A One-of-One Maserati 3500 GT Can Be Yours on Bring a Trailer

There were no bad-looking Italian sports cars produced in the 1950s and 1960s. Regardless of whether they were from Ferrari, Lamborghini, or Maserati, it doesn’t matter. They all had a certain suave aura about them that has yet to be replicated since. That is a hill I will die on. To help prove my point, I bring to you this 1958 Maserati 3500 GT Spyder by Frua from Bring a Trailer.

You can’t get much rarer than being the only one in existence

If you’re familiar with the 3500 GT, also known as the Tipo 101, then you’ll notice some pretty major aesthetic distinctions between a regular 3500 GT and this one. That’s because this particular example is one of five that was transformed by Pietro Frua and the only one in an open-roof configuration. Frua styling cues that set this car apart from a regular 3500 GT include inset fender vents with quadruple chrome spears, a split front bumper with vertical bumperettes, a rear bumper with vertical bumperettes, a hood scoop, a new grille, and new taillights.

A storied ownership history

Chassis 268 was completed in December 1958 before it was test-driven on the Autodromo di Modena and then exported to France. It was first registered under a private company in November 1959, and in 1960, this 3500 GT appeared in the French film La Francaise et l’Amour before being sold to French film-score composer Francis Lopez. In 1981, it was purchased by another enthusiast from Évreux, who commissioned a refurbishment that included the installation of a replacement 3.5-liter DOHC inline-six engine and a five-speed manual transmission, along with a repaint in its factory pale yellow color.

The car saw two more European owners before it was exported to the US to be a part of the Alfredo Brener collection. It was purchased out of that collection sometime later by an enthusiast who held on to the rare beast for 14 years. Under their ownership, the Maserati underwent another refresh approximately seven years ago that overhauled the powertrain components and re-trimmed the interior in red leather. The car was purchased in 2022 by the current owner and seller, who spent over $416,000 at Fast Cars Ltd. of Redondo Beach, California, to return this one-of-five Frua beauty to factory spec, including re-trimming the interior once again to its factory color scheme of turquoise and cream, repainting the car in its factory color, rechorming the trim pieces, and replacing the convertible top’s white fabric. Following that magnificent refurbishment, the car made a well-deserved appearance on the lawn of the 2024 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

Under the hood is the same 3.5-liter DOHC inline-six engine that was reportedly sourced from the factory in the 1980s and overhauled between 2017 and 2018. It uses triple Weber 42 DCOE carburetors and two spark plugs per cylinder to send power through that same five-speed manual transmission from the 1980s refurbishment. It, too, was reportedly rebuilt between 2017 and 2018. The five-digit odometer shows 3,600 kilometers (~2,200 miles), approximately 200 of which have been added by the current owner.

Final thoughts

The Maserati 3500 GT is a gorgeous car in and of itself, but this Frua-bodied example takes that beauty to another level. The fact that only five Frua-bodied 3500 GTs exist and this is the only one with a convertible top is just the cherry on top of the sundae.

Included in the sale are a binder with historical photos of the car and an outline of its, a tool kit, a scale model matching the car, a copy of the book Maserati Spyder: La Storia, The History by Jürgen Lewandowski containing a chapter about the car, Pebble Beach memorabilia, service and parts manuals, and a car cover. At the time of writing, the auction ends in a little over 15 hours with a current bid of USD $730,000. Given this car’s provenance and concours-level restoration, we expect that number to go even higher.