The Maserati Sebring was a two-door 2+2
coupé
A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors.
The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...
manufactured by
Maserati
Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...
from 1962 until 1968. Based on the
Maserati 3500
The Maserati 3500 GT (''Tipo 101'') and the Maserati 3500 GT Spyder (''Tipo 101/C'') are 2-door coupé and convertible grand tourers made by Italian car manufacturer Maserati between 1957 and 1964. It was a seminal vehicle for Maserati as the comp ...
, the Sebring was aimed at the American
Gran Turismo market and named after Maserati's 1957 racing victory at the
12 Hours of Sebring
The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, on the site of the former Hendricks Army Airfield World War II air base in Sebring, Florida, US. The event is the second round ...
. A single two-seat
spyder
The SPYDER ("Surface-to-air Python and Derby") is an Israeli short and medium range mobile air defence system developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems with assistance from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). Rafael is the prime contractor an ...
was built by Vignale in 1963 but did not enter production.
History
Series I
The Series I (Tipo AM 101/S) was shown at
Salon International de l'Auto
The Geneva International Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon is organised by the ...
1962 and again at the ''
Salone dell'automobile di Torino
The Turin Motor Show ( it, Salone dell'Automobile di Torino) was an auto show held annually in Turin, Italy. The first official show took place between 21 and 24 April 1900, at the Castle of Valentino, becoming a permanent fixture in Turin from 1 ...
'' in 1963.
Employing all but the
Maserati 3500
The Maserati 3500 GT (''Tipo 101'') and the Maserati 3500 GT Spyder (''Tipo 101/C'') are 2-door coupé and convertible grand tourers made by Italian car manufacturer Maserati between 1957 and 1964. It was a seminal vehicle for Maserati as the comp ...
's coachwork, it could reach and 0–60 mph (97 km/h) in 8.5 seconds on 185x16
Pirelli Cinturato The Pirelli Cinturato is a Pirelli-developed car tyre that was the first example of a wrap-around radial tyre structure. It was used to good effect in motorsport, and most modern tyres are based upon the design. The five-times Formula One World C ...
tyres.
A Borg-Warner
automatic transmission
An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving c ...
was available as an option, When leaving the factory it originally fitted
Pirelli Cinturato The Pirelli Cinturato is a Pirelli-developed car tyre that was the first example of a wrap-around radial tyre structure. It was used to good effect in motorsport, and most modern tyres are based upon the design. The five-times Formula One World C ...
205VR15 tyres (CN72). A total of 348 Series I Sebrings were built between 1962 and 1965.
The engine was updated in 1963, gaining 15PS for a total of . The 3700 engine first appeared in 1964, although only a handful of Series I cars were thus equipped.
Series II
![Paris - RM auctions - 20150204 - Maserati Sebring 3700 GT Series II - 1967 005](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Paris_-_RM_auctions_-_20150204_-_Maserati_Sebring_3700_GT_Series_II_-_1967_005.jpg)
In 1965, the modified Series II (Tipo AM 101/10) was introduced. It had lightly redesigned headlamps, modernized bumpers, new turn signals in front, and new side grilles replacing the lower extraction vents used hitherto.
[ Tabucchi, p. 248] It took minor design cues from the contemporary
Quattroporte
The Maserati Quattroporte () is a four-door full-size luxury sports sedan produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati. The name translated from Italian means "four doors". The car is currently in its sixth generation, with the first g ...
. At the rear, aside from the squared off bumpers, the taillights were now mounted horizontally rather than vertically and the bootlid opening was narrowed somewhat. The Series II rode on larger 205x15
Pirelli Cinturato The Pirelli Cinturato is a Pirelli-developed car tyre that was the first example of a wrap-around radial tyre structure. It was used to good effect in motorsport, and most modern tyres are based upon the design. The five-times Formula One World C ...
s. A run of 247 units were made from 1964 until 1968. Along with the 3500 engine, the 3700 (lengthened stroke which enlarged it to 3,694 cc (245 cubic inches)) and the even larger 4000 were added.
The 4000 GTiS has a 4,012 cc engine producing at 5,200 rpm. It remained in production until 1968, when financial constraints forced Maserati to drop its older models from production. No major updates took place over the last three years of production, except for a slight power gain for the 4000, now up to .
It is believed that around 446 Sebrings were made in total from 1962 to 1969, with 348 units of the Sebring 3.5
and an estimated 98 of the 3.7 and 4.0 (combined). Anecdotal evidence related that according to the practice of marking interior panels and wood fitted pieces, the actual model number was only written in yellow grease marker on the rear surfaces of the interior bodywork. Evidence from assumed number 69 reveals parts with number “69 di 96” suggesting only 96 models were produced making them the rarest of the series 2 cars produced.
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English broadcaster, journalist, game show host and writer who specialises in Driving, motoring. He is best known for the motoring programmes ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), Top Gear'' an ...
named the Sebring as #77 on his Top 100 Cars list.
References
External links
maserati-alfieri.co.ukon the Sebring (archived page)
offers a chassis number analysis
offers a Maserati Sebring database
Sebring - First series official websiteSebring - Second Series official website
{{Maserati early timeline
Maserati vehicles, Sebring
Maserati Sebring
The Maserati Sebring was a two-door 2+2 coupé manufactured by Maserati from 1962 until 1968. Based on the Maserati 3500, the Sebring was aimed at the American Gran Turismo market and named after Maserati's 1957 racing victory at the 12 Hou ...
Maserati Sebring
The Maserati Sebring was a two-door 2+2 coupé manufactured by Maserati from 1962 until 1968. Based on the Maserati 3500, the Sebring was aimed at the American Gran Turismo market and named after Maserati's 1957 racing victory at the 12 Hou ...
Cars introduced in 1962