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Maserati 3500 GT Coupé Touring & Spider Vignale 1958-1964
The first Maserati 3500 GT was introduced at the 1957 Geneva Motor Show as a prototype with a Touring Coupé body (1962 Touring Coupe: photos 1/16 to 7/16). Production started in 1958 and lasted till 1964 for a total of 2.225 units including coupe and spider versions with different body; the great majority was Touring Superleggera coupe. Other body version were made by Allemeno, Frua or Vignale.The Maserati 3500 GT was designed by the engineer Alfieri using a multi-tubular space frame.
The 3500 series marked Maserati’s entry into the true quantity production era after a decade of building short and erratic runs of specialised 2 Litre GT cars. The 3500 was still destined to be a fast and exclusive car but it was also designed to be easier to build in meaningful quantity as well as more durable in service and easier to maintain. Engineer Alfieri based the design around a 3.485 cc. capacity twin camshaft straight six cylinder engine; it was similar to the 250F Grand Prix unit and gave the 3500 GT awesome performance by the standards of the 1950s. The 3500 GT six cylinder used three Weber carburettors and produced 220 hp to 245 hp while later 3500 GTI examples pioneered fuel injection on Italian cars. The Touring body was an absolute classic of the GT car idiom and was a Superleggera construction of steel tubes wrapped with an alloy aluminium outer skin for strength and lightness. The Maserati 3500 GT was a very successful car for Maserati and gave the firm the financial stability it needed to carry over through the 1960s.
The front suspension was independent with coil spring while the rear suspension had a rigid axle with leaf springs. Drum brakes were standard on the first model but disc brakes soon appeared as optional before becoming standard equipment.
In 1959, a spider version was proposed with a shorter wheelbase and body designed by Michelotti for Vignale. The general styling included more generous and protruding rear fenders. The spyder was strictly two seats while the coupe was a 2+2 seats configuration. A hard top was optional on the Vignale spider as shown on the photos 8/16 to 16/16 for a 1960 spyder proposed at Artcurial auction in 2012.
Coupé Touring: wheelbase 2600 mm, Vignale spider 2500 mm weight 1300 kg |
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Wallpapers :Maserati 3500 GT Coupé Touring & Spider Vignale 1958-1964 (click on image to enlarge)
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