VIN: Aga Khan IV's Maserati 5000 GT chassis 060
/ Ben Tyer
HISTORY OF CHASSIS 060
Chassis 060 was one of two late production examples of the Maserati 5000 GT that received coachwork by Frua of Turin. It was commissioned by 25 year old Paris-domiciled Shah Karim al-Husayni, better known as Aga Khan IV, 49th Imam of the Nizari Ismailis.
Al Husayni ascended to the role of Aga Khan IV on July 11th 1957 when he succeeded his grandfather while stlll a 20 year old university student. His grandfather, Aga Khan III, bypassed Al Husayni’s father, Prince Aly Khan, and his uncle and fellow motoring enthusiast, Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, who were in direct line to succession as Aga Khan III was convinced it was in the best interests of the Nizari Ismaili community that he should be succeeded by a young man brought up in the new age.
Aga Khan IV ordered chassis 060 after the French Maserati distributor, Jean Thepenier, had loaned him the first Frua-bodied 5000 GT (chassis 048) during the spring of 1962. Aga Khan IV was so impressed he ordered his own example on May 24th.
Whereas chassis 048 was painted Oro Chiaro (gold), Aga Khan IV’s example was finished in Savidin Peombra, a deep metallic grey with hints of purple and pink. Inside, chassis 060 was upholstered in beige leather with a black dashboard.
The two cars also differed from one another in terms of their cockpit layout. Instead of electric window switches on the doors, 060’s were located on the central control panel. A radio was mounted where 048’s clock resided alongside an array of flick switches mounted on a chrome panel. 060’s clock was moved to the right-hand side of the speedometer and the voltmeter was positioned on the left so an oil temperature gauge could be housed in the main instrument binnacle. A Philips record player was located in front of the passenger instead of a glovebox. The transmission tunnel was home to a fully gaitered gear lever, an ashtray and a custom armrest complete with concealed storage box and grab handle. A passenger-side headrest was another unique feature.
Chassis 060 was delivered to Thepenier on August 8th 1962 and Aga Khan IV took delivery soon afterwards.
The car returned to Maserati in February 1963 when a 10,000km service was carried out and the original 16-inch diameter wheels were switched to 15-inch items to improve the ride quality. It was back in Modena for another service during August 1966, at which point the odometer showed 22,000km.
Chassis 060 subsequently disappeared from view for around three decades. The Frua-bodied car emerged again in the mid 1990s, by which time it had been exported to USA.
Since then 060 has been restored to its original condition and received a second in class award at the 1999 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Maserati - https://maserati.com
A litany of beautiful and successful Maserati sports racing cars were produced during the 1950s with among the most highly regarded having been the second generation A6 GCS of which 52…
Conceived as a more affordable model that could sell in far greater numbers than Maseratis of the past, the Biturbo came to exemplify Alejandro de Tomaso’s time in charge of Il Tridente.
In an austere post-World War 2 environment, Maserati, which from 1947 came under total control of the Orsi family, had to get serious about building a potentially lucrative line of road cars. The firm had…
As the pre-eminent force in Wedge design, it was unsurprising that Maserati commissioned Bertone to style its front-engined Grand Tourer for the 1970s which came to be known as the Khamsin. Under…
Around four years after Ghibli production had started, Maserati replaced the model’s original 4.7-litre V8 with a 4.9-litre unit thus creating the Ghibli SS. The SS engine engine was enlarged thanks a…
Since the Wedge era, Carozzeria Zagato has embraced a largely unconventional design language that frequently divides opinion. However, although the Milan coachbuilder has always demonstrated…
Up until the late 1950s, Maserati’s road car division was focused on low volume coachbuilt models that did not generate sufficient income to cover the firm’s expensive Formula 1 and Sports car racing…
For 1962, the World Sportscar Championship was split into two categories: the International Championship for GT Manufacturers and the Coupe des Sports. In addition, the calendar was…
Boasting a top speed of 170mph+ and a $21,500 price tag, it was the most powerful and most expensive Italian supercar you could buy new in 1962. Most people have never seen one – hardly…
A few months after Citroen took control of Maserati in January 1968, the Italian firm began work on a two-seat mid-engined flagship; it would be the first road-going Maserati to adopt this exciting…
Thanks to radical new concealed headlights, the avant-garde Maserati Ghibli cut a real dash compared to its original two-seat GT rival: the more classically-styled Ferrari 275 GTB/4. Deliveries…
To style the body and interior for its new front-engined Grand Tourer that would effectively replace the outgoing Ghibli and Mexico, Maserati turned to Bertone, a design studio at the height of its…
Despite having been conceived strictly as a road car, in late 1972 Maserati’s French distributor, Jean Thepenier, commissioned a Group 4 racing version of the mid-engined Bora with which to contest…
Unlike the more numerous Touring-styled 3500 GT Coupe, Maserati’s open top variant of the theme was based on a short wheelbase chassis with coachwork by Vignale. In typical Vignale…
Following on from the original A6 GCS which since 1947 had proven an enormously successful mount for the popular under two-litre Sports car class, Maserati produced an improved Series 2…
Maserati unveiled its first true wedge-profiled production car, the Khamsin, at the Paris Motor Show in October 1973. Impressively, chief Bertone stylist, Marcello Gandini, had incorporated all…
Although the Touring-bodied 3500 GT and GTi ranked as arguably the most handsome 2+2 Grand Tourers on offer during the late 1950s and early 1960s, Maserati elected to commission Carrozzeria…
Two and a half years after the original Merak had been launched (at the Paris Motor Show in October 1972), Maserati unveiled a much-improved version to replace it. Dubbed the Merak SS…
Having exclusively produced cars for competition use since 1926, Maserati decided to expand into the lucrative market for road-going passenger vehicles following the conclusion of World War 2.
When it debuted in prototype form at the Turin Motor Show in October 1966, there was nothing on the market to compare with Maserati’s new Tipo 115 Ghibli. Styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro over at…
Having assumed full control of Maserati in May 1993 (following the acquisition of an initial 49% stake in December 1989), Fiat sold 50% of the Modena-based company to Ferrari (another Fiat subsidiary)…
Soon after the Ferrari Enzo had been launched, parent company Fiat gave the green light for a GT1 racing version to be developed. However, instead of being badged as a Ferrari, the new machine…
Launched at the Paris Motor Show in October 1954, the A6G/54 was Maserati’s Grand Touring version of the second generation A6GCS sports racing car (often dubbed the A6GCS/53) which had proven…
Chassis 048 was the first of two Maserati 5000 GTs equipped with coachwork by Frua. Although not officially signed off until June 18th 1962, chassis 048 was completed in time to go on display at…
Chassis 060 was one of two late production examples of the Maserati 5000 GT that received coachwork by Frua of Turin. It was commissioned by 25 year old Paris-domiciled Shah Karim al…
Launched at the Turin Motor Show in October 1966, the Maserati Tipo 115 Ghibli was a rakish two-seat Coupe styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Ghia. Under the skin it was very much in the traditional…
The 3500 GT (Tipo 101) was born as a result of a realisation that Maserati finally had to get serious about building a production model that could be sold in the high hundreds or even thousands.
Buyers for super high end Grand Tourers in the early 1960s needed to look only in one place: Italy. Between them, bitter rivals Ferrari and Maserati had the market for truly customisable 160mph-plus…
In its first full season of competition (2005), Maserati’s MC12 secured both the FIA GT Manufacturers’ and Teams’ titles. Of the four FIA GT Championship races that fell to the MC12 in 2005, undoubtedly…
In a similar fashion to the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR which was a sports racing version of the W196 Formula 1 car, Maserati’s 300 S was heavily derived from the fabled 250F. Built around a tubular…