2004 Maserati 4200 GT Coupe

First registered in March 2004 by HR Owen of South Kensington, this Maserati Coupé 4200 GT, with the desirable manual transmission and Skyhook suspension, spent the first few years of its life in North West London before heading out west to the Bristol area and then Melksham in Wiltshire before moving to Lincolnshire in 2009 where it stayed (on and off the road) for around a decade.

It was bought at auction by the current owner, from north Oxfordshire, in March 2019. He’s done very little with the car since, and hardly driven it, save for getting it through another MOT and replacing the front tyres.

Although he purposely sought out and bought a manual 4200, he owns other cars and found that he hasn’t had the time to drive it. So he’s looking to pass it on to someone who will take it out and use it as it needs to be used.

The exterior of this Maserati is painted in what is fast becoming a resurgent colour for sports cars. It’s called “Verde Goodwood” and is a beautifully iridescent metallic finish which really sparkles when the sun catches the flakes.

Whilst the bodywork appears straight and undamaged, and the paintwork is largely solid, there are numerous stone chips across the front of the car, some chipped and peeling paint on the front bumper and a few light scuffs on the rear corners.

The emblems of the C-pillar Tridents and front wing V8 badges introduced on this model are all present and correct, as are the bonnet badge, grille Trident and rear Maserati script. What are not correct, and these days might well attract the wrong kind of attention, are the italicised registration numbers.

The Coupé sits on the OEM 18-inch 15-spoke alloy wheels, which have been painted black (originally silver) and are badly pockmarked. The fronts were fitted with GT Radial Sport Active tyres last year and the rears have Falken FK452 high performance rubber from 2011.

Inside the car, the dark green exterior is complemented by the tan leather upholstery and trim. The Trident-embossed front seats are heated and electrically adjusted (although the driver side is apparently not working) and are in a reasonable to good condition with a light patina and creasing from use, especially on the driver’s side as you would expect, where there’s also a worn patch on the side bolster.

There’s a mix of tan and black across the door trims and dash board, which avoids awkward reflections of the lighter colour in the windscreen. The steering wheel looks good, with none of the baggy airbag problems that many of these and their predecessors can suffer from.

However, one thing this car has succumbed to - like many turn of the century Italian cars - is the “sticky button syndrome” across the rubberised plastic controls and fittings. The stereo appears to be the car’s original Blaupunkt unit - with sat nav, phone prep and the 5-stack CD changer in the boot.

There is slight damage to the driver’s door trim around the speaker and at some point it would seem that the centre armrest in the rear got a little damp and suffered from mildew. The sand coloured carpets and fitted overmats are a little soiled but otherwise intact and the beige headlining appears clean and taut.

The engine bay looks neat and tidy, with a traditional crackle finish on the red cam covers and the gold inlet manifold. Despite the lack of servicing of late, everything appears in good order and certainly the engine runs well. The bonnet lid itself and its linings and surrounds seem to be damage free.

Underneath the car, everything is much as you would expect. Whilst there is road dirt covering most surfaces and components there doesn’t appear to be anything significant in the way of rust or damage, aside from the usual light scrapes on the sump protector tray (that’s what it’s there for after all).

Inside the boot (opened from a button in the glove box in case like many you’re stumped), the carpet and linings look reasonably clean and intact. The CD multi-changer unit is installed into one side wall, the battery in the other and under the floor is the original (and complete) tool kit and tyre inflation kit. There are just the tiniest hints of rust in the drainage channels around the boot opening.

The 4200 has a current MOT valid until August 2021, which it passed with advisories on the brake discs and front tyres (since replaced). The online history shows 10 tests since its first required MOT in 2007, indicating that the car spent a few years off the road 2012-13 and 2017-18.

The recorded test mileages also show that the car has been barely driven in the last 10 years, covering only just over 1,200 miles.

The history file contains the factory Certificate of Conformity and a handful of expired MOT reports and invoices indicating work done and parts purchased. Two sets of keys and fobs and the original owner’s manuals and service booklet also come with the car and indicate annual servicing early in its life but only one stamp since - although it is complete for mileage intervals:

Aug 2004 - 6,185 - HR Owen London

Aug 2005 - 18,779 - HR Owen London

Aug 2006 - 31,470 - HR Owen London

Jul 2015 - 50,354 - Graypaul Nottingham

One of the invoices from 2009 is for air and oil filters which would indicate self-servicing by the 4th owner but that is the only one and there is nothing since 2015, so we would suggest that the car is due a service based on elapsed time and lack of use.

When the car arrived we noticed a few things however, the vendor returned and had them put right; the the hand brake now works, the driver’s electric seat works again and the sticky fuel cap button pops it open whenever asked!

The Maserati Coupé is a beautiful-looking car and, although this example doesn’t appear to have been especially well looked after, the Ferrari-derived V8 engine idles and runs well and is, according to the vendor, “bloody quick”!

Asking prices for these early noughties Masers have most certainly bottomed out over the last 5-10 years for all but the special edition variants, which are now going rapidly the other way. Interest in the standard models is starting to pick up so maybe it’s only a matter of time before the regular 4200 gets its turn.

Regardless, we think that bagging this slightly down-at-heel semi-exotic Italian for an estimated £8,000 to £12,000 is amazingly good value. Yes there are some cosmetic jobs to do and potentially a few electrical or mechanical tasks that may not be especially cheap, but you are getting a pseudo-Ferrari here for what might be described as “Dacia dosh”.

Viewing is always encouraged, within Govt. guidelines of course, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.