Car reviews

The Spyder was the first Maserati to be engineered under the watch of new owners Ferrari, arriving in Britain in 2002. It shares its chassis and V8 engine with the Coupé model introduced later that year but the Spyder's wheelbase is 220mm shorter, giving it a sportier stance and minimising the weight added to substitute the strength lost by chopping off the top. The downside is that shorter structure left no room for the Coupé's useful rear seats. A slightly more performance-focused Gran Sport version of the Coupé appeared in 2004 and a Gran Sport Spyder followed a year later when the regular Spyder was deleted from the range. Benefits included an extra 10bhp and sportier suspension. In 2007 Maserati phased out the Coupé, Gran Sport and Spyder, replacing them with the larger, more refined Granturismo.