Powered by a beautifully complicated V16 engine, the earliest Maserati on display at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este was this unique V4 Sport Zagato Spider. At first glimpse, it looked deceivingly similar to a Zagato spider sports car of the early 1930s. Subtle hints of what lies beneath are the off-set crank handle and the twin exhausts. Built in 1932, the car was based on the V4 Grand Prix car, which was raced with some success for several years. The sheer power of the four-litre, supercharged V16 often proved too much for the tyres and brakes. It did excel in a straight line, setting a new world record for under five-litre cars at 246 km/h over a 10 km run. The sports car version used the same engine, mated to a three-speed gearbox. The first owner was the physician to the pope and the engine survived the War in the bedroom of the then owner. Today, it is the only V16-engined Maserati in existence and has been completely restored since joining the current custodian's stable in the late 1990s. Rarely seen in public, we used this opportunity to capture the V4 Sport Zagato Spider in full detail.
Another one-off Maserati on show at Villa d'Este was the 150 GT Spider built during the second half of the 1950s. Based on a well-used competition car chassis, the lovely little machine served to explore the possibility of a four-cylinder engined production model. It combines a 150 S engine with a striking Fantuzzi Spider body, which was actually the coach-builder's first attempt at creating a body for a road car. The car was never shown at a major show but was lent to some journalists and prominent clients to sample. Sadly, it never entered production as the focus turned to the six-cylinder engined 3500 GT instead. Fortunately, it did survive not in the least because it was cherished by Maserati's employees. Villa d'Este was one of the if not the first time the Maserati 150 GT Spider was shown in public.

Enjoy the links:

1957 Maserati 150 GT Spider - Images, Specifications and Information

1932 Maserati V4 Sport Zagato Spider - Images, Specifications and Information