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The Greatest Maserati's










Sold for $2,530,000 on August 17, 2013


150 bhp, 1,985 cc double overhead-cam
twin-plug inline six-cylinder engine with three
Weber 40 DC03 carburetors, five-speed
manual transmission, double wishbone front
suspension with coil springs and anti-roll bar,
live axle rear suspension with quarter-elliptic
leaf springs and anti-roll bar, and four-wheel
hydraulic drum brakes.
Wheelbase: 100.4 in.

1956 Maserati A6G/2000 Spyder by Frua
The spyder bodies Frua designed for the Maserati A6G chassis rank among his loveliest creations. Depending upon the angle from which they are viewed, they appear either crisply tailored or boldly muscular, with subtle creases through the flanks setting off slightly kicked up rear fenders and rounded body sides that seem to flow down and tuck under the chassis. Small bumperettes in the front and rear give the impression of sporty lightness, opening up the deeply scooped grille and cupping the famed Maserati trident. In many ways, the design resembles the famed AC Ace and Shelby Cobra, which it happened to predate it. One has to wonder who inspired whom.

The only A6G Frua Spyder with side exhaust
Best Maserati at Concorso Italiano in 2003
Two-time Colorado Grand participant

It is believed that three of these Spyders were built, of which one was fitted to A6GCS chassis 2054 and delivered to dealer Guglielmo Dei, of Rome, who delivered it to an American client in early 1954. Importantly, this was the only Frua Spyder mounted to a genuine A6GCS car; the other two were mounted on A6GCS chassis, but they were engineered with the more street-friendly A6G/54 engine. The car was fitted out with a striking chromed side exhaust, emerging like a dragon’s tongue from behind the front wheels and becoming a flicker of silver down the body on the driver’s side. Reminiscent of earlier Maserati racing cars, it added an additional element of drama to the design, the sort of touch that made Frua bodies stand out from the crowd, and it continues to do so today. As a testament to its beauty, chassis 2054 was pictured in Richard Crump and Rob Box’s Maserati Road Cars, with a note stating that “these spyders were most attractive.”