A strong contender for the 'most handsome car of the 1960s' title, Maserati's Ghibli debuted at the Turin Motor Show in November 1966.

Styled at Ghia by Giorgetto Giugiaro, the Ghibli rivalled the Ferrari Daytona for straight-line performance while beating it for price and, arguably, looks.

More than fifteen feet long and nearly six feet wide, the Ghibli occupied an inordinate amount of space for a mere two-seater, but perhaps the most startling aspect of its appearance was the height, or rather the lack of it.

The Ghibli used a tubular steel chassis with live rear axle, leaf springs and a single locating arm, while the power unit was Maserati's venerable four-cam, 90-degree V8, an engine derived from that of the 450S sports car and first seen in road-going guise in the 5000GT.

This was used in dry-sump, 4.7-litre form up to 1970 when it was superseded by the 4.9-litre version.

The gain in horsepower was minimal, but in either case performance was stunning, with 100mph (160km/h) a...