Weird Wagons: Maserati Bellagio Fastback

There’s ‘Maserati’ rich, then there’s ‘So rich you’re able to afford a custom coach-built Maserati wagon’ rich.

If you happened to be in the latter category around 2008, you could commission one of these ‘Bellagio’ versions of the Quattroporte sedan. The builder? Touring Superleggera, which – if you follow this series – you’ll remember as the builder of the Bentley Continental Flying Star.

It makes sense as once upon a time the coachbuilder was famous for their design of not just the Aston Martin DB5, but also the Maserati 3500 and 5000 GT.

Only four of these 'Bellagio' wagons were ever built, which makes it extra special that we recently spotted one down in front of Sydney’s Opera House for the final leg of the Maserati Global Gathering’s local tour. It was a UK registered car in a stunning blue colour.

Underneath the Bellagio shares the same mechanicals as the Quattroporte V sedan. That’s a 4.2-litre naturally-aspirated V8 producing 294kW. Touring Superleggera claims the same acceleration figure as the standard sedan of 0-100km/h in 5.2 seconds.

It’s also claimed that the wagon coachwork was inspired by the ‘shooting brake’ hunting car tradition, and as such comes packed with a concealed gun compartment, and dog barrier in the back (for y’know all the hunting and dog wrangling owners of these four cars will ever do…)

More modern features include fully tilting rear seats, champagne refrigerator and glass compartment and 7.0-inch screens on the back of each seat, so you can indulge your inner bond villain.

It maintains the front and rear light fixtures from the standard sedan for better or worse, but the styling touches that are especially eye catching are those 19-inch forged Borrani Bimetal wheels finished to match the bodywork.

Inside, the gloss wood floor work in the boot and across the back seats is a sight to behold, although it still has an air of… aftermarket… about it.

How much for one of the rarest Maseratis in existence? One sold as recently as 2013 at an RM Sotheby’s auction for a mere €117,600 or $141,120 in 2013 Australian dollars. It was a green version once belonging to ex-Ducati president Dr Carlo Bonomi. 

Less than $150k for one of the rarest Maseratis in existence ain’t too bad we reckon. Could be an investment for the buyer.

Do you reckon the Bellagio is something special, or just downright ugly? Tell us what you think in the comments.

This is part of a series on Weird Wagons - see more here:

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Weird Wagons: Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX Wagon
Weird Wagons: Bentley Continetal Flying Star
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