briggs Cunningham, British-American actor Stewart Granger , Italian industrialist Fernandino Innocenti, Karim Aga Khan IV and the then Mexican President Adolfo López Mateos .

Many of the 5000 GT versions are one-offs for which no reliable market value can be determined on the classic market. Only for the Allemano versions, which were realized in more than 20 copies, approximately used car prices are to be determined. For an excellent 5000 GT from Allemano, a purchase price of around 370,000 euros is given in summer 2011.

Trivia

The American musician Joe Walsh makes reference to his Maserati 5000 GT (chassis number 103.026) in his song Life's Been Good . One stanza reads:

My Maserati does one-eight-five
I lost my license, now I don't drive

(My Maserati goes 185 mph. I lost my driver's license, now I don't drive anymore).

Technical specifications

Technical data Maserati 5000 GT
Maserati	5000 GT 1959-1960	5000 GT 1960–1964
Engine:	Eight-cylinder V-engine (four-stroke), fork angle 90 °
Displacement:	4937 cc	4941 cc
Bore × stroke:	98.5 x 81 mm	94 × 89 mm
Performance at 1 / min:	340 hp at 5800	325 hp at 5500
Compression:	8.5: 1
Mixture preparation:	4 × 2 Weber IDM 45	4 × 2 Weber IDM 45 petrol injection (Lucas)
Valve control:	Four overhead camshafts
Cooling:	Water cooling
Transmission:	manual four-speed transmission (1959–1963) manual five-speed transmission (1963–1964)
Front suspension:	Wishbone coil springs
Rear suspension:	Rigid axle leaf springs
Brakes:	front disc brakes, rear optionally drum or disc brakes, from 1963 disc brakes all round as standard
Body:	Aluminum on tubular frame superstructures individually
Wheelbase:	2600 mm
Dimensions:	Individually depending on the structure
Empty weight:	Individual, approx. 1450 kg
Top speed:	260-280 km / h

swell

• Dean Bachelor, Chris Poole, Graham Robson: The Big Book of Sports Cars ; Erlangen 1990 (no ISBN)
• Martin Buckley: Maserati. Italian luxury and flair . Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2012. ISBN 978-3-86852-633-2 .
• Gianni Cancellieri et al. (Ed.): Maserati. Catalog raisonné 1926-2003 . Automobilia, Milan 2003. ISBN 88-7960-151-2
• Craig Cheetham (Ed.): The encyclopedia of classic cars from 1890 to present day . Amber Books. San Diego 2007. ISBN 978-1-59223-781-4 .
• Hans-Karl Lange: Maserati. The other Italian sports car . Vienna 1993, ISBN 3-552-05102-3
• Frank Oleski, Hartmut Lehbrink: Series sports cars . Cologne (Könemann) 1993. ISBN 3-89508-000-4 .
• Halwart Schrader, Georg Amtmann: Italian sports cars . Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-613-01988-4 .
• David Sparrow, Iain Ayre: Maserati Heritage. Osprey Classic Marques. Auckland 1995. ISBN 1-85532-441-5 .
• Maurizio Tabucchi: Maserati. All Grand Prix, Sports and GT vehicles from 1926 until today . Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2004. ISBN 3-89880-211-6

Web links

Commons : Maserati 5000 GT  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ^ Schrader, Amtmann: Italienische Sportwagen, p. 292.
2. ^ ^{A b} Martin Buckley: Maserati. Italian luxury and flair . Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2012. ISBN 978-3-86852-633-2 , p. 54.
3. ^ Long: Maserati. P. 26.
4. ↑ See e.g. Cheetham: The Encyclopedia of Classic Cars, p. 227.
5. ↑ Classic & Sports Car, issue 8/2007.
6. ↑ History of the Maserati 5000 GT on the website www.maserati-alfieri.co.uk (accessed on September 16, 2011).
7. ^ Martin Buckley: Maserati. Italian luxury and flair . Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2012. ISBN 978-3-86852-633-2 , p. 57.
8. ^ Long: Maserati. P. 26.
9. ↑ History of the Maserati 5000 GT on the website www.maserati-alfieri.co.uk (accessed on September 21, 2011).
10. ^ Long: Maserati. P. 26.
11. ↑ cf. www.pietro-frua.de (accessed on September 21, 2011).
12. ^ Long: Maserati. P. 26.
13. ↑ For the individual body versions cf. the website www.pietro-frua.de (accessed on September 21, 2011).
14. ↑ Model history of the 5000 GT Allemano with images of the individual chassis on the website www.coachbuild.com (accessed on September 21, 2011).
15. ^ History of the three 5000 GT car bodies by Frua on the website www.pietro-frua.de (accessed on September 21, 2011).
16. ^ Image of the 5000 GT Michelotti on the website www.flickr.com (accessed on September 21, 2011).
17. ↑ See the website www.pietro-frua.de (accessed on September 21, 2011).
18. ↑ Illustration of the 5000 GT Ghia (accessed on September 21, 2011).
19. ^ Long: Maserati. P. 26f.
20. ^ Long: Maserati. P. 27.
21. ↑ Detailed production overview on the website www.maserati-alfieri.co.uk (accessed on September 16, 2011).
22. ↑ According to other sources: three copies. The discrepancy is due to different counting methods. The chassis numbers 103.048 and 103.064 are usually (but not consistently) classified as independent vehicles. In fact, they use the same chassis. The chassis 103.048 was revised in the factory in 1963 and received a new chassis number as a result of the revision.
23. ^ Long: Maserati. P. 27.
24. ↑ Motor Klassik, issue 8/2011, p. 74.