Risky Bid-Ness: 1980 Maserati Quattroporte
There is a chance that any car featured on this website will end up as a wallet draining pile of junk…that is indeed the risk we take as buyers/sellers/drivers of used and depreciated classics. But there is no car as CERTAIN to raid your wallet as this next car. There is no way you could even get this thing home to your garage before something costing serious bucks goes seriously wrong. But that is okay…because it’d be worth it. Because even somebody daily driving a 70s Saab is lightweight compared to anyone who has the willingness and the audacity/cojones/guts to drive something like an 80 Maser. Find this 1980 Maserati Quattroporte offered for $9,800 in Philadelphia, PA via eBay. Tip from Rock On!
From the seller;
This 1980 Maserati Quattroporte has been sitting since the early to mid 1990s. It belonged to a collector of exotics and at some point the car was having “drivability” issues and was parked. It was parked inside and as you can tell from the exterior and interior photos it is still in excellent condition. We only did a quick cleaning of the car and not an extensive detailing. The car does not run or drive.
The paint looks all original and I think a good detail guy could bring it back to life. There are some some small scratches and dings but nothing significant. All the trim is intact and looks good. The wheels look dull, but again a good detail person could bring back some shine. The only rust I can find on the car is at the bottom of the rear window between the chrome trim and the body. The underside looks excellent. All the the seals and window gaskets look good with nothing dried out or shrunken.
The interior of this car is beautiful and does not look like it has been exposed to harsh sun or use. The seats are an indicator that the car is truly low mileage. The dash which is often weathered on these cars, is almost perfect. The car obviously spent its’ life sitting in a garage.
We were going to do a full servicing of the car, but with a dozen other cars waiting to be serviced, we made the decision to sell this Maserati as is. The motor does turn freely, but all the fluids are old. I did put a booster box on the battery and most things came slowly back to life. The driver’s side rear window does not work.
Here are more photos: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1YPk3G77S0hJWtUNmDTPCENPzfciTQkTR?usp=sharing
Hagerty puts the range from $7700 for a fair car to $23k for an excellent car. The mileage and condition of this car are excellent, but its’ dormant state is fair. The car is sold as is. But please do not hesitate to message me with any questions or concerns, and feel free to make an offer.
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Exactly the kind of thing I would buy if I didn’t have guardrails. Horrid color but I dig it. Great wheels.
I always thought the name was hilarious. Not four valves… four *doors*. Woohoo! Sí, sí, certamente, I drive a Maserati Four Door.
Why not drop an LT-1 in there, bada bing?
A GM motor swap will only eliminate one problem from a list of problems longer than Santa’s naughty/nice list. The only person who should buy this car is an old Italian mechanic with patience. But I’m with you on the wheels.
I love the old adage about how exotic cars are designed to be driven from Point A to Point A. This one really ups the ante as something that is clearly best suited for skipping the middleman and hanging around Point A.
This is what a can of worms looks like before it gets opened. This car is waving more red flags than a communist parade. The fact that it’s been sitting for nearly 30 years and that the seller has decided to not even attempt an oil change tells you everything you need to know.
I have a personal connection with these Maseratis because my grandfather bought one new in 1983 and used it as a daily driver for years. He must have been insane. But when running right, these can be glorious.
His had this same interior, but was cream-colored on the outside. You sink into the seats and visibility is questionable. These cars are huuuuge. He was a short guy so I don’t know how he was able to drive it. It barely fit anywhere. It looks just like the tiny Biturbo, but is about double the size.
Sometime in the very late 1980s/early 1990s he sold it (probably around the same time this car was parked for “drivability issues”) because… you guessed it, constant trips to the shop for various repairs. I was sad to see it go away, but he wasn’t.
The very first car I had was a 1960 Maserati 3500 T convertible that I got in 1970. It cost all of $2000, but needed tires which in 1970 were unobtanium. The only tires we could find to fit it that were speed and weight rated were in stock at the Aston Martin dealer. So much for it being cheap.
The engine never gave us a problem at all. It was an amazing thing put together like an airplane engine with no oil gaskets, just a piece of string dipped in Permatex.
Everything else was a different matter entirely. The worst thing was the enormous appetite for clutch throwout bearings. The procedure was to remove the radiator and the drive shaft, pull the engine and transmission forward a few inches, remove the head from the engine then rotate the engine, unbolt the transmission move it forward a couple more inches, remove the interior of the car, take the transmission out through the interior exposing the clutch and throwout bearing. I’m leaving a lot out so it wasn’t as simple as I’m making it sound. It had a manual that was written out in pencil in Italian, but the Italians that saw it were pretty sure the person who wrote it was Swiss.
I had wanted to buy a 1932 Rolls Royce hearse that had been advertised locally but my parents were concerned that it would be impractical even though I wanted to convert it to a delivery van, so the Maserati became the daily driver. That car was truly amazing but didn’t seem like the thing to take to college in upstate NY so I bought a VW and after loaning it to a friend for a couple of years my parents sold it for $2000 without asking me .
Anyway, the engine in this is massively overbuilt and probably will not be a problem
“The very first car I had was a 1960 Maserati 3500 T convertible”
Mic drop.
The rest of us just stare at our feet and shuffle.
I did know an older machinist from a few decades ago (the kind of guy who would clamp his thumb under a drill press and use a #10 bit to relieve the pressing building up under a busted thumbnail) that might have had you beaten for first car cool factor – he had a 1969 Chevrolet Corvette L88 ZL-1 as his first car. That is the all alloy 427ci V8 rated at 430 horsepower, but ACTUALLY put out 580 horsepower. According to Ted the Machinst, that thing would do 160MPH indicated with only a short stretch of highway and various magazines indicate a 11.2 second 1/4 at 127mph — so yes 2019 Challenger Hellcat times in 1969. Anyway, Ted bought it in 1972ish for $2500, drove it threw a few sets of tires and underpants, and sold it for $2500 in 1974.
Could only find this one photo of you…
https://www.imcdb.org/i384040.jpg
At about 16 I talked my folks into helping me buy an 85 BiTurbo (about 1992-93). JFC I can’t believe my folks let me part with the $3200. It was about as fast as a Mustang GT of that era. The repair manual cost me over $100, IIRC $150 and was a photocopied mess. Shortly after buying it, the fuse block melted, my dad is a world class solderer so he was able to repair it (Electrical diagrams were pricey too). It lasted about 2500 miles before it blew a turbo and damaged some valves and cups they used for lifters. We had an AA mechanic neighbor rebuilding a 68/9 Road Runner help me rebuild the engine and machine a couple of unobtainium engine bits. Got it back together and never got it started (can’t remember why). Hauled it to Austin to try and sell it a couple of years later and my ex’s aunt stole it from me (legally, long story and honestly they might have done me a favor). The moral of the story is holy moly don’t buy one unless as stated above you’re an old Italian mechanic with patience.