With no Euro NCAP results available to prove how well the Spyder would stand up in a collision it’s difficult to rate accurately. It does at least come with both front and side airbags and an alphabet soup’s worth of electronic safety acronyms including stability control (from 2004) and some impressively powerful Brembo brakes to keep you out of trouble.

There are also two fixed roll hoops located behind the seats designed to give occupants protection from crushing in the event of the car landing upside down, although the soft roof obviously won’t be as strong as the solid folding top on a Mercedes SL.

There is one upside from Maserati’s decision to make the Spyder a two-seater and that’s the huge boot. The folding roof mechanism barely impinges on luggage space at all leaving a massive 300 litres of volume, enough for two golf bags. A Mercedes SL has 10 litres more with the roof up, but fold its retractable hard top away and that drops to just 206 litres.

In the cabin there is a useful full length pocket on each door and a lockable cubby located behind the seats between the roll bars and the boot which – handy if you want to leave the car without raising the roof.