Classic luxury motoring doesn’t get much classier than today’s Nice Price or No Dice Maserati Quattroporte. Some minor repairs are all that is needed to make this big sedan a serious contender. That is if the cost of entry isn’t too high.
If someone ever gives you a task and then attempts to impress upon you the importance of that task by quipping that “failure is not an option,” you have my permission to let them know that failure is always an option. Hell, I’ve found that in most cases it’s the highest likelihood option.
I bring this up because yesterday I attempted to get the vast majority of you to overcome your stigma towards other people’s projects. The object of our exercise was a 1987 Nissan 300ZX that the seller had rebuilt and turned into a turbo while in auto mechanic training school. In the end, my efforts at ennobling other people’s projects failed miserably. So too did the seller’s $13,000 asking price for the 300ZX, which fell in a 76 percent No Dice loss.
So, if you’re not all that keen on driving around in some other schmo’s handy-work, what would you say about doing so in a car in need of your own wrenching skills? Well, wrenching, along with some needle and thread work and a good bit of cutting compound. Let’s find out.
Many luxury car buyers of the ’70s and ’80s were turning away from traditional American luxury brands opting instead for smaller and more efficient European marques. Italy’s Maserati presented a different option, eschewing much of that European ethos with the traditional American approach of ostentation and pillow-soft comfort.
This 1982 Maserati Quattroporte is one of those incongruous cars. On the outside, it features extravagant, square-jawed styling. The look is attributable to Giorgetto Giugiaro and you can see whispers of it in the Hyundai Stellar he penned shortly after doing the big Maserati. That style is accented with plenty of chrome and huge Maserati Trident badges on each C-pillar.
Meanwhile, the Quattroporte’s cabin is covered in buttery-soft leather that’s hand-stitched and complemented by briarwood accents. Befitting the Maserati’s traditional luxury approach, the seats are as over-stuffed as a BarcaLounger and sit in a cabin that offers plenty of room to stretch out.
Mechanicals here includes a 4.9 liter DOHC V8, an engine the Quattroporte shared with the earlier Bora and Khamsin, among other models. When dropped in the Q, the carbureted mill managed a respectable 276 horsepower. That’s mated to a standard three-speed Chrysler Torqueflite automatic.
At the time the Quattroporte Series 3 was being developed, Maserati was owned by Alejandro De Tomaso and he decided to base the car on the existing De Tomaso Longchamp coupe. A sister model, the De Tomaso Deauville, shared the platform but, like the Longchamp, was Ford-powered and was only produced in insanely small numbers.
Maserati built the Quattroporte Series 3 from 1979 through 1990, and over the course of that run, managed to produce a little over 2,100 cars in total. This one, in root beer brown over ruddy leather, looks to be straight and wears handsome original alloy wheels wrapped in meaty — and likely soft-riding — tires. All the important bits appear to be intact, although there are a few flies in the unguent.
As I noted at the outset, the big Q does need some work. The seller says in the ad that the Weber carbs need “adjustment to run right.” That’s generally ad-speak for requiring a full rebuild with new jets and seals.
Another issue noted in the ad is some way past its prime leather in the cabin. That will probably need professional repair to match stitching and color, but won’t really affect the car’s operation. Unmentioned, but obvious from the pictures, is some significant failure of the clear coat on the boot lid and C pillars. Like the interior issues, that’s more aesthetic work, which again could be left alone without really harming the car.
Perhaps the most damning indictment is the seller’s suggestion that a new owner could “use the 4.9L for another project!” That’s hardly a solid endorsement of this car at all. There are 55,792 miles on the clock and while it may be a bit of a project, the car does come with a clear title.
Despite the denouement in the ad, the seller does seem to think there’s some value in this big softy of a Maserati. That value has been set at $5,200, which makes it one of the least expensive Maseratis on the market that’s not actively on fire. Of course, based on what we now know, we’ll need to determine if that’s a reasonable asking or not.
What do you say, is this Maserati worth its $5,200 price tag as it sits? Or, does that price make this car a project that is not worth tackling?
You decide!
San Diego, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Mark Helmuth for the hookup!
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