Spyder with roof
There are convertibles (and spyder) that just don’t look good with the fabric roof closed. And some people don’t like the fabric roof anyway, too leaky, too much wind noise, things like that; you can then wonder why they bought a convertible (or a roadster) at all, but that’s another topic. Then there is the hardtop, which is another story altogether. Once upon a time, more than 100 years ago, the solution was to use different bodies. In late autumn, you would drive to your coachbuilder, who would convert the car, and then in spring you would make it more beautiful again for the summer. In the USA, it became fashionable in the 1940s to offer hardtop coupes, which looked as if a fixed roof had been placed on a convertible, but were actually fully welded from the outset. In Europe, on the other hand, an additional hardtop for the convertible was usually reserved for the luxury class; famous examples are the BMW 507, which also looked really good with a hardtop, or the Mercedes SL (R107), which many never even saw on the road with the top down.
When the Maserati Ghibli Spyder came onto the market in 1969, it could certainly be described as one of the most beautiful open-top cars. However, of the 125 models built, this option was only chosen by 25 female customers. Which is a shame, because the hardtop, also designed by Giugiaro, gives the Ghibli a completely different character and could easily have been a model in its own right. This particular example, chassis number AM115S1185, is one of 56 with the 4.7-litre engine and manual 5-speed transmission. It was originally silver (Argento Auteuil, 106 E1) with a black interior and perfectly equipped: Borrani rims, Becker radio with automatic antenna, power steering – and, of course, hardtop. The Spyder was once red, then the last owner chose this light blue, and replaced the Borrani with Campagnolo wheels. Broad Arrow will auction off this fine Maserati at Amelia Island in March; between 625,000 and 675,000 dollars are expected.
We have gathered all of our Maseratis in one place, here, along with a few more Ghibli Spyders. And then there is our archive.
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