1961 Maserati 3500 GT Roadster

Despite having tremendous motorsport success in the late 1950s, Maserati was enduring financial difficulty which eventually forced it to withdraw from racing. As the company closed out the 1950s and entered the 1960s, it turned its focus away from competition and focused on improving its financial footing and increasing car production. The 1957, Maserati introduced the Touring-bodied 3500 GT, its first road model built in significant numbers. It was a luxurious 2+2 touring car that had a tubular chassis frame and an engine derived from the 350S sports car unit of 1956. It wore a design by Giulio Alfieri, creator of the Tipo 60/61 sports racer, also known as the 'Birdcage.' The twin-overhead-camshaft, six-cylinder engine developed around 220 horsepower. Initially, the 3500 GT came with drum brakes and a four-speed gearbox. It was gradually improved, gaining five speeds, front disc brakes, and later, all-disc braking.

The 3500 GT received coachwork from some of Italy's finest carrozzerie's including Bertone, Frua and Allemano. Most Coupes were bodied by Touring. All but one (a Frua-bodied example) of the Spyder versions were clothed by Carrozzeria Vignale.

The Maserati 3500 GT Spyder was introduced in 1959 at the Turin Motor Show. It was the creation of Giovanni Michelotti and built on a slightly shorter wheelbase of 250cm (as opposed to 260cm for the coupe). It was constructed of steel panels rather than the closed car's aluminum. Production would continue until 1964 with a total of 242 (possibly 245) examples being built, which accounted for a little over 10% of the 3500 GT production.

This particular example was delivered in white paint with a black leather interior. It was sold new by the Maserati distributor Cornacchia Automobili of Rome, Italy, to Vasco Migliacci. It was later acquired by a lady in Naples who had the color changed from white to Rosso Rubino. The car remained in her care until 1980 when it was acquired by Pierre Honegger of Princeton, New Jersey. In March of 1997, he sold it to Peter Starr, with 29,037 kms on the odometer. By this point in history, the car had been fitted with another Maserati 3500 GT factory replacement engine - a correct 3.5-liter 6-cylinder motor.

In 2006, a respray was performed on the car after it had been taken down to the bare metal. In 2014 it was shown at the Amelia Island Concours.

After two decades of ownership, Starr sold the car to its current owner.

The car has the original top and interior, and less than 40,000 kilometers on the odometer.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2018