After years of fiscal loss and an inordinate budget poured into its racing program, Maserati in the late 1950s was in desperate need of an appealing road car.

Salvation appeared at the 1957 Geneva Salon in the form of the 3500 GT.

Featuring a detuned version of the six-cylinder engine from the successful sports-racing 350S, the 3500 GT was initially equipped with 12-inch finned drum brakes and a Salisbury-type rear axle, marrying a powerful motor with a compliant and sporting chassis.

Customer demand soon necessitated the formulation of an open-top version, and Maserati duly assigned a small number of chassis for design studies to Frua and Touring, the latter of which had already bodied the popular saloon.

But ultimately the manufacturer approved a Giovanni Michelotti design built by the carrozzeria Vignale for a standard production model, which was officially introduced at the 1959 Turin Salon.

Mounted on a shorter chassis for superior agility, the delectable Vignale Spyder was b...