This rare Touring bodied Maserati 5000 GT will set temperatures soaring in Arizona this January

Twice the price of the already beautiful 3500, the 5000 was the ultimate Maserati and just 34 were built by a handful of coachbuilders. Three of those were by Touring and you can bid on this one with Gooding & Company.

Introduced in 1959, the 5000 GT was a worthy rival to Ferrari's exotic Superamerica line. In all, Maserati built just 34 examples of the 5000 GT, which were clothed in elegant, custom coachwork by eight Italian coachbuilders including Allemano, Pinin Farina, Frua, Bertone, and Ghia Touring as the example here. These Maseratis retailled for twice the price of a contemporary 3500 GT, and attracted an elite clientele that included the Shah of Iran, Briggs Cunningham, Gianni Agnelli, and Karim Aga Khan.

Chassis AM103.010, is the last of three cars to receive coachwork by Touring. The three Touring-bodied 5000 GTs included a distinctive frontal treatment that referenced the company's famous 250F Grand Prix cars. First displayed at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1960, this car was then modified and shown again that year at the Torino Motor Show in November. It remained in Maserati ownership through 1961, during which time it was used to test an experimental 3.8-liter V-8 engine.

This example offered by Gooding and Company this January was eventually sold to a member of the Orsi family and equipped with the conventional Tipo 103 Lucas fuel-injected five-liter V-8. In 1965, the 5000 GT was again returned to Maserati, where it was rebuilt to special order for Prince Abdel Majid bin-Saud of Saudi Arabia.

Under its current ownership, a high-quality restoration was started with the aim of returning the car to its configuration as sold by Maserati in 1961, including a repaint in Azzurro Vincennes with black leather upholstery. Presented in partially restored condition, this car offers a unique opportunity to acquire an important Maserati, complete its restoration, and debut it on the concours circuit.