Sunny side up
Maserati’s finest? Rare Euro-spec Ghibli Spyder still available from RM’S Paris sale
In a world where sharply divided opinion has become the norm, anything that unites is a breath of fresh air. Such is the status of the Giugiaro-designed Maserati Ghibli Spyder. It truly is a thing of beauty and I have yet to meet anyone who doesn’t think so. The only sadness is that so few were built – somewhere in the area of 125-150, depending on which source you choose to believe. Either way, it’s not a lot. There are, of course, small degrees of desirability adjustment within that clique. Some buyers may not like the automatic gearbox fitted to around a quarter of Spyders sold. Also, some 60% of production headed to America, and those were fitted with side-marker lights that certainly didn’t add to the car’s good looks. Which leaves just 25 Euro-spec Ghibli Spyders with manual gearboxes to be fought over. This example one of those, with the 340bhp 4.7-litre V8, and was offered by RM Sotheby’s at its Paris sale on 1 February – the third time the Canadian auction house has pitched the car for sale.
It’s a good one, too: matching numbers, just 50,688km from new and with history right back to the Rome-based airline pilot who bought it new in 1970. The car then did some globe-trotting of its own, heading to a Texan owner in 1975. He kept the car for a decade before selling it to an enthusiast in Ontario, Canada. This long-term owner later had the car restored, spending $85,000 on the work and having it repainted black. He also replaced the original alloy wheels with a set of Borrani wires. Not just any old set, either – these were sourced directly from Carlo Borrani and were from the last batch of a dozen of these hand-made wheels. They cost around $12,000.
Little used and still in exceptional condition, it returned to Italy and was first offered by RM at its Villa Erba sale in May
2017, with a €975,000-€1.1m estimate. It was recorded as unsold on the day, but a post-sale deal saw it join the stable of French collector Jean Guikas. The Ghibli was sold off with the rest of the Guikas collection by RM in November 2021, where it was bought by the current vendor for €646,250 (around £550k). It may only have been a short-term ownership, but it saw the car returned to its factory-correct Giallo Strega colour, the name referring to the fiercely yellow Italian herbal tipple, Liquore Strega.
Offered with a €675k-€750k estimate, once again the Spyder failed to attract strong enough bidding on the day. However, it is listed in RM’S results as ‘still for sale’ with an asking price of €720k (£640k). This is close enough to our top guide value for a 4.7 Spyder of £600k to be worth starting a discussion. Particularly given the car’s mileage and condition. An instant star awaits someone with deep enough pockets.