This fetching example of Maserati’s lauded 3500 GT Spyder is one of approximately 15 preproduction cars built from January to July 1960 that featured subtle coachwork differences from the regular production cars soon to follow.

The purest initial expression of Vignale’s spyder coachwork, these cars are differentiated by a lower roof, narrower body width, a longer and sharper nose, and a longer bonnet that extended over the windscreen wipers, among other distinguishing cues.

While these unusual cars were not originally sold under a “pre-production” designation, enthusiasts today have justifiably come to recognize their unique differences, and now refer to them as such.

As one of the earliest of these 15 pre-production cars built after approximately six prototypes, chassis number AM101 761 completed assembly in April 1960, finished in black paint over a brown leather interior.

It was fitted with a pre-production instrument panel with three small gauges at the top and equipped with a ...