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22K Original Miles: 1980 Maserati Quattroporte

Like so many other Maserati Quattroportes, this swanky sedan looks like a million bucks but is still a non-runner at the moment, despite having a mere 22,583 miles on the clock. The seller notes it is a recent escapee from an exotic and luxury car collection and was parked due to the owner having drivability issues and deciding the big sedan was better off being parked than kept on the road. The low mileage means the body and interior cosmetics remain in excellent shape, but the next owner will still have the joy of figuring out why it’s not running at the moment. Find the Maserati here on eBay with a $9,800 Buy-It-Now and the option to submit a best offer.

The gold paintwork is totally in fitting with the period in which this luxo-liner was made, and fortunately for the seller, these colors are coming back into vogue after falling out of favor for some time. Still, the color choice alone may not be enough to convince someone to take on this high-end sedan’s revival, as despite its low asking price, there’s still the complexities and materials within that can only be found in a high-dollar vehicle. Restoring a Quattroporte is a true labor of love, as their values are still far lower than the cost to restore a non-running example like this.

I’ve often wondered if the problematic Maseratis of the 1980s would start to see their values perk up, as so many iconic cars and trucks from that era are starting to appreciate nicely. Despite their reputations for unreliability, you still end up with a gorgeous highway cruiser capable of eating up triple-digit speeds with ease if you can find one in running condition. Chances are it’s a fairly minor fault that sidelined this one, but you still wonder if gas was left in the tank and if the brake and fuel lines have turned brittle with age. The interior, thankfully, is in outstanding condition, a big win for the next owner as these opulent cockpits can look downright terrible if left to the elements.

The seller notes the engine still spins freely and that when hooked up to a battery, most of the electronic components come back to life. All fluids are old and will need to be changed, and the seller notes they have decided not to service this example due to prioritizing other vehicles they have in stock. While this Quattroporte’s revival won’t be as straightforward as competitive offerings of the same era from the likes of Mercedes-Benz, the starting point of a low-mileage example with a minty interior and rust-free body certainly presents a compelling argument for attempting to bring this Italian land yacht back to life.

Comments

  1. Avatar angliagt Member

    These are incredible-looking cars,but I’d
    be afraid to buy one now.
    When I worked for Safeway,in 1980,an older
    lady came up to me and said “I have a problem”.
    I replied “Oh,what’s that?”.She said “I can’t get my-
    Maserati started”.Then she said “I like my Accord better”.
    I was curious,so I had to go out to the parking
    lot to see what she called a “Maserati”.I was a little shocked
    to see a new Quattroporte in a medium brown color.Gorgeous car!
    I figured out that the fuel pump wasn’t working.

    Like 10
  2. Avatar txchief

    Tony the mechanic is licking his chops on this one…

    Like 8
  3. Avatar Stangalang

    Beautiful car and gorgeous interior…..I’d rather have the GSI or GTI…seller doesn’t want to change the fluids for good reason

    Like 5
  4. Avatar Mike

    I always thought the interior looked like risen bread dough ready for the oven.

    Like 10
    • Avatar JP

      Put some bread dough-colored seat covers on a ’81 Yugo and you’d have something very similar, but much more reliable…

      Like 4
  5. Avatar SubGothius

    It’s a testament to Giugiaro’s design and proportioning here that it’s hard to tell from photos just how huge these really are. In person, they have real Presence, coming across like an impeccably-groomed Mob enforcer wearing the most rakish Italian designer suit you’ve ever seen — imposing, impressive, and not to be f**ked with.

    The one slightly-off aspect is the too-bulky nose, which apparently wasn’t in the original proposal. DeTomaso wanted a bigger, wider grille as an upscale signifier, so Giugiaro accommodated his client and massaged some details to make it so. The original nose was a bit lower and more tapered, probably more like the later Biturbo, which designer Pierangelo Andreani largely cribbed from the Quattroporte to derive a family resemblance.

    Like 4
  6. Avatar CS

    I think a 3-valve 4.6 and 5R55S swap with a strong inline fuel pump is a good start to the story of how you went bankrupt.

    Like 2
  7. Avatar JP

    “the seller notes they have decided not to service this example due to prioritizing other vehicles they have in stock”

    Yeah, I’m sure that’s the reason. That and the $25k worth of repairs with unobtainium parts it needs…

    Like 1
  8. Avatar SANDY LEA

    Could a GM V8 with automatic transmission be put in? That would make drivability easy! Repairs would be no sweat either.

    Like 1
    • Avatar Doc

      There are VERY few cases where I would agree with the “LS swap” comments, but this is one. It’s a great looking car with awful reliability. I owned a Biturbo years ago. Won’t make that mistake twice!

      Like 1
  9. Avatar gerardfrederick

    As a former Maserati 3500 GT owner I would say hands off unless you are willing to chuck the engine on a trash heap and install a good ole reliable Chevy powerplant. Anything else will result in an empty bank account, countless headaches, a never running right car and sheer misery.

    Like 1
  10. Avatar Greg Millard

    It would make a nice Cigar & Brandy lounge.

    Like 2
  11. Avatar KEVIN

    “if you can find one in running condition”

    Lots of wisdom right there

    Like 1
  12. Avatar CCFisher

    Not sure what Maserati called this interior color, but all I see is lurid orange. It’s like riding around in a cantaloupe.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Beignet at the Beach

      Color translates as ,”baby-poop-brown”

      Like 0
    • Avatar SubGothius

      It’s just the natural color of the leather, hard to tell from photos exactly what it looks like, but having seen these in person, it’s not so lurid, comes across more like a nicely browned biscuit color.

      Like 0
      • Avatar Geoff

        How now Brown Cow?

        Like 0
  13. Avatar Joe Elliott

    I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised by all the dumb engine swap suggestions and guilty-by-association (early Biturbo) prejudices from people who’ve never owned or worked on one. Isn’t the engine half the point of owning one of these? Otherwise it’s just a complex 40-yr-old luxury car for which parts are more expensive than other 40-yr-old luxury cars (and that’s going to be true even with a cheapo engine installed). If you’re frightened by the prospect of multiple camshafts and multiple carburetors under the same hood, maybe you should just stay away, and leave projects like this to people who are willing to change the fluids, sync the carbs, and chase down some corroded electrical connections. (Pro tip: left unmitigated, corroded 40-yr-old wiring is going to leave you stranded by the side of the road even after you invest a bunch of time and money in your cheapo engine swap; the actual engine is almost never the reason cars like this are parked in the first place…)

    Like 2
  14. Avatar Claudio

    It feels like LS fever is about to hit again

    Like 0
  15. Avatar Dlegeai

    ……”cruising at triple digits speed…”……where?

    Like 0
  16. Avatar Harry

    What is Italian for “bottomless pit to throw your money into”?

    Like 0
    • Avatar Claudio

      Ferrari?

      Like 1
  17. Avatar Araknid78

    Ended:Sep 25, 2020 , 12:55PM
    Price:US $9,800.00

    Item location:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    Like 0
  18. Avatar Christopher A. Junker

    The price is a big hurtle as the restoration costs are at least triple. I would hope the three volume repair manual set (one dedicated to electrics) is with the car. I looked at a 3500 GTi and agree, you indeed really needed to know what you were doing. Leno restored one and it wasn’t easy. But the 4 door Quattroporte is stunning as there is nothing else with an interior like it. Wish I had Challenger Deep pockets.

    Like 0

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