Maserati 3700 GTI Coupé

The Maserati 3700 GTI, chassis AM 101/10.004, was a unique one-off designed by Pietro Frua in 1965. Built on the Maserati Sebring platform with a modified body from the Maserati Mistral, the car combined elements of both models to create a striking and elegant grand tourer. Originally delivered in May 1965 through Auto König in Munich, the car was first owned by Werner Ruppertzhoven, a supplier of machine tools to Maserati, who registered it in Düsseldorf under the license plate D-HJ 464. The car was initially painted gold metallic with a black leather interior, but it was later repainted yellow. In August 1969, Ruppertzhoven traded the car in for a Ferrari 365 GT 2+2 at Auto Becker in Düsseldorf, after which it was put into storage. By March 1971, the car was listed for sale in Auto Motor Sport for 14,500 DM. In the early 1970s, it was purchased by Hans Hamer from Kassel, and in 1975, it changed hands again, going to Wolfgang Knieling, who registered it with the license plate KS-CC 211. By November 1975, the car had been taken off the road with 62,234 km on the odometer, and over the following years, it underwent an extensive restoration. The chrome parts were re-plated, the underbody, engine bay, and trunk were refinished, and it was repainted in its original silver-green metallic color. In the 1990s, the car appeared on the market multiple times, with reports in Motor Klassik and classified ads in Oldtimer-Markt. Though offers as high as 3.5 million DM were rumored, the car remained unsold. By the early 2000s, it was still in Knieling’s possession, and while it was technically complete, it was not in running condition due to an intentionally disabled clutch and brake system, as well as a misadjusted Lucas fuel injection system to prevent theft. In 2003, the car was listed for sale online with a minimum bid of 350,000 euros, and by 2014, Knieling was reportedly willing to consider offers starting at three million euros. Mechanically, the car featured a front-mounted 3.7-liter inline-six engine with dual overhead camshafts, a seven-bearing crankshaft, and Lucas mechanical fuel injection, producing 245 horsepower at 5,500 rpm. Power was transmitted through a ZF five-speed gearbox to the rear wheels, and the car was capable of reaching a top speed of 245 km/h. It had a steel tubular frame with aluminum doors and hoods, and its suspension combined independent front double wishbones with a leaf-sprung solid rear axle. Despite its rarity and striking design, the Maserati 3700 GTI remained a one-off prototype, never entering series production. Its unique status and elegant styling by Frua, along with its connection to Maserati’s high-performance grand touring heritage, have made it a sought-after and enigmatic piece of automotive history.