Maserati – Quattroporte AM 121 (1971)

Only two Maserati Quattroportes were built with coachwork by Frua – this prototype and a second car for the Aga Khan. The two cars were based on the Maserati Indy two-door AM121 coupé platform, enlarged by 22 cm to accommodate the four-door saloon. The Quattroporte was powered by the 4.7 litre V8 engine delivering 265 hp, also a carry-over from the Maserati Indy. The Paris Salon de l’Automobile saw the launch of the prototype in October 1971. The large saloon was presented by Juan Manuel Fangio, who won the last of his five Formula 1 world-championship titles driving a Maserati 250F in 1957. The public gave the car a rapturous reception and it was showcased at a number of other motor shows: At the 1972 Monaco Grand Prix, it was presented with the ‘Trophée des Journalistes’ in the run-up to the race. And the sensational machine was again displayed at the Parisian Salon de l’Auto in 1973, before being finally exhibited at the Barcelona Motor Show in 1973 and 1974. The Aga Khan was clearly impressed by the car’s design and beauty and he commissioned a one-of-one Quattroporte for his own use. The Quattroporte prototype was sold after the Barcelona Motor Show in 1974 and registered there in May 1975. The car remained in the Barcelona area under the stewardship of a number of different owners until 1988 when it passed into the hands of Kurt A. Kunti from Alicante. He decided to put the car through a restoration and had it painted in the current colour combination of dark blue with a cream leather interior. In 2000, the Quattroporte found its way to the USA and was sold again to Mr Bruce D. Millner in Los Angeles/California during the summer of 2003. Milner was a collector of one-off Italian automobiles and during his ownership, Quattroporte 002 was united with its Aga Khan sibling car to bring the two Frua-bodied Quattroportes under one roof.