Like father Like Son
Text: Aart van der Haagen • Photography: Aart van der Haagen, Leendert Lingen
Few can say they spent part of their childhood in the back seat of a Maserati 430, let alone cruising around - illegally - in their college days. Driven by memories and wonderful cowboy stories, Leendert Lingen started the hunt for his father's last great pride... and found the sports sedan in a deplorable condition at a scrapyard. Hundreds of Fridays he sacrificed to the restoration.
An understated 4,40 meter long coach with four doors and a conventional trunk, it sounds like the archetypal family car of yesteryear. Indeed, the green-grey sedan of the Lingen family from the early 2.8s meets all the criteria, but the fill-in exercise ends there. Leendert and his sisters settled into the leather and alcantara, willingly or unwillingly listening to the whistling of the two IHI turbochargers and the orchestral sounds of a masterfully conducted 6 VXNUMX engine.
Dad tickled himself in 1991 with a real Maserati 430. Unfortunately, things don't last forever and the machine was sold in 1995, much to Leendert Lingen's great sadness. “Somewhere around 2013 I started an internet search for the car. In August 2016 I spoke to someone from the Maserati Club Holland, who told me that he had seen it at a scrap yard. I had to swallow when I found it there half dismantled, without engine, front suspension, front seats and with smashed windows. Actually just a carcass, which I was allowed to take with me for free.”
Wonderful
The loot was in, but Leendert Lingen incurred thousands of hours of work. “I was allowed to park the 430 at Autobedrijf Duijzer in Hoornaar and work on it myself. Surprisingly, the condition of the bodywork was not disappointing at all and only limited welding was required.”
With an unpopular exotic like this, it soon pays to find a donor vehicle somewhere. From there, the owner could pick all kinds of parts, such as the V6 power source and the entire wiring harness. “Mine was cut when removing the motor. Unbelievable how much wiring is in such a Maserati.”
The engine, differential and automatic gearbox remained internally untouched, but the hobby restorer did overhaul the brakes and suspension. The project was completed in September 2022 and the hard worker could prepare for the first test drive with the newly painted 430. It did not go as hoped, because the engine sounded a bit unhealthy.
Oil channels clogged
Research by Italauto in Achterveld showed that the oil channels of the engine from the donor car had become clogged due to a long standstill. “Fortunately, I had only driven about fifty kilometers with it and had the camshafts greased during assembly, so the damage was fairly minor.
While a light overhaul took place, I got to work at home painting the intake manifold and valve cover in the typical matte, grainy texture. You heat them up in the oven and then apply shrink lacquer, which you have to blow dry. My wife could no longer style her hair or cook.” All in all, quite an operation for a car with a relatively modest market value, but hey, you only get your hands on Dad's last pride once. Leendert Lingen even follows in his father's footsteps by using the Maserati 430 as a daily driver.
You can read the whole story and a report on the restoration of the Maserati 430 in the September issue of Auto Motor Klassiek. It's on the newsstand now.
Yes, I completely understand it, I would still have my father's newly purchased S 280 W 140 (1994) in the hall and still drive it occasionally. Now 230.000 KM further. And note with a manual gearbox, because when my father bought it at the age of 85, he told the dealer that automatics were for old people. My advice is to keep riding him as long as you can.
Yes, I completely understand!
Wonderfully underrated gems!