Original Maserati Ghibli Spyder Prototype Heads To Auction - Motor Authority
Today, the Maserati Ghibli is a mid-size sports sedan that slots neatly below the larger Quattroporte and its more sporting, two-door GranTurismo and GranTurismo convertible siblings. The Ghibli wasn't always the four-door luxury machine it is today though, as the Ghibli name was first applied to a supremely shapely V-8-powered coupe , and then a boxy brute with a choice of twin-turbocharged V-6 engines. It was introduced in 1967, and through 1973 Maserati produced 1,170 examples of this delightful coupe. In 1969, however, a convertible Spyder version was released. This year's RM Auction at Monterey running August 13-15 will see the wonderfully yellow piece of Maserati history head across the block. It was first shown to the world at the 1968 Turin Auto Show before spending life as a development car for the future lineup of Spyders sold to the public. Once it paved the way for the rest of the Spyder production, the development car was sold to a private party, where it would then change hands a few more times before winding up in storage for 30 years. The pre-auction estimate for this Ghibli Spyder is pegged at a sum between $1,200,000 and $1,800,000. Classic Italian motoring history doesn't come cheap, and this is a pretty good piece of said history. Source: www.motorauthority.com
