Despite these charges, in his book Answer to History, Pahlavi affirms that he “never made the slightest profit” out of the Foundation.Mohammad Reza was also known for his interest in cars and had a personal collection of 140 classic and sports cars including a Mercedes-Benz 500K Autobahn cruiser, one of only six ever made.
The first Maserati 5000 GT was named the Shah of Persia, it was built for Mohammad Reza, who had been impressed by the Maserati 3500 and requested Giulio Alfieri, Maserati’s chief engineer, to use a modified 5-litre engine from the Maserati 450S on the 3500GT’s chassis.
