We blame the Ferrari F430. It gave its engine (minus 100hp or so), but this owner desired even more. This owner wanted its paint, its rear valence and its leather. And here we are, left on our own to sort out the result.
The Ferrari leather, as the seller puts it, is likely Poltrona Frau leather - good stuff, if you keep it out of direct sunlight. It's actually done pretty tastefully, and if you look closely, you can see that GranSport seats were used as seat donors for a nice upgrade. The paint is fine, but the body kit is bad. Real bad. Good thing it's totally reversible.
Year: 2002
Model: Maserati
Engine: 4.2L V8
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Mileage: 46,479
Price: $44,995
Location: Barrington, IL
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2002 Maserati Spyder GT
Very rare six speed manual. This is a Roadster Salon Lusso model, complete custom. Pet project of owner. Car features a brand new $15,000 full Ferrari leather interior, custom made body kit, engine and transmission refresh, warranty and other special one of a kind upgrades. Visually superior to Maserati Gran Sport, with advantage of more reliable true manual transmission. Ferrari Mondial engine. Tremendous performance and sound, touring ride quality at a fraction of the price of a comparable Ferrari California. Tremendous value. Will take an aggressive offer to pry this from our owners hands. Truly one of a kind, fast and unique. Looks $200k driving down highway. Cosmetics Car has been stored since completion, so no visible cosmetic flaws. Fresh Mondial red paint, brand new Ferrari leather interior with custom Ferrari seats with Maserati embossed logo. Used actual Ferrari material. Very expensively done. Body kit from Italy custom fabricated for this application. Exceptional work, and very handsome. Almost everything appears new. Mechanical and driving experience All service up to date. Car comes with warranty. Considering the similarity to the Ferrari California (with addition of true manual gear box and unique cosmetics), this car may be the ultimate bargain in the bling for the dollar category. The driving experience, acceleration, sound and overall feel is $200K all day. Fast, fun and one of a kind. You won't see another headed down Rodeo Drive. For the right customer, this car is a home run.
Why the seller describes the engine as a Ferrari Mondial engine is beyond us. Had the V8 been based on the Ferrari 360 V8, that would be somewhat true, but the F136 engine is based on the Ferrari F430 unit. We keep seeing the $200k figure thrown around in the listing, and we aren't sure what to make of the idea of describing a $20k car that listed as a $100k car as a $200k car. Must be the Italian body kit.
In all seriousness, we love the Maserati Spyder, especially in manual form like this example. Subtract $20k from the price (the seller should pay you for tolerating that body kit) and it's a pretty appealing car.
-Graham