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When it comes to ‘sexiness’ in the world of vintage performance cars Maserati are up there with the best of them. The stylish Italian manufacturer has been producing eye catching cars since 1914.
Although the original company formed by four brothers, Alfieri, Bindo, Carlo, Ettore, and Ernesto Maserati, has now been absorbed by giants Fiat following a succession of owners, in the 1960s the company was still producing beautiful cars with performances to match.
On the race track Maserati were famously associated with Argentinian driver Juan-Manuel Fangio who drove their cars with great success in the 1950s. And, the tradition of speed built by Fangio, was maintained by the company’s production models in general and by the 3500 GT series especially.
By 1963 the Maserati 3500 Sebring was the new car on the block. A fantastically stylish coupe the Sebring was a luxury car with an outstanding performance. A top speed of over 130mph and capable of achieving 0-60mph in just 7.6seconds made this a serious competitor in the vintage performance cars speed stakes.
But the Maserati 3500 Sebring was more than just a speed machine. It truly was a luxury car. With deep upholstery throughout the vehicle was supremely comfortable and very stylish with an impressive looking instrument panel.
Let’s Get Technical
Although nominally a four seat vehicle, the two rear seats were somewhat space starved, but a huge boot (trunk) did make the car perfect for touring and its massive 3485cc six cylinder engine ensured a quick arrival no matter where you were heading! To get a real feel for just what a good looking monster of a car this was, take a look at the specs below.
Vintage Performance Cars Specifications
Maserati 3500 Sebring
Costs – Coupe version £5116 ($8250). Air conditioning available as an extra at £308 ($496)
Engine – Six cylinder 86x100mm 3485cc. Compression ratio 8.5 to 1. 235 bhp at 5500rpm. Lucas fuel injection, double distributor with twin coils firing 12 spark plugs.
Transmission – Single dry plate clutch. Five speed gearbox.
Chassis – Tubular chassis with short steel reinforcement. Independent front suspension with wishbones and helical springs. Rear axle on semi elliptic springs with single torque absorbing radius arm. Anti roll tension bars front and rear. Borrani wire wheels with light alloy rims and three eared knock on hub caps. 185×16 Pirelli tyres.
Equipment – 12 volt lighting and starting with alternator. Speedometer, rev counter, oil pressure, oil temperature, water temperature and fuel gauges. Ammeter, clock, two speed windscreen wipers and washers. Flashing indicators. Headlamp flasher. Heating, demisting and ventilation. Rear window demister. Refrigerated air conditioning available as an extra.
Dimensions – Wheelbase 8’8”. Length 14’8”. Width 5’5”. Weight 1ton 6cwt.
Performance – maximum speed 136mph. Speeds in gears 4th 125mph, 3rd 96mph, 2nd 67mph, 1st 39mph. Standing quarter mile in 16.4 seconds. Acceleration 0-30mph 3.4 seconds, 0-50mph 6.2 seconds, 0-60mph 7.6 seconds, 0-80mph 14.2 seconds, 0-100mph 21.6 seconds, 0-120mph 30 seconds.
Fuel consumption – 14 to 18 mpg.
From looking at the performance results along with all the equipment that came as standard its easy to see why the Maserati 3500 Sebring was hailed as one of the most luxurious of all the vintage performance cars in its heydays the early 1960s.