Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati are the trifecta of exotic sports cars, each propelled to success by strong personalities. The three trod very different paths, with Maserati and Ferrari involved in racing from the start but Lamborghini eschewing the track to focus on the road. As the collector car world embraced these makes, forcing the value of 1950s and 1960s examples to the stratosphere, the population of daily driver cars has diminished. How many average-quality Ferrari Dinos have you seen in a year’s time? Lamborghini Miuras? Maserati 3500 GTs? Alas, we seem to have a choice of only near-perfect restored specimens, or something like this 1960 Maserati 3500 GT coupe by Touring, found on PostWarClassic.com, with an asking price of $49,800. This car is located in Wylie, Texas with Dennis Collins. Its engine and transmission have gone missing, and what remains of the vehicle requires a complete restoration.

The 3500 GT was introduced in 1957, its development having overcome several obstacles. At the time, Maserati was racing in Formula 1, an expensive and distracting proposition. It didn’t have even the basics engineered for a grand touring car. Furthermore, procuring ancillary components like gauges, axles, and so forth was difficult for the company, which had little clout in the industry thanks to its small-batch production and precarious financial position. Giulio Alfieri – chief engineer at Maserati and the man tasked with creating the GT – stitched together an international compendium of suppliers to bring the car over the finish line: British partners contributed brakes, gauges, suspension and axles; the four- and five-speed transmissions were ZF from Germany; and the US’s Borg and Beck provided the clutch. Like Alfieri, the new owner will rack up a lot of effort tracking down original parts. A matching-numbers engine might be a lost cause, but an enterprising restorer might be able to find another castaway 3500 with at least the correct 3.5-liter in-line six-cylinder motor. Otherwise, there’s always the SBC option. (Did I say that?!)

The glass is missing all the way around. The steering wheel is still present, along with a variety of parts, some of which may be usable. While the car has been garaged for forty years, it did not escape shallow dents in the aluminum bodywork or corrosion of the steel inner structures. The car also comes with certificates from the Maserati archives testifying to the car’s factory options, date of production, and the identity of its first owner. A unique feature is the Borrani disc wheels – usually, we see wires.

The 3500 GT was Maserati’s salvation. It sold enough copies (a whopping 2223) to heal the company’s finances and allow it to persist more or less independently for another couple of decades, bringing forth the Ghibli, the Bora, the Indy, and other models. The mere presence of these enriched the enthusiast ecosystem. Today, Maserati is part of the Stellantis conglomerate, dedicated to electrification by 2025. The salvation of this car could seem folly, or fantastic, depending on your point of view. Where do you stand?