1959 Maserati 3500 GT Spyder (Vignale)

THE VIGNALE SPYDERS

From the inception of the 3500 GT, Maserati intended to create a spyder version, but as was often the case with Italy’s boutique automakers of the time, considerations of capacity and choice of carrozzeriere were always challenging issues. During 1957 and 1958, Frua and Touring individually bodied at least three of the early 3500 GT Spyders, but Maserati was clearly not convinced by any of these designs. By 1959, the marque selected for production was a variation on the three that had been posed by Vignale, which officially debuted at the Turin Motor Show later that year. The Vignale Spyders were constructed on a slightly shorter wheelbase than the coupes, and they soon became the premium open Italian sports cars of their day, rivaling Ferrari’s 250 GT Cabriolets as the most elegant and exclusive sporting convertibles on the road. Just 242 examples of the luxurious Vignale Spyder were eventually produced, adding a degree of rarity to their distinctive style.

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Spyder became the official designation for foreign markets as of 1961. Master coachbuilder Alfredo Vignale of Turin won the contract to produce the open-top version of Maserati´s first full-production GT car. The car’s styling – penned by Giovanni Michelotti – differed from that of the Touring coupé with a slightly more angular and muscular design language. Touring had also proposed a drop-top version of its coupé, of which just three were produced; while Vignale built several pre-production prototypes showing differences in various details before the final production design was settled. In six years, some 243 spyders were sold.

Mechanically, the car shared its design with the coupé but its wheelbase was shortened by 10 cm. Lucas direct injection and 5-speed-gearbox available for both the spyder and the coupé from 1961 onwards, all round disc brakes from 1962. The body was made of steel, but the doors, bonnet and boot lid were in light alloy, as was the optional hardtop. Electric windows came as standard. Performance was perfectly suited to open air motoring with a top speed of 220 kph (138 mph) for the 3500 GTi version.

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Maserati 3500GT: Самый красивый Мазерати всех времен

Первенцем стала модель Maserati 3500GT, над кузовом которой славно поработали дизайнеры из ателье Touring, а дизайн открытой версии Spyder (по сей день считается самым красивым Maserati всех времен) разработали специалисты из Vignale. Под капотом автомобиля трудился очень высокотехнологичный и мощный, по тем временам, шестицилиндровый двухраспредвальный двигатель. С 1961 года на машинах серии 3500 стал применяться механический впрыск топлива, что стало прорывом.

Следом в свет вышли такие легендарные автомобили, как Maserati 5000 GT, кузова для которого делались исключительно под заказ самыми авторитетными дизайн-ателье того времени, Maserati Sebring с кузовом работы Vignale, сменивший модели линейки 3500.

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