They were vehicles designed for true connoisseurs. Maserati aimed for the skies with the Maserati A6/G 2000 Frua Spyder from the early 1950s and the 3500 GT Frua Spyder, a one-off that encapsulates all the magic and creativity of the great Italian coachbuilders.

Maserati’s convertibles have always been well received all over the world. Having driven the 3500 GT Vignale Spyder at the start of the 1960s, English magazine Autocar wrote: “The impeccable delivery of the horsepower and the superb roadholding convinced straight away”. 

There was a fresh breeze blowing in the sixties. This found expression in 1964 with the appearance of the Mistral Spyder. The car’s minimalist cabrio lines hid the pure 255 km/h thoroughbred that lay beneath. The Mistral morphed into the Ghibli and the strength of the new motoring currents affected even Henry Ford II who took to driving around Detroit in a Maserati Spyder. Those who pointed his treachery were told: “The Ghibli will disappear from my parking space only when you have designed me a Ford that is just as good looking”.

This sparkling history continued in the early 2000s with the 4200 Spyder. The cabrio’s lightning fast gear shifts were assured by its Formula 1 style paddles, a solution that typified the solid technological roots from which the car came.

Now it is the turn of the GranCabrio, the Modenese company’s first ever four-seater cabriolet. It is a droptop that leaves conformism behind. It is proud of its Birdcage heritage and rightly so, for without a great past there can be no bright future.