Oldtimer Australia is delighted to offer for sale this magnificent 1961 Maserati 3500 GT Spyder by Vignale.

Open top classic Maseratis are rare, including the Mistral Spyder, Ghibli Spyder and 3500 GT Vignale Spyder. Maserati built only 242 of the 3500 GT Spyders by Vignale from 1959 through until 1964, of which only five were factory right hand drive.

Documentation on file from Maserati Classiche confirms that this particular car was completed on the 19th October 1960 and delivered to Torino, Italy. It was originally finished in 'Verde Acqua Metallizzato' (metallic green) with a 'Marrone' (brown) interior. The car was delivered new with carburettors and the manual type ZF S 4/17 4 speed gearbox. Note: the car has a 5 speed ZF gearbox which either means an error with the factory records or that the gearbox was upgraded at some stage. It has disc brakes.

Like many Maserati 3500 GT Spyders, this car does not have an engine number stamping. Maserati Classiche has confirmed that the interno number is correct for this car, hence, it retains its original 'matching numbers' engine.

There is a copy of the Avviso Spedizione (shipping notice) on file which notes a dispatch date of the 4th May 1961. It also notes that the cars was delivered to Adolfo Rossetto from Torino.

Walter Baumer's excellent book - Maserati 3500 GT Spyder by Vignale, also confirms a completion date of 4th May 1961. It also notes:

- 30th December 1961 - registered in Torino, Italy on plate TO 380265
- 14th December 1962 - sold to Vittorio Duca in Mila, Italy and registered as MI 609279
- 26th February 1964 - sold to Costantino Cattaneo in Gallarate, Italy
- a subsequent owner was Giuseppe Berlingieri

There is a hand written note on the Avviso Spedizione which notes 8/5/64 - full service at factory.

The car history through until the early 1980s is not known. At that time it found its way to Australia, at which time it was most likely owned by Rod McGaffin. Back then left hand drive cars were not permitted in this country (with the exception of consular cars), so it was converted to right hand drive.

Dr Arnold Singer acquired the car in 1988 and embarked on a major restoration that took him until 1994 to complete. There is comprehensive documentation and photos on file of the restoration, which cost in the order of $280,000. This was a huge sum back then. It is understood that Singer used the car sparingly throughout his ownership.

The current owner acquired this Maserati 3500 GT Spyder by Vignale some twenty years ago and has used and enjoyed the car as its makers intended. It was exhibited at Motorclassica in 2017 and more recently as part of a Maserati display at Motors & Masterpieces, held at the Melbourne Showgrounds, in November 2024.

Whilst the car is now considered an older restoration, it still presents beautifully. At the time of our initial inspection, we started the car and the Tipo 101 3.5 litre (3,485cc) straight six engine fired up easily. The engine sounds fabulous and the current owner advises that this car drives every bit as good as it looks.

One could just imagine cruising the Côte dAzur or through Beverly Hills back in the day in a Maserati 3500 GT Spyder by Vignale. Today, these beautiful cars are seldom seen and Oldtimer Australia is genuinely excited to offer a unique opportunity to acquire one of Maseratis most rare and desirable open top grand touring cars.

Highlights:
- rare and desirable open top classic Maserati.
- matching numbers chassis and engine.
- beautifully presented older restoration.
- Ready to show, use and enjoy.

More information and photos to follow soon.

Price AUD $899,950.



Background

The Maserati story is a fascinating one. It is the story of a family with daring, courageous and forward-thinking ideas. The story starts with Rodolfo Maserati, a railway engineer who was employed by the Italian monarchy and the father of seven sons who all had a passion for engine design and racing cars. The Maserati brothers all became involved in the automotive industry in some way or another, however, it was on the 1st of December 1914 that Alfieri, Ettore and Ernesto Maserati officially opened Alfieri Maserati Workshop in Bologna, Italy.

Maserati chose the trident logo to adorn its cars. Its design was based on the Fountain of Neptune in Bolognas Piazza Maggiore. The colours chosen for the logo were also the colours of Bologna, red and blue.

The business was focused on repairing, servicing and preparing cars, however, the World War cut business short and it wasnt until 1926 that Maserati built its first car, the Tipo 26.

It was all about motorsport back then and in 1937 the Orsi family acquired ownership of Maserati which was in desperate need of financial backing to be able to survive. During the Orsi years Maserati grew from a boutique but very successful race car builder to one of the worlds leading manufacturers of hand-built sports and GT cars.

Maserati built its first road car in 1946 even though times were tough in post War northern Italy. The car was the Maserati A6 - where A was for Alfieri and 6 for the number of cylinders. The initial reception of the car was positive and a production Maserati A6/1500 was then shown at the 1947 Geneva Motor Show.

The Maserati A6 entered production and whilst it was only built in small numbers, it was hugely important to the history and identity of Maserati. It was basically where the brands road car legacy truly began. The A6 remained in production for a decade through until 1956 and during that period various versions were built.

Introduced in 1947, Maserati first production car was the A6 1500, of which around 60 cars were built through until 1950.The majority were powered by Maseratis 1.5 litre (1,488 cc) inline six cylinder engine with a single overhead camshaft and a single Weber carburettor, producing 65 hp.

With an engine bored out to 2.0 litre (1,954.3 cc) and triple Weber carburettors, the Maserati A6G 2000 introduced in 1950 was a step change up in performance with quoted power up to around 100 hp. Only 16 cars were built in 1950 and 1951.
In 1953 Maserati developed the A6GCS/53 to compete in the World Sportscar Championship. It may not have dominated overall victories, but it was highly competitive in its class. Maserati built 52 A6GCS/53s from 1953 through until1955, achieving regular class wins and podiums in endurance and hill climb events.

The next production car was the A6G/54, otherwise known as the A6G 2000 Gran Turismo which was introduced at the 1954 Mondial de l'Automobile in Paris. A total of 60 cars were built from 1954 1956., with bodies by top coachbuilders including Pininfarina, Zagato and Allemano. This is the most desirable and collectible Maserati A6 today.

Perhaps the most important Maserati GT car was the 3500 GT, which was first shown at the 1957 Geneva Motor Show in March of that year. The first production 3500GTs left the factory in late 1957. Designed by Carrozzeria Touring, the Maserati 3500 GT featured superleggera construction with an all aluminium body. The car was powered by a detuned version of Maseratis V6 engine found in the race cars, with wet sump lubrication. The engines were initially fitted with triple Weber carburettors and later fuel injection, though many customers ordered their later cars with carburettors. Maserati got the formula right and the car was a great success. From 1957 through until 1964 almost 2,000 cars were built, the majority of which were the standard cars bodied by Touring. A small number were bodied by specialist coachbuilders such as Allemano, Boneschi, Frua and Bertone.

At the 1958 Turin Motor Show a Maserati 3500 GT Convertible, bodied by Touring, was first shown. Interestingly, that car never entered production and Maserati opted for the Carrozzeria Vignale (designed by Michelotti) Maserati 3500 GT Convertible, which was first shown at the 1959 Paris Motor Show. The Convertible did not feature Touring's superleggera construction, rather a steel body with an aluminium bonnet, boot lid and optional hard top. The Convertible was built on a wheelbase that was 10cm shorter than the Coupe. The Maserati 3500 GT Spyder by Vignale is one of the most beautiful cars ever built and there are certainly similarities with Ferraris 250 GT Cabriolet by Pinin Farina and 250 GT California Spyder. Only 242 Maserati 3500 GT Spyders by Vignale were built from 1959 through until 1964. Of the total production there were only five factory right hand drive examples built.