Maserati 3500 and Maserati Sebring Touring Cars

In 1957 Maserati introduced the Maserati 3500.  This was Maserati’s first attempt at a touring car.  Up to that time Maserati had been a company that built race cars, but they were losing money.  In 1958 Maserati got out of the racing business in order to stay financially viable.

Maserati 3500

The engine in the Maserati 3500 was based on the highly successful 3-litre six-cylinder engine that was used in the Maserati 300S except that it had a larger bore and stroke.  The Maserati 300S engine had a bore of 84mm and a stroke of 90mm for a displacement of 2,991cc, while the enlarged Maserati 3500 engine had a bore of 86mm and a stroke of 100mm for a displacement of 3,485cc.  The 300S engine produced 260 horsepower at 6,500 rpm, while the road-going Maserati 3500 produced 240 horsepower at 5,500 rpm.

The Maserati 3500 Has The Optional Wire Wheels

The Maserati 3500 was available in both a coupe and a roadster or Spyder versions.  The roadsters were built by Vignale on tubular chassis.  For the first few years the Maserati 3500 had a four-speed transmission, but in 1960 a 5-speed transmission became an option and finally standard in 1961.

Maserati 3500 Spyder

The Maserati 3500 had a top speed of about 140 miles per hour and could accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 8.1 seconds.

The Maserati 3500 Engine Has Twin Overhead Camshafts And Three Twin-Barrel Carburetors

In 1962 the successor to the Maserati 3500, the Maserati Sebring was introduced.  The Maserati 3500 continued to be available until 1964 and the Maserati Sebring was available until 1966.

Maserati Sebring Has Quad Headlights

The main visual difference between the Maserati 3500 and the Maserati Sebring is the presence of four headlights on the Sebring compared to two headlights on the 3500.  In my opinion the two headlights look of the Maserati 3500 is much better than the Maserati Sebring.

The Maserati Sebring Has Working Air Vents Behind The Front Wheels

In 1965 Maserati introduced a Series II Sebring model that had hooded headlights.  The Maserati Sebring shown in this post does not have the hooded headlights which means that it must be a 1962 – 1964 Series I model.  The Maserati Sebring Series II had 3694cc 6-cylinder engine producing 255 horsepower and some of the last Maserati Sebring Series II cars produced in 1966 had an even larger 4014cc engine which produced the same 255 horsepower, but with incrementally more torque.

The Tailights Were Changed To A Horizontal Layout

From 1962 to 1966 Maserati sold a total of 446 Maserati Sebrings.  Of this total 348 were Series I models and 98 Series II models. I do not know how many of these cars were sold in the United States, but Maserati did not have a large commercial presence in the USA at that time.  For example, in 1962 Maserati had only four dealers in the USA.  In 1962 the Maserati Sebring’s Port of Entry (P.O.E.) price was $12,300 for the roadster.  In 1966, the Maserati Sebring Series II 2+2 coupe had a P.O.E. price of $12,800.  For comparison, at that time, a 1966 Mercedes-Benz 230SL 2-place coupe had a P.O.E. price of $6,343 and a MGB had a P.O.E. price of $2,607.

The Maserati Sebring Was Only Available As A 2+2 Coupe

The Maserati Sebring Series I coupe shown below has a time-of-day clock and two stopwatches.  This suggests that this car has taken part in a car rally at some point.  The interior of this car is very functional and attractive.

Nice Dashboard (Note The Three Aftermarket Rally Watches)

I remember talking to the owner of the Maserati 3500 in Newport, Rhode Island and I mentioned to him that it was nice to see some older Maseratis and I recall that he said to me: “Anybody can collect Ferraris, but it takes a real car guy to have a Maserati.”