3500 GT Spyder Vignale thread

There was a spyder offered at the "Fiera di Padova" this year in october. This spyder also had no engine number stamped on the block. The seller, an Italian company, did not know if the car has still the original engine or if there has been built in a new engine within the last 40 years. But when discussing with some Maserati specialists they< told me that also some of the factory delivered cars where distributed without the stamped engine number. I think nobody really knows about this definitely.
Ciao Alfred

 

Yes, all engines has their own number which is the best way to determine the size of the engine and when it was made,

There was a tech tip in VCM in issue number 50 featuring Khamsin # 1172 on the cover then owned by George Andreini.
I have attached it here in order to answer all your questions.
Ciao,
FGM
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Thanks! I learn something new everyday

Ivan

 

Thanks very interesting. I didn't knew that either. I must go to the garage and look at my car.

Magnus

 

I cannot provide you with a precise date as I am in the process of moving and my old records are stored in boxes. I bought the car from Randy Simon, probably in the mid-1990's. It was not a bad car back when I had it and it is nicer now as it was given a good paint job. The chrome and wire wheels are very nice.

Ivan

 

spyder prototye #504 restoration is finally started.

First step: remove the engine.

Car lift comes in handy to disconnect all the stuff. Engine and transmission came out as one unit. This sucker is big and with 50 years of oil and dirt!

Next step is to redo all the chrome, brakes and suspension. For now I'm keeping the original paint and interior and simply repair the most obvious defects. Although the car would look great with a brand new paint job, there is something to be said about original paint ... no matter how bad it is.

Ivan
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Fantastic! Keep us updated

 

Walter,

Yes. For now I want to do the chrome and simply retouch small areas of the paint. I also want to keep the original rubber seals, soft top and interior. Just patch up what is needed. My intention is not to make the car new again but to make it presentable while keeping its patina, and of course mechanically fit.

Ivan

 

Early example with 4-speed gearbox and Webers. Photos taken about 2 months ago. Exterior color not original to the car but very nicely done. Interior is mostly original and in excellent condition. Sold the car to a gentleman in Boston. A nice example.

Ivan
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Great pics Ivan. Great example. This has to be the most undervalued car on the market. I don't think the Cal Spyder has anything on this....other than a V12 of course

 

Ivan,
Would you happen to have the name of the colour or paint code for the blue spyder?
TIA Regards Ian.

 

Did s/n 1051 come from Chicago / Wisconsin recently? I have a photo of a similar car taken in 2007 on a street in Chicago with a Wisconsin plate VA BENE 1. Colors match and some yellow driving lights appear to be visible in your photos.

 

Yes, the same car.

 

Sorry, I do not.

Ivan

 

This information would have been useful when I posed the same question about a vignale spyder 6 months ago which did not have a chassis stamping on the block, even though it had a correctly sized engine with proper engine stamping. At that time, no one had reported seeing or owning a car without a chassis stamping which was not a replacement block. The best we could figure was that a few cars had been returned to the factory for warranty repairs, and the factory just popped a new engine in. I passed on the car, perhaps a bit hastily.

 

Actually, years ago Frank Mandarano published on the MIE magazine a short article about the lack of chassis numbers on many Vignale spyders. Three of the five Vignale spyder's I've owned did not have the VIN stamped on th engine. I also inspected another VS that I ended not buying that did not have the chassis number on the engine. I would say that the odds that all of them had replacement factory engines is rather low. If an engine had to be replaced the most likely source would have been an engine from a parts car, which would mean an engine with a non-matchin VIN, not one without a VIN.

Ivan

 

....dude,....wake up. Helpful? WTF????

 

Sorry not you Walter!!!

 

Has anyone got a picture of 1401 still in it's original Verde Tevere MM16.223 ?

Or any other car for that matter.

Mark Shannon