Believed to be one of the 1966 Turin Motor Show cars
right-hand drive version
Sold by Bonhams in 2015 - price not disclosed
bonhams.com/auctions/22729/lot/9/
Believed to be one of the 1966 Turin Motor Show cars, this right-hand drive Mistral Spyder was originally sold by the UK Maserati concessionaire to its first owner, Mr Elias Houry, a London-based banker. It subsequently passed through the hands of four registered keepers, including two well known exotic car dealers, Anthony Rees Thorley and Charles Harris, before ending up in the possession of Thomas Walduck, a well known collector, in 1974. Marque specialists Corley Motors purchased the Maserati from Mr Walduck circa 1993 and extensively restored the car, which passed via dealer Neil Crabb to its next private owner, Sir John Roger, in July 1998.
Sit John appears to have used the Maserati sparingly during his ownership, accompanying bills for maintenance work and expired MoT certificates showing the odometer reading increasing from 75,618 in 1999 to 77,450 in 2005, a total of only 1,832 miles in six years. Purchased by dealer Brain Classic at a UK auction in July 2005, ‘HUJ 310D’ was sold to its current owner the following month.
The mileage at time of acquisition was 77,451, to which the vendor has added some 11,000 miles, making the current total 88,494. The accompanying and most substantial service history dates back to the car’s time at Corley Motors and continues with bills and MoT certificates relating to its time in Sir John Rogers’ ownership. Needless to say, all bills and MoT certificates accumulated by the current owner are in the file also, making for a most impressively documented history. The latter testifies to the vendor’s fastidious ‘no expense spared’ approach to maintenance, with the bulk of the work undertaken being shared between renowned marque specialist Bill McGrath and Classic Restorations of Alyth, Perthshire. In total, some £80,000 has been spent over the course of the last ten years, the most recent significant expenditure relating to a major bodywork restoration and repaint carried out by Vale Cottage Motors in December 2012 at a cost of £40,000. The car will be offered for sale fresh from a service by Bill McGrath Maserati.
Of the relative handful of Mistral Spyders built in right-hand drive configuration, ‘HUJ 310D’ is believed to be one of only two known to still exist but is the only one fitted with a detachable factory hardtop. Refinished in its original ‘Red Arcoveggio’ with magnolia hide interior, this beautiful car represents a unique opportunity to acquire one of these delightful, rare, hand-built Spyders possessing impeccable provenance.
