- Key Highlights
- The Full Story: Royal Ambition, Racing Power, Italian Artistry
- Technical and Historical Specification Table
- From Limousine Glory to Dusty Neglect
- Why It’s a True Automotive Treasure
- The Saga of Auctions and Collectors
Classic car history is filled with tales of glory, neglect, and remarkable rediscovery—but almost none as dramatic as that of the Shah of Iran’s uniquely commissioned Maserati 5000 GT. Once the pinnacle of European automotive luxury and royal taste, this rare coupe traversed from monarchy to desert scrapyard in Saudi Arabia, only to resurface decades later and captivate global collectors.
Key Highlights
Custom-ordered Maserati 5000 GT built specifically for the Shah of Iran in the late 1950s, featuring a specially tuned V8 racing engine and body by Italy’s Touring Superleggera.
Engine: 5.0-liter V8, originally from Maserati’s 450S racer, producing approximately 325–340 hp—making it one of the world’s fastest and most exclusive coupes of its time.
Only 34 examples made worldwide. The Shah’s car—chassis 002 or “Shah of Persia”—became the template for a model legendary for its power and rarity.
The car passed to a wealthy Saudi collector in the 1970s, then languished, neglected, and came close to being destroyed as scrap.
Family intervention barely saved it from the crusher; eventually, it went to international auction unrestored for $533,000—its post-restoration value forecast to break $1 million.
Significant unrestored features survive: original paint, hand-signed interior by the Ghia design studio, and rare technical details making it an ultimate collector’s prize.
The Full Story: Royal Ambition, Racing Power, Italian Artistry
In the late 1950s, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, was determined to own the world’s most spectacular and powerful road car. Already a fan of Maserati’s 3500 GT, he challenged the Italian marque to build him something singular: a luxury grand tourer with the heart of a top-tier racing car. Maserati’s Giulio Alfieri responded by merging the 3500 GT’s sophisticated chassis with a detuned 450S race V8, then had Touring Superleggera craft a unique aluminum body.
The result—first named the “Shah of Persia”—delivered 325–340 hp, nearly 280 km/h top speed, and refinement rivaling any luxury limousine. The car debuted at the 1959 Turin Motor Show and quickly caught the eye of other wealthy collectors, prompting Maserati to build 33 more, each coachbuilt and custom finished.
Technical and Historical Specification Table
From Limousine Glory to Dusty Neglect
Exported to Saudi Arabia in the 1970s, the Shah’s 5000 GT was owned briefly by a prominent local collector before being parked for years in harsh desert conditions. As the car’s significance faded from local memory, it faced imminent scrapping as “abandoned junk.” Only a last-minute save by the owner’s family rescued it for auction, where worldwide media and Maserati collectors rediscovered its unique pedigree and unrestored charm.
Why It’s a True Automotive Treasure
What sets this 5000 GT apart isn’t just its mechanical brilliance or one-off design; it’s the intersection of royal glamour, race-bred engineering, and design artistry. Surviving with most original finishes, equipment, and signatures, its rarity and colorful history make it an icon of both automotive and Middle Eastern luxury history. Restored, its value could easily surpass $1 million thanks to collector demand.
The Saga of Auctions and Collectors
Despite years of exposure and neglect, the Maserati’s unique components, signed Italian coachwork, and limited production stirred intense interest at auction. Such cars are now seen as both long-term investments and centerpieces for classic concours globally, and their stories add immense value to any collector’s portfolio.
The Shah of Iran’s Maserati 5000 GT is more than just a lost-and-found supercar—it’s a lesson in the unpredictable journeys of the world’s most exclusive machines: from palatial garages to near oblivion, then to new stardom in the world’s most prestigious auctions. For car lovers and historians alike, it is a dazzling collector’s cautionary tale and a Middle Eastern automotive legend reborn.
