Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
1959 Maserati 5000 GT ‘Shah of Persia’ by Touring · chassis AM103.002
Photo details
Joyride serves the 1280 × 803 Commons JPEG derivative byte-for-byte. No crop, resize, retouching, generation or vehicle reconstruction; a responsive frame may crop displayed edges.
Photo details
Joyride serves the 960 × 1380 Commons JPEG derivative byte-for-byte. No crop, resize, retouching or generation; a responsive frame may crop displayed edges. Pahlavi appears at left and Johnson at right. This identification portrait remains separate from the Maserati photograph.
The royal request that became a new Maserati
- Connection
- Commissioning customer · former owner
- When
- Requested late 1958 · completed in 1959
- Identity
- Individual Touring-bodied Maserati 5000 GT · chassis AM103.002 · first ‘Shah of Persia’ commission · distinct from Turin show car AM103.004
Maserati dates the beginning of this commission to late 1958, when Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, then Shah of Iran, tested a 3500 GT and asked for greater performance. Technical director Giulio Alfieri concluded that fulfilling the request required a complete redesign. The AM103 project continued through 1959, and Maserati explicitly describes the result as a new car rather than a customization.
The first car was chassis AM103.002, with Touring bodywork and the ‘Shah of Persia’ name attached to its commissioning customer. Underneath, Maserati used a V8 derived from the 450S racing engine, enlarged to 4,937.8 cc and rated at 325 hp, with a tubular frame and four-speed gearbox. Those specifications belong to this first 1959 configuration; Maserati records revised displacement, output and other details from 1960.
The 5000 GT later became a tiny coachbuilt family of 34 cars, but the blue car photographed at the Maserati centenary exhibition is the individual Shah commission, AM103.002. It is not the nearly identical AM103.004 shown at the 1959 Turin Motor Show, and one photographed car does not stand in for every later 5000 GT or coachbuilder. Joyride does not identify the car’s present owner or custodian or claim untouched 1959 condition.
Where the car went next
- Late 1958A faster Maserati requested
Maserati says the Shah tested a 3500 GT, liked it and asked for more performance.
- 1959AM103 becomes a new car
Giulio Alfieri’s team developed a substantially redesigned V8 grand tourer rather than simply customizing a 3500 GT.
- 1959AM103.002 completed for the Shah
Touring clothed the first commissioned car, chassis AM103.002, whose ‘Shah of Persia’ identity must not be confused with Turin show car AM103.004.
- 1959–1964A 34-car family follows
Maserati records 34 5000 GTs with several coachbuilders; only three used the first special Touring version.
- July 17, 2014The actual car is photographed
Herranderssvensson photographed AM103.002 at the Maserati centenary exhibition at Museo Enzo Ferrari under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
Sources for this story
Maserati’s official history documents the Shah’s request, the AM103 redesign, first Touring body, model nickname, early specification and 34-car production total. Sotheby’s 2005 Maranello catalogue identifies the Shah car as AM103.002, while the Commons file is categorized specifically as the 1959 Shah car 103.002 and shows its museum display. The similar AM103.004 Turin show car is excluded. No present owner or custodian, unbroken custody, untouched original condition, complete 5000 GT family coverage, exact Joyride catalog match or compatible game representation is claimed.
- Maserati celebrates the 60th anniversary of the launch of the 5000 GT 2+2 coupé at the Turin Motor ShowMaserati · 2019-11-29 · reviewed 2026-10-07 · external source
The Shah’s late-1958 test and performance request, the AM103 redesign as a new car, 450S-derived V8, first Touring body, ‘Shah of Persia’ nickname, three-car first version, 34-car total and period specification changes.
- 5000GTMaserati Classic · Current heritage record · reviewed 2026-10-07 · external source
The Shah’s special request as the origin of the 5000 GT, AM103 type identity, reinforced 3500 GT-derived chassis and 450S-derived V8.
- Ferrari: Leggenda e Passione — 1959 Maserati 5000 GT catalogue entrySotheby’s · June 28, 2005 catalogue · reviewed 2026-10-07 · external source
The individual Shah car’s VIN AM103002 and historical commission/delivery identity; the archived catalogue file was too large for automated full-text readback in this review.
Reviewed
Why this is the actual car
- Photo identity evidence
Herranderssvensson identifies the July 17, 2014 photograph as the Maserati 5000 GT ‘Scia di Persia’; Commons places it in the exact 1959 Shah car 103.002 category and licenses it CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo identity evidence
Maserati identifies the first Touring-bodied 5000 GT as the unique Shah commission and distinguishes the first special version from the wider 34-car model family.
The matching photographer, venue, date and vehicle history establish the identification; the chassis stamp is not visible in these photographs.