Lot 425: 1972 Maserati Ghibli 4.7 Coupe

Maserati needs no introduction. Already a legendary racing marque before the war, the company turned to the limited production of sports cars for the road in the 1950s. These proved to be highly successful, and manufacture continued throughout the '60s with the company taking credit for some of the most potent and luxurious cars of the era. None upheld this great tradition better than the magnificent Ghibli. Introduced to an enthusiastic public at the Turin Show of 1966, the Ghibli broke with the recent Maserati tradition for conservative designs, instead displaying dramatic, purposeful lines, drawn by none other than Giorgietto Giugiaro whilst still at Ghia's design studio. Under the bonnet was Maserati's magnificent all alloy 4.7 litre, four camshaft V8 engine, derived from the company's sports racing car power plants and mated to a five speed gearbox. Claimed top speed was a not inconsiderable 174mph! At the car's launch in 1966 its competitors were Ferrari's also new 275 GTB and Lamborghini's 400GT. The Ghibli was highly acclaimed, enjoying glowing praise from motoring journalists of the time, a fact not lost on collectors today, with whom the model has become one of Maseratis most sought-after road cars, combining stunning looks and towering performance. Chassis AM115/472474 is finished in yellow with black leather interior and is a fine example of this popular Italian GT car. The vendor advises us that only 11 right-hand drive examples were built with the 4.7 litre engine and this particular example is also fitted with the desirable manual gearbox. There are recent invoices for £15,000 in 2000 detailing a full engine rebuild and other remedial work with renowned Maserati specialist Bill McGrath, while the recorded mileage of 31,000 miles is believed to be correct. This splendid Ghibli is supplied with a V5 registration document and a MoT test certificate valid for 12 months.