220 bhp, 3,485 cc double overhead camshaft inline six-cylinder engine with triple twin-choke Weber carburetors, four-speed ZF manual gearbox, coil spring independent front suspension, live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. Wheelbase: 102.4"

• One-off early factory production prototype, test, show and demonstration model with many unique features

• 1958 Paris Motor Show car

• Matching numbers and extremely comprehensive documentation

Maserati’s emphasis changed to road cars of the Gran Turismo class as the 3500 GT coupe was introduced in 1957 at Geneva. Powered by a 220 bhp, hemi-head 3,485 cc inline DOHC six, it featured a stylish aluminum “Superleggera” body by Touring of Milan.

Constructed in the late fall of 1957, this particular Maserati 3500 GT was retained by the Maserati Factory for its own internal and personal use. It is a one-off production prototype evaluation unit with several distinct differences from the production cars. It was tested extensively from mid-1957 through the spring of 1958, during which time a number of updates and revisions were made before the formal completion date of March 15, 1958. In addition to the rare manual windows of early 3500 GTs, it has a number of features unique to this car, including an ornate steering wheel with brass Maserati crest, fine mesh front grille, hand-made chrome deck-lid supports, one-off dashboard with Jaeger gauges with hand-painted badges and French labels, a 240 km/h speedometer, a tachometer with no redline, a unique chassis frame with suspension geometry different from production cars, a 300S-type oil cooler and magnesium Alfin brake drums. It also has chrome-plated brass side trim and Carrozzeria Touring badges that are all of a unique design. All castings and components show very early 1957 date codes, some from as early as April of that year.

Maserati commissioned the car for their own personal test and demonstration purposes, and it was put to those uses for some eight to 12 months. A former American veteran racer, E.D. Martin, specifically recalled testing the car at the Modena Autodromo. In November 1958, it then eventually went to the official Maserati Paris agent, Thepenier, for display at Mondial de l'automobile de Paris, as the Paris Motor Show had been renamed. Described as a “used car,” it was prepared by the dealer and put on show. John Simone of Thepenier registered it for the road that month.

After extensive work and show duty with Thepenier, this Maserati was purchased back a second time by the Maserati Factory for additional internal use and even road-registered by the Factory on Bologna plates rather than the normal use of “test/PROVA” plates. At the end of 1959 it was deemed surplus to the needs of the Maserati Factory and offered for private sale for the first time since being built.

The first private owner was Karlina Catillion du Perron of Bologna, Italy, who purchased it for 1,500,000 lire on September 29, 1959 and registered it in Bologna the same day. A month later, she sold it back to Thepenier, who in turn sold it to Mr. Roger Baillon of Niort in western France. He registered it on November 27, 1959. Four years later, in December 1963, Baillon sold it to Antione Basson of Paris.

It then spent many years in the world-famous Alfredo Brener Maserati Museum Collection, who was noted as having the finest assortment of rare and custom-coachwork 3500 GTs ever assembled in one location. A decade ago, Maserati enthusiast Kasumoto Sasaki, after lengthy negotiations, was able to specifically hand-pick this particular example out of Brener’s collection.

Towards the end of 2009, serious interest and attention regarding this particular 3500 GT began to be discussed as a result of the Maserati Factory releasing details of their early history and use of the car. Over the next 24 months, negotiations finally resulted in the car becoming available for the first time in more than a decade.

Today, this car shows clearly that it has had excellent care and careful preservation by each of its owners since new. It was repainted some 20 years ago but continues to present well aside from a few minor chips and light scratches. The red leather interior has held up well and is in good condition. The trunk has matching leather in a waffle-stitched pattern. The odometer reads just over 88,000 kilometers.

The car is accompanied by an amazing trove of original assembly records and invoices, compiled by Maserati’s After Sales Director, Sig. George Mauro, and the head of Maserati’s Historical Department, Sig. Fabio Collina. These, along with detailed original ownership, export, import and correspondence documents for the first owners, provided by Maserati historian Walter Bäumer, give a tantalizing glimpse at the car’s first few years of life.

Maserati 3500 GT coupes are increasingly sought after by knowledgeable collectors, especially the early cars which are considered prettier with more hand-built, low-volume features and details. Therefore, this particular one-off car offers the ultimate in rarity and uniqueness—plus it’s exciting yet easy to drive!