This is a 1979 Maserati 330 Ricarrozata Berlinetta that is said to have been coachbuilt by Autotechnica de Lario (ATL) into an elegant hardtop sports car influenced by cars like the A6GCS/53 and the 450S.
There is some mystery surrounding this car, and no one seems quite certain of its provenance. It was built on a Maserati Quattroporte III 4200 type 330 chassis, first registered in 1979, and it has an FFSA certificate confirming these details.
Fast Facts – The Maserati 330 Ricarrozata By ATL
- The car shown in this article is the subject of no small amount of mystery, it’s said to have been built by Autotechnica de Lario (ATL) on a Maserati Quattroporte III 4200 type 330 chassis and then debuted in 1979.
- Autotechnica de Lario (ATL) was a small-scale Italian coachbuilder based in Mandello del Lario, Italy – also the home of Moto Guzzi. ATL was founded by Ercole Zuccoli in 1969 and initially produced a line of fiberglass-bodied, VW Beetle-based beach buggies similar to the Meyers Manx.
- A series of other cars are attributed to ATL that are far more interesting than simple beach buggy clones. It’s believed that eight examples of the Alfa Romeo 1900 Speciale by ATL were built, was well as the car shown in this article, the Maserati 330 Ricarrozata Berlinetta By ATL.
- There has been some debate about these cars and their creation, the one thing no one can deny is that they’re beautifully designed. One example of the Alfa Romeo 1900 Speciale by ATL was displayed at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering in 2016 and later sold for $341,000 USD.
Autotechnica de Lario (ATL)
Autotechnica de Lario (ATL) was founded in 1969 by Ercole Zuccoli in Mandello del Lario, Italy – also the home of venerable Italian motorcycle manufacturer Moto Guzzi. Initially, ATL manufactured a series of beach buggies that took obvious influence from the Meyers Manx – they were based on a shortened VW Beetle chassis and had a fiberglass body bolted to the top.
There can be little argument that this car is beautiful, and it bears more than a passing resemblance to the Alfa Romeo 1900 Speciale, also by ATL.
As the 1970s progressed things got a little more interesting, the company is credited with creating a line of almost impossibly beautiful cars starting with a series of eight examples of the Alfa Romeo 1900 Speciale by ATL.
The Maserati 330 Ricarrozata By ATL Shown Here
Later in the 1970s, ATL is said to have taken a Maserati Quattroporte III 4200 type 330 chassis, possibly at the behest of Maserati themselves, and created a completely new body that was influenced by the great Maseratis of the 1950s and 1960s, in particular the Pininfarina-designed A6GCS/53 and the Zagato-designed 450S.
It’s important to note that this car is no replica, it’s its own unique design, though there is clearly some influence from these formative Pininfarina and Zagato designs.
The Quattroporte III that this car is based on is a four-door sedan with a steel body and a front-mounted 4.2 liter V8 sending power to the rear wheels. This 90º V8 was advanced for the time, with double overhead cams per bank, producing 255 bhp at 6,000 rpm.
This car has all aluminum bodywork, which will be significantly lighter than the steel panels used on the original Quattroporte III, and it’s finished with tan leather bucket seats, a suede-lined dashboard, and a wood-rimmed steering wheel.
The interior of the car is finished in such the same way as Italy’s great GT cars from the late 1950s and early 1960s, with just enough in the way of comfort for cross-Continental journeys.
The elegant design of the car is sure to win it fans on sight, the side profile is somewhat similar to the Alfa Romeo 1900 Speciale by ATL, though some familial resemblance is to be expected. It has a split windscreen, which with its own wiper, a concave grill, a discreet hood scoop, and headlights tucked in behind aerodynamic clear covers.
In the rear you’ll find a small trunk for luggage and there’s a rear shelf behind the seats with quilted leather upholstery for additional bags. Though the car is perhaps a little too spartan to be considered a grand tourer, it could fulfill the function if the driver didn’t require too many luxuries.
The auction listing for this car notes that it was first registered in 1979 which would make a lot of sense, as this is the year that the Quattroporte III debuted. There are a few historical points of contention however, like the fact that ATL is said to have ceased operations in 1976 and thus they couldn’t have built a car on a chassis that didn’t arrive until 1979.
There is some documentation with the car including those registration documents showing first registration in 1979, as well as an FFSA certificate confirming the same details, and an FIA certificate dated 19th of January 2023.
The car is listed as having the desirable 5-speed manual transmission and just 5 kilometers on the odometer, or approximately 3.1 miles, which is obviously very low for a 45 year old car.
It is possible that the vehicle was built in 1979 and then kept tucked away in private ownership until recently, though it has to be said it’s possible that it was built much more recently on a 1979 Quattroporte III platform. If this latter explanation is true then there should be some concern with the lack of transparency surrounding the car’s origins.
Power is provided by the Maserati 4.2 liter 90º V8 with double overhead cams per bank producing 255 bhp at 6,000 rpm.
Whatever the story behind this car the one thing we can all agree on is that it’s beautiful, and it looks like a lot of fun to drive. If you have any additional information you can shed any light on this mystery Maserati’s origins or confirm the story laid out in the listing we would love to hear from you – it’s not often we come across a car like this that is so hard to research due to a lack of publicly available information.
The car is now being offered for sale on Car & Classic out of Limbrug, Belgium and bidding is due to start in a matter of a few hours. If you would like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Car & Classic
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
