THE late 1950s signified a golden age for European supercars and one of the very best was the Maserati 5000GT.

The Shah of Persia was the driving force behind the birth of this amazing car which inherited its quad-cam V8 engine from the 450S racer.

But there was a train of events leading from a series of motor sport catastrophes that helped to snuggle this engine from heaven under the bonnet of the 5000GT.

Maserati had been king of the hill with its formula One World Championship in 1957 but ill luck struck when they tried for the World Sportscar championship in the same year when three of their cars were written off in the same race.

This cost them the championship and there were red faces all round because two of the 450S cars destroyed had been pre-sold.

Then the FIA reduced the maximum size of engines in the championship and Maserati who had this fantastic V8 ready for action were left with redundant 5.0-litre engine blocks.

All of this hit Maserati hard and became a major factor in the company's withdrawal from motor racing.

But things began to bubble on the road car front and the Shah, impressed with the successful 3500GT, helped to oil the wheels for the 5000GT to hit the streets. He expressed a desire for an exclusive GT with 5.0-litre power and the redundant engine blocks were the key to his dream.

And so the 5000GT was born in 1959 becoming an iconic Italian supercar that few could match.

The V8 had quad cam technology with gear-driven camshafts and four Weber carbs and a four and later five-speed gearbox.

With 330bhp on tap, the car could rocket to nearly 175mph in the finest style. Around 32 were made and there were a number of different body options from the greatest stylists.

This car could not only perform but it featured the latest braking technology with discs all round. It needed it with its immense power enabling it to reach 60mph in 6.5 seconds - astonishing for 1959.

Three customers actually ordered the 5000GT with the race-tuned engines and these cars must have been truly amazing.

Celebrity owners were numerous. These included the Aga Khan, Italian industrialist Giovanni Agnelli, American sports car legend Briggs Cunningham, film star Stewart Granger, Ferdinando Innocenti of motor scooter fame and a President of Mexico.