At $29,250, Is This 2003 Maserati Spyder Pretty Fly?

The six-speed manual in today’s Nice Price or No Dice Maserati Spyder makes it a rare car and one that’s much better to drive than the more common Cambiocorsa cars. Let’s see if the price of this seemingly well-kept GT makes it a keeper.

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It’s always struck me as horrific that racehorses are put down (usually through lethal injection) after suffering an egregious injury on the track. I bet if professional soccer engaged in the same practice, you wouldn’t have so many players feigning injuries in an over-the-top, dramatic fashion. I’ve always been more keen on redemption and restoration, either with animals or with machinery. To be otherwise would be cruel and wasteful, which is why yesterday’s 1989 Chevy Corvette project held such appeal to me. Sure, it wasn’t running, but it probably could be made so. I mean, it wasn’t encased in concrete or anything. At $2,400, quite a few of you agreed with that assessment, with the ’Vette earning both a second chance and a 58 percent Nice Price win.

One car company that’s been given more than its fair share of second chances is Maserati. One of the smaller of Italy’s famed high-end sports car builders, it has played hot potato for a number of owners and stewards over the years. At present, the company is owned by Fiat and run by Alfa Romeo, but when this 2003 Maserati Spyder was built, it was being steered by Ferrari.

That’s why this Gran Turismo two-seater rocks a Ferrari engine. The Typo F136 R was co-designed by engineers at Maserati and those from Maranello. Together, they created a 4.2-liter, quad-cam V-8 sporting a flat plane crank that barks to the tune of 390 horsepower and 333 lb-ft of torque. An over-square engine, the Ferrari-built mill has a reputation for both heavy muscle and its ability to spin the tach. It’s also lovely to look at under the hood, what with its Trident-crested crinkle finish intake and red cam covers.

The seller of this 43,000-mile Spyder doesn’t provide an under-the-hood shot in the ad, which denies us that pleasure. However, they make up for that oversight by offering a couple of shots showing off this Spyder’s party piece: the traditional six-speed manual and three-pedal layout.

The Spyder—and its Coupe sister—were made available either with this manual or an electro-hydraulic version dubbed Cambiocorsa (Race Shift), with the latter being far less enjoyable to drive in nearly every situation. Manual-equipped cars are vastly rarer than auto/manuals, as this car is one of only 574 so equipped, while the number of Cambio cars built was over five times that.

There’s more to like here, too. The car is presented in what the seller claims to be excellent condition and having recently enjoyed a spate of minor but wildly expensive maintenance work. That included the replacement of the clutch primary, a very pricey thermostat, and a new set of Continental tires. Those are mounted on some handsome Maserati wheels that have been powder-coated bronze. Other updates include a custom exhaust and coil-over adjustable shocks.

According to the seller, both interior and exterior scores are 9.9/10, while the top rates a perfect 10 score. The car comes with all manuals and tools, plus the promise of a healthy maintenance history and a clean title.

When new, the Spyder cost almost six figures. Nothing depreciates quite as fast as a Maserati, though, so this one asks for a third of that. It does seem to be a lot of car for the $29,250 the seller has set, but will it prove a shrewd investment, either financially or emotionally?