Hooniverse Weekend Edition – An Original, 2 Owner 1986 Maserati Quattroporte
Continuing on with our Weekend Edition of the Hooniverse Weekend, with me stumbling around the “Other Makes” category of eBay Motors. This is an unmolested, original 1986 Maserati Quattroporte which is somewhat rare on this side of the Atlantic. Maserati has redeemed itself under the ownership of Ferrari recently, with sedans and coupes that are not only desirable, they are approaching reliability levels that were unheard of when this car was built. So, does this Quattroporte open enough doors for you?
According to the listing:
An unmolested, meticulously maintained and completely original 1986 Maserati Quattroporte.An honest 2-owner car! The second owner acquired the car in 1990 and has lovingly looked after it right up to late this fall when he moved into a home where he could no longer care for it. The owner tells us that throughout his ownership the car has been professionally maintained by a Maserati specialist. Only driven in the nicest weather to an average of just under 3,000 miles a year and carefully stored between, the car remains totally original with only minimal signs of age or wear. The car is currently stored with the collection of the lawyer in charge of the sale of the car.
All of the books are still in the original leather owner’s pouch, all the original tools and related equipment are still in the car and it comes with spare parts including fan belts, head gaskets, etc. (see link to pictures posted on line) The tires seem to be brand new and the car was serviced this past fall.
The car was recently taken for a run, just after the pictures were taken. It starts well, makes no unusual noises, doesn’t smoke, runs extremely well and seemed to have no hidden issues. I’d expect that it could easily been driven as far as one would care to drive it.
On a personal note, I’m amazed by the power it displays, especially considering the size of the car. If you can imagine being in your living room, sitting in an Italian leather arm chair and doing 150 miles an hour, you’ll have some idea of what a Maserati Quattroporte is all about! I believe you’d have a hard time finding a better Quattroporte of this vintage in any nicer colors. Only 2,100 Maserati Quattroporte III’s were produced between 1979 and 1989.
This listing has over None days to go, and the current bid is only at $3,220 as of this writing with an unmet reserve. The car shows 62,000 miles, which I believe is kind of high for a high-strung Italian car, but i could be wrong. So what would you do with this Quattroporte? See the listing here.
Related posts:
- Hooniverse Cars of Neiman Marcus Weekend – 2005 Maserati Quattroporte
- Hooniverse Weekend Edition – An Original Iso Rivolta IR 300 on eBay.
- Hooniverse Low-Mileage Weekend Edition – A 1958 Goggomobil TS400 Coupe with only 457 Original Miles!
- Hooniverse Weekend Edition – Is this really a One Owner, Low Mileage Pinto?
- Hooniverse Weekend Edition: Twin Maserati Boras at Concorso Italiano 2010
That's the nicest 1964 Chrysler I've ever seem. Seriously, the Quattroporte is a gorgeous and imposing car. But, oh Lord, what a money pit it would be, and having it move under its own power would provide little relief. In 1982, the US EPA gave the Maser an average estimated mileage rating of 8 mpg. Not city – average. Gack. Even Rolls-Royce did better.
That looks just like a sister car I spotted a while back down by the Boot Hill Saloon.
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7025/6739295651_2186e0e62b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="85 maseratifr">
Beautiful, but just like a boat, OP (other people's) Quattroportes are the best ones.
I had to make sure it was on the other side of the country before proceeding, had this been local I would have to lock myself in a box until the auction was over. I also missed the part about 'reserve not met', which is another layer of safety, as the seller probably wants a reasonable amount of money for it. Reasonable being an amount several times what I have available.
What was I going to say? Oh right, this is my favourite generation of Quattroporte (love the orange leather).
Also, for no reason here is a picture of a Volkswagen Santana/Passat:
<img src="http://www.histomobile.com/histomob/internet/73/526601.jpg" width=500>
No reason!
Yes, I'm insane, but I've always loved the Quattroporte III. I love the styling, the over-the-top interior, and the looks of the alloy wheels. I'd have to win two lotteries to afford to drive it.
Good car. Good price. Dash is a little dull, but handsome overall. If I had a garage, and a line of credit, I'd be all over this.
I really need to get my Biturbo back on the road.
The phrase most commonly heard amongst Biturbo owners.
They seem like they'd be delightful, when they aren't broken or burning. I looked at a couple a while back, but none of them could actually start or drive.
I cannot explain why, but I've always lusted after this Quattroporte. I've seen only two, both in Dallas, TX, both beautiful, and seeing both caused neck strain when I swung around to look at them.
Then again, in Dallas (80's), I'd also seen a Renault R5 (think the psycho Le Car), a late-80's Bentley Turbo R (ironically, at a gas station), and some other unusual machines.
I'd like to bring this one to Fort Worth and revel in single-digit MPG…again. I've been there, 8 MPG, city or highway, and even with a 27.5 gallon fuel tank, you stop quite often.
Also, the six, not four, ancillary gauges are really appealing. I wonder if one is "distance till walking"….
Finally, a hammer being part of the tool kit is priceless! I like to think of it as 'percussive maintenance'. Others call it me tapping, then hitting things. Meh.
It's funny you mention Dallas, because one I remember seeing was at Andrew's Restaurant in Addison (this was in the '80s).
Ah, Andrew's.
Addison is still the nice restaurant/bar refuge for north Dallas.
I'm in Fort Worth, now, so it's not a problem.
/oddTXliquorlaws
There was one of these on eBay a few years back with a Ford 4.6 swapped in. I know it's sacrilegious, but…
i suppose i should also mention the hideous two-tone paint job and shiny-ass wheels, but it wasn't "donked" so it was all undo-able.
That is some sweet, sweet action. I heart QP IIIs. There's one in town that spends an inordinate amount of time at the local mechanics.
Oh yeah, I've sat in one. The seats are as soft as they look.
Looks remarkably like what a Volvo 780 sedan would look like, if one existed.
It would be fun to see if simultaneously keeping five 780s in perfect running order would cost as much as one Quattroporte.
Except that you'd need a few non-running 780s to keep those 5 in order, thus adding to the entry cost.
It's mighty tempting – it's a remarkably charismatic car for something so boxy. I blame the seats that look like an old couch I had.
I also found out I used to work across the road from where this car was sold, although I presume it ceased to be a Maserati dealer around the time they pulled out of the North American market (and the dealer had folded and was in the process of turning into a condo development – shocking, shockingI say! for downtown Toronto).
I never liked the rear wheel arches on these cars. It reminds me too much of the awkward half arches on the Caprice in the early 90's. Plus, the interior color is kinda orange and not very pleasing to the eye. I don't often say this but I prefer the Biturbo to this car. Sometimes the Italians are given too much credit when it comes to style and to me this generation of Quattroporte is one of those times.
So you prefer cars inspired by the BMW 320i rather than this?
<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3461/3892476775_93be02c617.jpg" width=500>
First the Iso Rivolta and now this. Luckily they are on the wrong side of the Atlantic as I more or less share BlackIce_GTS's thoughts about this one. There's at least one QP III around here, and I hope it will never be for sale.
Comes with a spare head gasket? Is that supposed to be the factor that seals the deal? For those folks that always travel in luxury sedans with spare head gaskets?
Too bad these things are such a Pandora's box of unreliability. Such a beautiful box, you almost want to open it anyway. At least the owner was kind enough to tell us that there's a spare head gasket in the box.
That, unfortunately, says it all about this car. I would love to have one- I really do like the styling. And if the car was a project and came with a spare engine or whatever, that's understandable. But offering a new head gasket on a driver is like telling the buyer "don't get too comfortable with actually driving this- you're going to have the engine apart in no time."
" and has lovingly looked after it right up to late this fall when he moved into a home where he could no longer care for it. " That new home being the poor-house, and this Maser having finished her work is now looking for her next sucker.
Thank God that thing is in Canada and is right at the limit of what I can spend on a car without the wife frowning.
The mileage is actually a good thing, if it's been put on steadily through the years.
The siren song…. So tempting, but almost guaranteed to make you suffer.
Amazing how our brains work! Every ounce of my body knows that this car is a bad decision, yet it's also full of WANT!
". . . tempting, but almost guaranteed to make you suffer."
And to somehow trick you into thinking you enjoy it.
Oof. The odometer's broken. Well, at least the trip odometer is broken. Either that, or he just happened to reset it the instant before taking this driving photo. <img src="http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac81/rmwoodside/1986%20Maserati%20Quattroporte/IMG_0952.jpg" width="500">
Take a look at the entire photobucket. You'll probably never again find that many QPIII photos in one place. (192!)
At first I was like, "wait! he said 62,000 miles!"
Then I was like, "oh…"
I remember seeing two of these in real life. The first was at an auction that could best be described as an estate sale for a pimp (LONG story). That one wasn't running and had a huge rusted hole in the middle of the hood, maybe from a carb fire. The other one sat at a strange repair shop/private collection across the street from where I work. I never saw that one run, but it was kept company by a decrepit Bricklin among other oddities.