The Maserati 3500 GT was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 1957 and was tasked with rescuing the company, which at that time was facing significant financial difficulties that forced its withdrawal from racing. The original brief for the car was to produce a fast GT that would be both exciting to drive and comfortable and practical for daily use. As the car was bodied by Touring and built in Milan using their Superleggera light-alloy process, these aims were achieved. These stunning-looking coupés were a hit with celebrities, and notable owners of this car included Prince Rainier III of Monaco and actors Tony Curtis, Rock Hudson, and Anthony Quinn.

Between 1961 and 1964, those cars produced were equipped with a ZF five-speed manual transmission, which replaced the four-speed used earlier. The GTi model arrived in 1962, with the “i” signifying the use of Lucas fuel injection.

The Maserati 3500 GTi offered here was delivered new in 1963 to Italian industrialist Sig. Gianvico Saccardo, of Schio, near Vicenza, Italy. Gianvico and his brother, Gianluigi, were collectors of vintage vehicles in Italy, and they founded the Monza Italian Bugatti Register in 1963. The car was subsequently exported to New England, in the United States, where it spent most of its life. Its second owner is believed to be Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., the former Massachusetts Senator and 1960 Republican Vice Presidential Candidate, who owned the car for at least 10 years, until his death in 1985. It is thought that he probably imported the car into the U.S.A. from Italy, where he served occasionally as a U.S. envoy to the Holy See in Rome between 1970 and 1977.

Three subsequent owners followed before the car was acquired by a lawyer in the U.S., who undertook a comprehensive restoration by Spencer Restorations, of Natick, Massachusetts. This process was completed in 2003, and during this time, the car was subjected to a bare-metal re-spray and mechanical rebuild and received a leather interior, carpets and headlining, Borrani wire wheels, a stainless steel exhaust, and polished stainless steel bumpers and trim. In recognition of the quality of its restoration, this 3500 GTi won Best Maserati in Show at the Lars Anderson Tutto Italiano meet in Massachusetts on each occasion it was entered following its restoration.

Since then, and under the vendor’s ownership in the UK, the earlier restoration has been extended to include all its mechanical and electrical parts, including the engine, transmission, brakes, suspension, and electrical motors, and it received a complete rewiring, with all of this work costing an additional £76,000. The UK re-freshening was undertaken by two specialist companies, Prestige Restoration and CGP Auto Engineers. This desirable ZF five-speed model displays just 53,000 kilometres on the odometer and is equipped with three Weber 42 DCOE carburettors, which is a common upgrade for the original and problematic fuel-injection system.

The car is offered with all U.S. and UK restoration invoices, a Maserati Certificate of Origin, and copies of the original factory documentation. It would make for a stunning addition to a collection comprised of only the finest examples.