1966 Maserati Sebring Series II

Having spent extravagantly on their motor racing program over the years, Maserati's coffers were a little depleted and their survival strategy for the 1960s centered on establishing the company as a volume producer of road cars. The Modena marque's new era began in 1957 with the launch of the Touring-bodied 3500GT. A luxury '2+2', the 3500GT drew on Maserati's competition experience, employing a tubular chassis frame and an engine derived from the Alfieri-designed 350S sports racing car unit of 1956. Suspension was independent at the front by wishbones and coil springs, while at the back there was a conventional live axle/semi-elliptic arrangement. Power output of the twin-cam six was around 220bhp initially, but later examples produced 235bhp on fuel injection. Built on the shorter wheelbase but otherwise similar chassis of the Vignale-bodied 3500GT Spyder, the Sebring 2+2 coupé arrived to much acclaim in 1962, and is now widely considered to be one of the most elegant and understated of the Sixties' Grand Tourers.

This left-hand drive, 1966 Maserati Series II variant looks resplendent in Metallic Silver with a Deep Blue leather interior and is fitted with the classic 3.7-litre engine producing 245bhp delivered through a five-speed gearbox. Being an older restoration, it does not claim to be a 'Concours' car, albeit it's in very fine order, and has patently benefited from more than £40,000 of expenditure in mechanical and cosmetic fettling in recent years and now looks every inch, the purposeful Italian GT. These careful attentions have resulted in a very reliable car which further benefits from modern comforts such as air conditioning which helps encourage regular use.

Delivered new to Paris in 1966, this car subsequently spent many years in Rome, although it is currently UK registered and has been resident here since 1989. Equipped with a number of factory options including a superb set of Borranis, limited-slip differential and the aforementioned air conditioning, this is a matching numbers Maserati with a generous history folder which has covered a, believed genuine, 51,000 kilometres from new.

The Maserati Sebring has always been a favourite of the team here at Silverstone Auctions, and at a relatively modest outlay in comparison to alternative 1960's Italian exotica, we will all be slightly envious of its new owner.