Dan Trent: A Maserati will always be cooler than a Ferrari

And while researching '60s Ferrari convertibles recently I got into the mindset of someone in the market for such cars and wondering if I’d actually lay down the £1.75m or so required for something like a mid-‘60s 275 GTS. A relative bargain compared with its celebrated 250 California predecessor, there’s little wrong with its combination of a stunning V12, elegant engineering and properly thoroughbred performance.

In the name of context I was looking for contemporary alternatives and, frankly, there seems nothing on sale at the time that could really compete. And so it goes that if you want the ultimate in Italian-built ‘60s sports car glamour the default choice remains Ferrari. And you pay accordingly.

All very well. But I think Maserati was just so much cooler. Typically outshone by their noisy Modenese neighbours, Maserati’s more fleeting flashes of brilliance and underdog spirit are more romantic. And if I were in the fortunate position to be putting a substantial amount of money down on a glamorous 60s convertible that’s why I’d have something like this Mistral Spyder over the Ferrari alternative.

On paper it doesn’t really stack up. It’s six cylinders down for starters and its Frua-designed bodywork isn’t as instantly appealing. Nor will the badge carry as much cachet or be as widely recognised.

That’s attractive in itself though. I like the idea of turning up in a Mistral Spyder and hearing “what a gorgeous car … but what is it?” rather than just “nice Ferrari”. There’s a sense of challenge in the looks, details like that line running from under the headlights and over the front wings and the distinctive shape to the wheelarches making it somehow more daring and exotic than the Maranello alternatives.

No excuses necessary mechanically either. It may not have a V12 but that 3.7-litre straight-six is related to the engine in the legendary Maserati 250F, the monoposto racing car that launched Stirling Moss into Formula 1 as a privateer and gave Fangio his final and most celebrated Grand Prix win at the Nurburgring in 1957. Passing the Ferraris of Peter Collins and Mike Hawthorn in the process. 

With around 245hp it’s not so far down on the 260hp of the 275 GTS’s V12 either and while it doesn’t have the Ferrari’s sophisticated all-independent suspension or more exotic transaxle layout it’s still got disc brakes and a five-speed transmission. Given how hard you’d actually want to push a sporting tourer of this value and vintage I don’t think the Maserati would be disgraced in performance terms, this seemingly a perfect balance between classic charm and modern usability.

These are rare cars too, there being around 125 Spyders built across the 3.5, 3.7 and 4.0-litre variants between 1963 and 1970. They’re thin on the ground and difficult to value as a result, this 3.5 making $412,500 at Monterey last year while a 4.0 made nearly three-quarters of a million at RM Sotheby’s London sale around the same time. The car I’ve found is a 1969 3.7 with an intriguing history, having been delivered for to Maserati for a service in 1978 and never collected. It then went to the Maserati museum, matching number status and low mileage meaning I’d wager it’d be at or about seven figures by now.

Its rarity, its beauty and the fact it’s not a Ferrari makes it the more interesting choice than something red from Enzo’s stable of prancing horses. And why, to me, Maserati will always be the cooler brand.