For Sale at Auction: 1963 Maserati 3500 in Las Vegas, Nevada

Chassis No. AM101/109/S001
Engine No. AM109/001 (Internal No. 2036)

By 1963, Maserati had built approximately 240 examples of its first open grand tourer, the 3500 GT Vignale Spyder, and was soliciting proposals for its successor. According to research by Adolfo Orsi Jr.-noted Maserati historian, grandson of Adolfo Orsi, and son of Omar Orsi-the first response was this very car. A one-off Vignale-bodied prototype, the car was uniquely stamped with two model codes, "101" for the 3500 GT and "109" for the new "Berlinetta 2 Posti" design that would later become the Mistral, together with chassis serial number "001," the first and only example of its kind. It debuted on the Carrozzeria Vignale stand at the 1963 Turin Motor Show, opposite Maserati's own stand showing Pietro Frua's Quattroporte and Berlinetta (later to become known as the Mistral) prototypes. In its Turin guise, the Vignale Spyder Prototype offered here wore red paint, Quattroporte-style oval headlamps, and a rounded "boat tail" rear, a configuration captured in period images from Orsi's archive.

Shown again by Vignale at the 1964 Geneva Motor Show, chassis 001 appeared in a different guise, in silver with revised quad headlamps and a Kamm-style tail with round lamps-the coachwork it retains today. These changes later fueled the misconception that two Vignale prototypes of this style existed; Orsi's research confirms they were one and the same car, a singular proposal that remained a one-off when Maserati based the forthcoming open model on Frua's Mistral design.

Following Geneva, the prototype returned to Maserati on 29 March 1964 for completion and testing. Rather than passing through a dealer, Maserati invoiced the cost of the rolling chassis to the first owner, Sig. Giuseppe Simini from Milan, while Carrozzeria Vignale later invoiced Simini directly for the cost of the body, completing the sale in
late 1964. As a result, the car does not appear in Maserati's factory records until it returned to Modena for service in January 1965, then showing 1,515 kilometers and under Simini's name. Orsi's research shows that despite already being driven, likely with a dealer's plate, the sale act was officially dated 25 January 1965. The car returned to the factory on one further documented occasion on 12 July 1965, then displaying 12,223 kilometers, demonstrating extensive use by its first owner. Notably, Orsi's research records the original internal engine number as "2036," which remains present on the car today.

In the early 1970s, chassis 109/S 001 came to the U.S., refinished from the original silver. In 1976, serial collector Rick Grant of Ohio purchased it at a Kruse Auction for an impressive at-the-time $10,000. Clearly infatuated, Grant retained 109/S 001 as a centerpiece of his collection for the rest of his life. In 2005, he commissioned Dale Oakes of Euro Classics in Dayton, Ohio, to perform a cosmetic restoration encompassing a repaint and restored interior. Oakes later reported the car had just over 30,000 kilometers at the time, so the robust engine only needed servicing and detailing. During Grant's tenure that lasted until 2023, Weber DCOE carburetors replaced the trouble-prone Lucas injection system to improve usability. Other notable details include a Becker Europa stereo, gorgeous Hellebore steering wheel, and Borrani wire wheels shod with period-correct Pirelli rubber. To bring the car up to date, the current custodian spent nearly $85,000 on suspension work, exhaust system fabrication, tuning, sorting, detailing, and minor upholstery work. Furthermore, the car is accompanied by a matching hardtop which has been freshly restored in advance of the sale.

The collaborations between Maserati and Vignale have yielded many collectible coachbuilt automobiles, yet none more singular than this matching-numbers Turin and Geneva Motor Show prototype. Well-documented by Adolfo Orsi Jr., it is a true one-of-one, the sole Vignale-bodied example built to this specification and bearing the dual "101/109" designation with chassis serial number 001. Retaining its exquisite Geneva configuration and gently mellowed character, it invites use on the road with its Weber-carbureted inline-six while also being a compelling candidate for premier concours venues.