Car Highlights
- Maserati’s “Car for Kings”; One of Only 34 Examples Built
- Built to Order for His Highness the Aga Khan IV with Bespoke Features Including a Philips 45 RPM Record Player
- Presented in Original Penombra Metallizzato (Metallic Twilight) over Beige Chiaro
- Well-Documented Provenance; Extensive File Includes Copies of Maserati Records
Technical Specs
- 4,953 CC DOHC Twin-Plug V-8 Engine
- Lucas Mechanical Fuel Injection
- 325 BHP at 5,500 RPM
- 5-Speed Manual ZF Gearbox
- 4-Wheel Servo-Assisted Girling Disc Brakes
- Front Independent Coil-Spring Suspension with Telescopic Dampers
- Rear Live Axle with Semi-Elliptical Leaf Springs and Telescopic Dampers
Background
In November 1958, Iran’s Shah Reza Pahlavi met Maserati boss Adolfo Orsi and engineer Giulio Alfieri with a singular request: a road car befitting a king. His brief combined the elegance of the 3500 GT with the brute force of the 450S V-8 racer. Maserati accepted, creating the Tipo 103—better known as the extraordinary 5000 GT.
Its heart was a five-liter V-8 with twin overhead camshafts, hemispherical combustion chambers, and twin-spark ignition. Early cars used detuned 450S engines, later refined for high-speed touring with quieter timing chains and Lucas mechanical fuel injection. A strengthened 3500 GT chassis, ZF gearbox, racing-style clutch, and four-wheel disc brakes endowed the 5000 GT with performance approaching 150 mph, paired with rare civility.
From 1960 to 1965, just 34 examples were built, each clothed by Italy’s leading coachbuilders, including Allemano, Touring, Ghia, Pininfarina, and Frua. With a bare chassis costing around $14,000, the car attracted royalty and industrial titans—Gianni Agnelli, Briggs Cunningham, and King Saud among them. It was the ultimate grand tourer of its age.
One of the most distinguished owners was the Aga Khan IV, who commissioned his own Frua-bodied example in 1962. Chassis AM103.060 was finished in Penombra Metallizzato, a shifting metallic gray-blue-violet, with a Beige Chiaro leather interior. Frua’s design echoed its Geneva show predecessor but added bespoke luxuries, including a Philips record player, wire wheels, a limited-slip differential, and lavish brightwork.
Invoiced at $21,500—far exceeding contemporary Aston Martins and Ferraris—the car was delivered in August 1962 and registered in Switzerland. After early European use, it spent years in storage before passing through the hands of prominent collectors in the United States, Japan, and Europe. A meticulous restoration in the late 1990s returned it to its original colors, leading to appearances at Pebble Beach, Chantilly, and The Quail, with multiple concours awards.
Today, AM103.060 remains one of the most elegant and exclusive 5000 GTs built. More than six decades on, it stands as the definitive expression of Maserati’s golden era: aristocratic, mechanically exotic, and commissioned for one of the world’s most influential patrons.
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