1985 Maserati Quattroporte Euro

The Quattroporte was Maserati's attempt to steal the ultimate luxury car crown from Mercedes-Benz in the eighties. It almost worked. The body was designed by none other than the legendary Giugiaro and the engine was an large and powerful V8. The car looked more modern and edgy than anything Mercedes was putting out, too, but was just as luxuriously appointed on the inside.

There were actually two previous generations of Quattroporte before this one debuted in 1979 and continued until 1990, resulting in a mere 2,155 units being produced, making this a rarity. It was conceived after the company's takeover by Alejandro de Tomaso (of the De Tomaso Pantera), and while not a success with that low volume number, did leave an impression in the minds of many, especially after it appeared in movies and on tv shows as the bad guy's ride.

Giugiaro's body is classic, and fits into his impressive portfolio of clean straight lines and hard edges. The thick and sloping c-pillar was no doubt influential and is especially seen on today's cars as they get more and more windswept back and over.

Underneath the hood was either a 4,136 cc V8 producing 238-255 horsepower, or a larger 4,930 unit that produced 280 hp, very healthy for the time and still respectable today.

Adding to this example's rare factor is that it's a Euro-spec version, with shorter and lighter bumpers, headlight washers and other small but good changes.

The seller says the bought it 4 years ago when it had only 32k miles and are now reporting it has 42k. They say it needs some time to warm up but always starts and the Chrysler transmission shifts well. The do mention the blower doesn't fully work, it needs new trunk shocks, and the a/c doesn't work any longer.

Cosmetically, they said it was repainted in the original color but needs weather striping on all the doors.

For the appreciative eye, this is a rare example of a rare car and seems to be overall well kept and enjoyed. With some tlc it could be ready to hit the Italian exotics circuit in no time.

Available here on ebay in Henrico, Virginia with no reserve bidding at $4,173.