Welcome to my blog. I’m an ‘occasional weekend hobby mechanic’ who happened upon a very interesting car, the Maserati Quattroporte III.
This is a really fascinating car, as it has (for it’s time) a bold, striking design – as Enrico’s Maserati Website describes it, “Giugiaro’s classic styling gave the Quattroporte III the visual concept of strength and speed”. It’s rather large and imposing, and has a jewel of an engine – the tipo 107 all-aluminum DOC 4.9l V8, derived from the racing engine originally designed for the 450S, and used in a range of Maserati’s GT cars through the 60’s – 80’s. The interior is all top quality leather (about a herd of cows’ worth) and discretely contrasting birds eye maple wood trim. Other interesting details include fully independent suspension with a Jaguar style rear subframe with inboard disc brakes and 4 Weber 42DCNF carburetors feeding the dual-overhead cam engine.
One other distinguishing feature of the Quattroporte III is that it was the last of the hand-built Maseratis, and marked the transition to the mass-produced BiTurbo models that followed (and which loosely followed the overall style of the QP3). In many ways the QP3 marked the end of an era for Maserati.
This blog is both a way for me to keep an overview over the work done and needing to be done, as well as a forum to share what I learn and hopefully learn from others along the way.
Comments and criticism are encouraged.
All content and pictures copyright [email protected], all rights reserved.
I just bought a one owner non-running QP III today with 31K on it. I look forward to reading these pages and writing you if need be…..thanks Tom in Massachsetts
Hi Tom,
I’d love to hear about your progress and see some pictures of your car. Have you set up a blog or discussion thread anywhere?
I have nothing to post as of yet about my car. It seems to be typical of these cars being that mine doesn’t run , was purchased brand new by the person that I got it from, spent most of its life in a garage (it has 31,000 miles on it) and was about to be sent to the junkyard when I ran into it. Right now I’m rebuilding the weber carbs and that’s a challenge for several reasons (complete varnish inside each one and difficulty finding replacement parts) but I’m getting there. I am thoroughly enjoying your site and its really sad that these cars just seem to get junked and not restored like yours……….I’ll be watching…..thanks again Tom
You know, I have some thoughts about that.
Regardless of what one may think of Maserati’s choices as far as market and models go (De Tomaso was at the helm and had his ideas of what the company needed and what it’s customers needed), the QP3 was intended to continue the GT tradition IMHO.
It’s not supposed to be a sports car, the Khamsin filled that role. The Bora and Merak (creations from the Citroen era) were still available, the QP2 was shelved. The QP3 was intended as a luxury cruiser, roomy enough for a family (or mafioso meeting) yet with excellent handling and power to spare. The QP3 competed with Mercedes, Rolls Royce and the like, not Ferrari or Lamborghini – Maserati had other models that were aimed at those markets.
From my point of view, a 2 seater sports car is certainly cool, but what do you do with your family? There’s something really nice about being able to have a 4 (or 5) seater with room for everyone and performance to spare. It’s low key, doesn’t attract a lot of attention, yet is at the same time obviously something out of the ordinary. It’s also family friendly (important for me). Last but not least, it’s important to remember that this car was hand built, and the last Maserati that was produced in the old way. When the BiTurbo appeared, Maserati had moved to mass production (for them, still very limited compared to f.x. BMW or Mercedes).
Thanks again for your comments, and keep at it to bring your car back to life! They were made to be driven, and don’t take well to sitting long periods of non use. The more that are crushed, the more the remaining examples rise in value…
I can put up a few links with parts resources, if it’s something people would like to see… Weber rebuild kits (diaphragms, gaskets and washers) should be easy to source.
Can anyone provide advice about the potential interchange between the QP3 and Jaguar rear shocks (and if any modifications are needed)? Thanks.
[email protected]
Hai Tom,
Brought a qpIII , 2 months ago
Non running bit rough us spec beast.
don’t have a Dutch MOT yet.. i’m getting it ready for the road.. carbs rebuild tortionbars overhauld, breaks, lights… etc…it’s a procces!
Nice to read your blog! Hope to get there some day.. thanks!