Finding a rare, exotic car hidden away in a barn or garage is what a lot of us are dreaming about. Seeing the ad and looking at the photos over and over again and then trying to see if it makes financial sense. Not to mention making sense with our spouse which is sometimes the biggest hurdle. This is one of those cars for a lot of us, it’s a 1968 Maserati Quattroporte and it’s listed here on eBay in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The seller has it listed for $28,900 in Canadian funds, which is $23,000 in US dollars or you can make an offer.
I can’t imagine opening a garage door and seeing a car like this Quattroporte sitting there. It isn’t exactly a car that you can run to the corner parts store and get gaskets or air filters or almost any of those things for it, but just think of how it’ll look when it’s done. Showing it to your friends, cruising around on weekends, maybe even taking it to car shows. But first, the financial and spousal hurdles have to be overcome. Not necessarily in that order. While it looks almost like bare aluminum panels, this car was originally silver with a black interior since the day it left Italy.
The Quattroporte was introduced in 1963 and this example is a Quattroporte I Series II car, made from 1966 until 1969. The next-generation of this grand touring sedan would be quite different, more square, and not as sexy, in my opinion. The early cars such as this one are probably more desirable but they’re also much more valuable. Nice examples usually go for $75,000 or more but if a person can do a lot of the work themselves on this one, this could be a fun project.
The seller says that this incredible car, which you can see has a 5-speed manual transmission, was owned by the previous owner for 35 years. It started out in Rome, then went to Canada via New York. The last owner started to restore it but as is often the case, and we’ve all been there, something happened and it got pushed aside and sat for decades. The current seller bought it to restore but the same thing happened, and it’s for sale again. I can’t imagine that this would be as “easy” as restoring a 1962 Ford Falcon or something like that, maybe that’s the reason? Who knows.
You can see the beautiful interior, this was quite a car in 1963 and it still is today. It was the fastest four-door car in its day and no, they didn’t make a two-door version as the name means four-doors. The back seat appears to need about as much work as the front of the cabin does so this won’t be an inexpensive restoration. The seller does mention some rust but they don’t know if there is a lot as they haven’t taken up the carpet. The underside looks solid and the trunk is filled with a few things so it’s hard to tell the condition, but you can see the dual gas tanks in there.
The seller says that this is Maserati’s 4,136 cc V8, sometimes referred to as a 4.1L and sometimes as a 4.2L. With around 260 horsepower it’s not exactly in the same league as a 2021 Maserati Quattroporte, but that’s not the point of owning a vintage car, as we all know. There was also a 4.7L V8 available at this time. They say that this engine turns over and the carb linkages all work and that’s a good sign. Have any of you owned or restored an exotic car such as this Quattroporte?
That design has Frua all over it. You can see it in the rear of the car. Just like a old Fulvia or Graz.
Cool little twin cam hemi! Too bad its a 4 snoore
it’s a V8
The Sebring is the 2 door version of this.
Like the front end a lot : the back end however , reminds me of a Yugo…. hate to say it , if I found this in a garage , and had the money , it would get a custom rear re-do and a drop in Chevy motor and transmission … maybe….
Please don’t cousin f+*k a car like that.
Look’s like someone already did !
Love the front, the back looks like a volvo- but I’d leave it alone to keep it original. I also love the Daimler SP250- kind of like the ugly step child that you can’t help but love 😇. Lots of cars I’d customize, but it’s hard to go back to original
Interesting car , that Daimler SP250 is .. it has that catfish look upfront ….the rear end would actually look good with the front end of Maserati ! I appreciate the fact that Maserati’s are an “Upscale” European car with a limited number made , but regardless of that , they are not known to be terribly reliable and expensive to maintain . There is a reason that car has sat there like that all these years one would think . I’ll give you it is not My 1926 Model T Speedster or any Model T , of which there were 15,000,000 made ……
The Sebring was a six cylinder car derived from the original 3500GT. The closest two door Maserati was the Mexico, which actually used the underpinnings of the series II QP as the basis. The QP(1) was the first of the production V8 Maseratis, following the very rare 5000GT series. My QP3 and Bora still used a 4.9L version of this type 107 engine. I would love to have a QP1, but I have too many unfinished projects already!
Piss on those overpriced Fastbacks, this is a gem just waiting for the right lover to bring it back to life even in a patina look with all the mechanicals in perfect running order, but as we know, a full concourse would be the right way to fly. Good luck to the new owner.
This would be an interesting project. And a beautiful car when finished.
I had a similar Maser QP from 1966, but in dark blue. I had it only a short time, until I realized the work that lay ahead for me, as the entire wiring harness had “smoked”. This was in the mid 1980s when they were not yet valuable.
Is this the version with the De Dion rear end and the inboard disc brakes?
The most beautiful thing on this car is that dash. Every gauge needed, and right in front where God intended. That alone makes it worth the cost of admission.
Hi
is this still for sale ?