The Maserati 3500 GT, from the 1960s, is one of the most recognizable Italian GT car shapes of the era, primarily because it was styled by people who were genuinely passionate about car design. The car used a 3.5-liter straight-six, which when fitted with Webber carbs put out about 220hp, at 5,000 rpm.
However, there was also a GTi version of the car, and as you may have guessed, the ‘i’ does stand for fuel injection. Jay Leno and his crew recently completed a great example of a 3500 GTi, after a lengthy and difficult restoration.
His car was a barn find, which thankfully had little or no corrosion on the body, which actually didn’t look that bad, even at the time of its discovery. Still, the car did have some problems, mainly with its engine.
The GTi version of the 3500 featured a Lucas fuel injection system from England, which upped the power to 235 hp – it was the main source of headaches for the people who worked on it, as the engine in Jay’s car was idling far too high, at around 1,800 rpm.
It would have been simpler to replace the system with the more conventional carburetors, but in the end, the injection system was fixed and kept. It also received an upgraded radiator, an alternator in place of the old generator unit, as well as revised brakes and new wire wheels, which go great with the car.
Check out the video below, in order to get the complete picture, while you admire the shapes of this classic 1960s grand tourer.
By Andrei Nedelea
VIDEO