The Ghibli coupe was first shown at Turin in November 1966 and the spider appeared two years later.

By the time production ceased in 1973, Maserati had turned out 1,149 of the gorgeous coupes and 125 spiders.

This Ghibli was originally purchased new by the legendary entertainer Sammy Davis Jr.

as documented by a letter from the Maserati Club with the car.

Davis was known for a love of cars, he was a regular client of George Barris and at any one time carried a burgeoning garage.

A contemporary Ebony magazine article in the 1970s shows him poised on the running board of his replica Duesenberg surrounded with a host of contemporary automobiles, although the Ghibli is not one of those featured.

His chosen livery was precisely the guise in which the car remains.

Today the yellow paint and black interior are both in exceptionally fine order following a comprehensive and fully documented rebuild more than a decade ago.

10 years ago this Maserati was awarded the prize for Best Italian...