Affordable Exotics: Maserati

Maserati built some of the most famous sports and racing cars in the world during the 1950s and 1960s. Founded in 1914, this Italian marque won hundreds of races, including the Indy 500 (twice), the Formula 1 World Championship (1957) and scores of sports car races. Maserati also made expensive high-speed touring cars to rival the Ferraris made just across town.


However, Maserati has had a financially troubled existence, passing through many hands before landing in the lap of Fiat in 1989. This corporate parent also owns Maserati's old enemy Ferrari. Current Maseratis sell in the $90,000 range, but there are a number of older Maseratis that can be had for less than a new Porsche Boxster (and some for less than a used Kia). But buyer-beware because repair costs can exceed the GNP of third-world nations. Incidentally, the wonderful collection of Maseratis shown here was photographed at Concorso Italiano, an annual gathering of Italian cars in Seaside, California. Here's a short summary of some models to consider, with both pros and cons noted.

3500GT
(1957-1964) This was Maserati's first high-volume production street car, with 2,223 sold. It was a comfortable sports-touring car with a 3.5-liter, twin-cam six sporting two spark plugs per cylinder and producing 220 hp. There were two body styles, a handsome coupe by Carrozzeria Touring and a convertible by Vignale. In 1961 the triple Weber carburetors were replaced with fuel injection (a real pain) and many have since been backdated to carburetors. Average coupes now fetch $15,000 to $25,000, but the roadsters are many times that. The coupe is a handsome classic at a reasonable price, but restoring a rough one is a losing proposition.

Sebring
(1962-1966) The 3500GT roadster had a two-inch shorter wheelbase than the coupe, and in 1962 that chassis was reskinned with handsome 2+2 coupe bodywork to become the Sebring. The new car was styled by Giovanni Michelotti and built by Vignale. There were two series of Sebrings with three engine variations. The first Sebrings had the old 3500GT engine, but this was replaced with a 3.6-liter version with 245 hp in the Series II models. A four-liter option furnished 255 hp. Although most had 5-speed manual gearboxes, a 3-speed automatic was a rare option. Maserati built 444 Sebrings, which sell for about the same as the 3500GT models.

Mistral
(1963-1970) Although it looked up-to-date, the Mistral was also based on the old 3500GT chassis. It was a pure 2-seat sports car and sold alongside the 2+2 Sebring. The coupe version was widely admired and 828 were sold. The spyder (convertible) version was lovely, but only 120 were built, making it very valuable (over $80,000) today. But the coupes, which had the same 3.6- and 4.0-liter engines as the Sebring, sell for $25,000 to $30,000.