We are pleased to offer 1961 Maserati 3500 GT Superleggera s/n 1806, an amazingly well-documented, fully-restored, user-friendly and very desirable Weber-carbureted, 5-speed 1960s Maserati GT. Introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in March, 1957, the Maserati 3500 GT was an immediate success, thanks to the torque of its 3.5 litre inline-6 cylinder engine, a smooth shifting ZF 5-speed gearbox and its elegant Superleggera (Superlight) Touring bodywork. As per the Maserati Certificate of Origin, s/n 1806 was completed in September 1961 and was from new in Bianco Maserati 4507 (white) and was delivered new to a Signore Albino, before coming to the US in the 1970s.

Maserati 3500 s/n 1806 was purchased as a restoration project in Seattle in March 1980 by Roland Selby, a Canadian commercial pilot and mechanical engineer. Roland spent ten years sourcing an extensive supply of spare parts. As an airline pilot he could fly anywhere in the world at no cost to pick up parts and did that with frequency! In 1989 Mr. Selby started an obsessive-compulsive eight year restoration that is meticulously documented with over 400 photos and a voluminous photo album of the entire process. The body and chassis were fitted to a custom built rotisserie for the body and inner-panel reconstruction process. All floorboards, the trunk floor and battery-box, the sheet metal box-beam sills and outrigger tubing were replaced. Once the two year process was completed, the frame, floors and inner panels structure were rust proofed with epoxy primer and then painted in semi-gloss black. The body was expertly repaired and new panels were fitted and metal finished. The inner panels were then epoxy primered and undercoated to duplicate the original “Superleggera” look, although to a standard that was undreamt of when s/n 1806 was originally built. The panel fit and paint are to the highest quality. Once painted the brakes, suspension and fuel system were re-installed and new fuel and brake lines, the all-new wiring loom and battery cables were fitted through the chassis to the trunk cavity.

The engine was rebuilt using the best components from four engines and the many boxes of parts which came with the purchase. New pistons, rings, pins, bearings, seals and gaskets were sourced and went into a pristine block after all reciprocating components had been magnafluxed and balanced. The Webers were stripped to bare castings and then glass-beaded to new condition and all internal components were replaced. The number of the engine block in the car is 1188. According to our sources engine #1188 is a non-matching-no-engine, the original engine is in Europe and was removed in the 1960s. It should be stated that the engine number pad was not stamped on many Maseratis at this time period so the obsession over matching numbers in the Ferrari world is not as relevant in the Maserati world.

Every step of the restoration is photo documented with over 400 digital photos on file and a 102 page self-published book, “The Book of the Car” with photos and explanations of each step in the restoration process. Today a full frame-up or frame-off restoration at a commercial shop starts at two thousand hours and quickly spirals to three or more thousand hours if you want to go Platinum or go to Pebble Beach. The restoration of 3500 GT s/n 1806 required not thousands of hours but rather eight years dedicated to the very highest standards, and indeed, had this restoration been done by the various shops capable of this kind of work, the labor, parts and machining costs would exceed today’s asking price. Comes with the Maserati Classiche Certificate #29/2014 and a Maserati Certificate of Origin, #20/2014. Call or e-mail us for notes from the owner or photos of the restoration, we have hundreds!

Maserati 3500 GT s/n 1806 starts perfectly on the first try, runs great, has acres of torque, drives straight, stops straight and is fully sorted, everything works. Although the restoration was completed fifteen years ago, the body fit, the paint, the interior and the mechanical are in near-perfect condition. This is a great running, great driving ready to go car! An exceptional, labor of love, obsessive-compulsive restoration, restorations simply do not get much better than Maserati 3500 s/n 1806.

As the old-timers know, the 1960s, 70s and 80s were not particularly kind to the older Ferrari and Maserati GT cars. Many were sold for scrap, used as parts cars or were rebodied and built into replicas. If it wasn’t for the passion and dedication of enthusiasts such as Roland, many of the cars we see today would not exist. Done as a labor of love, the cost of restoration today would exceed the asking price of this Maserati GT car! Pay less that the cost of restoration today, get the car for free.

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