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The 1960 Maserati 3500 Vignale Spyder made its debut at the 1957 Geneva Motor Salon. It was the work of chief engineer Giulio Alfieri who had recently transitioned from working with racing vehicles to production vehicles. Bodied by Vignale, only 251 of the spyder version were every produced between the years 1959 and 1964 with the shorter 78.74-inch wheelbase.
The car was a big deal for Alfieri and Maserati. It was their first successful foray into the Gran Turismo market. They had already achieved great racing success, but the grand tourer market was waiting and they needed a new approach to design in order to sell vehicles to a whole new segment of consumers.
Alfieri modifed the engine of the 350S to make it work for a touring car resulting in a 220-horsepower, inline, 6-cylinder engine. It was paired to a 4-speed manual ZF gearbox. Many of the component parts came from the United Kingdom as they simply weren’t found in Italy.
It has independent front suspension with a rigid Salisbury rear axle with leaf springs and stopping power from hydraulic drum brakes both front and rear. For its importance in marking a transition into touring cars, the 3500 Vignale Spyder was a watershed moment for Maserati.
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