It’s not often you find the words “Maserati” and “hot rod” in the same eBay listing title! But in looking over this engine-less 1985 Maserati Quattroporte sedan here on eBay with a starting bid of $2,500, one can’t help but wonder if this is the best kind of Maser to buy from the Malaise era. These cars originally came with Maserati’s aluminum V8 fed by 4 Weber carbs, and while it likely made some beautiful noises, upkeep on these Italian cruisers put many of them out to pasture at the first hint of trouble. This example is rough cosmetically but said to be solid in all the right places; surprisingly, the leather interior appears to have held up well. This car should either have a Borg-Warner or Chrysler Torque-Flite automatic transmission, so it would seem the possibilities are vast in terms of what V8 will bolt right up. With that massive engine bay to fill, I’d guess you’d have your choice of powerplants! What would you stick in this luxo-barge’s nose?
Well, at least it doesn’t leak oil and the seller is not claiming that a/c needs recharge but I do believe the seller is in la-la land. You can buy these in excellent running condition with good to very good cosmetics around $7k all day long. The saving grace here is that this Qporte can be rodded without the guilty feeling of bastardizing a nice car. If I was going to undertake this project, I’d like to start at $1k for this car….
For his asking price it should have perfect body work and interior. It is a given that it will have mechanical problems.
What’s the matter with finding an original Maserati engine, and restoring it?
Nothing the matter with that, except that going that route will get you upside down in this car in no time at all. Im not a fan to the “SBC Bandaid” but this one of those rare occasions where I would be in favor of doing such a conversion.
This is a parts car. I have owned and followed these since they were new. The 4.7 engine was great but the cars have little value even with it installed. The engines are worth more out of the car than a complete car. The cost of doing anything with this car far outweighs any potential value. Where are you going to find an American engine with 4 overhead cams and webber downdraft carbs…….it is a fantasy. Buy a nice clean running original car for 15K (or less) and get your Maserati fix.
“GOTTA BE THE CHEAPEST MASERATI ON THE PLANET.” ——————————————————————————-
That could be true, but if you tried to make it into a good running, clean, reliable car it could get expensive very quickly. And I don’t think that being able to bolt on Jeep wheels would change that.
This Maserati Engine swap is from the same era but a different model. You may find it interesting!
http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/173204/1985-maserati-biturbo-1uzfe-transplant
That is a junk biturbo………like trying to compare a Vega to a Cadillac…..
By the seller’s logic, my empty bank account is ready for millions of dollars. An amazing opportunity!
Those tasteless generic wheels say all you need to know about this car’s past.
And they already made their money selling the engine and wheels. More interesting in the $700-1000…or less range. Could be cool with a modern, domestic V8 and just about anything but those wheels.