1999 Maserati 3200 GTA

With just four previous owners - and the previous owner had the car for twelve years between 2005 and 2017 - and 46,000 miles on the odometer, this gorgeous Maserati 3200 GTA has been in the care of the vendor for the past two years. The Maserati 3200 GT was first released when he was 20 years old, and he always promised himself one, a state of affairs that wasn’t helped when a friend of his in France bought one and loved it.

So, he searched long and hard for his ideal car before coming across this one. With a perfect service history from the sort of garages that understand the marque, he snapped it up fully intending to keep it for a decade or more. He then kept it garaged, and serviced it well, but God laughs when man plans, and a change of circumstances force this reluctant sale.

With a peerless service history and presented in great condition, this is a very sensible way to induct yourself into the (sometimes not very sensible at all) world of the modern Maserati.

The mid-blue/silver metallic paintwork is in a great condition, as are the panels it covers. The latter are free of ripples and other car-park damage, and the Maserati shows the sort of tight, even shutlines that speak of a life gently led – and if you’re buying an older Italian sportscar then a life gently led is the only one worth considering…

The frameless doors are a real feature; closing easily and sealing tightly, they show the sort of millimeter-perfect gaps that are more usually the preserve of their Germanic neighbours. It really is a deliciously taut shape, and one that shows on the very gentlest of patinas, largely through carefully touched-up, and therefore barely perceptible, stonechips.

And then there’s that rear end. With those gorgeous ‘boomerang’ rear lights, quad exhaust tail pipes, and the sort of swollen hips that drive fans of Kim Kardashian wild, it is an epic rump to show inferior sportscars as you slice past them in another demonstration of your Driving God status.

The ten-spoke, 18-inch alloy wheels are in a fabulous condition, being free of scuffs, scratches and other signs of a ham-fisted owner. Shod with matching Pirelli P-Zero Rosso high-performance tyres, the Maserati’s relatively under-stated appearance is best summed up by the fact that it is fitted with black, rather than red, brake calipers. Like Natalie Imbruglia, something as beautiful as this needs no extraneous decoration.

And, as we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres like this are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but do give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

The blue-and-black leather interior is full of swoops and curves and while the back-seat might be a bit on the tight side for any horizontal shenanigans, we can’t help but think that Swiss Toni would have appreciated its potential…

And it’s very clean in there, too. The light-grey headlining is minty fresh and blemish-free, as are the door cards, and dashboard. The blue leather seats show only the very gentlest of creasing and what little there is is the sort of patination that reeks of hours spent carefully threading the Maserati along a series of Alpine passes than the sort of damage that happens as a result of a series of careless owners.

Everything in there works exactly as it should too, including the radio and air-conditioning, which enthusiasts will know are renowned weak points.

The OE toolkit is complete and still looks like new and is stored inside its original cloth case. It’s the same story with the spare wheel, jack and wheel brace; they’re perfect, and further proof that this is one Maserati that has led something of a pampered and charmed life.

The boot is also home to the car’s battery. A Bosch item, it looks to have been replaced fairly recently. The boot itself is clean and tidy and very neatly presented.

In fact, aside from a couple of scuffs and marks on the carpet, the only work we can see that needs doing is the steering wheel, whose leather has become slightly creased with use. It’s more of an irritating blemish than a fault, but we can see that the new owner might want to throw a small sum at their preferred trimmer to sort it out sooner rather than later.

But, don’t take our word for it; why not pop along to see the old girl in person? We don’t bite, and if we like the look of you we might even pop the kettle on while you settle in to admire one of the nicest car interiors we know of.

The car’s suspension was professionally set up by Mike Stoke’s Motorsport in 2009 and 2014. This, along with the thick stack of invoices from folk like Emblem Motorsport, SMDG, and Meridien Modena for service and maintenance work over the years are indicative of the care and attention that this and previous owners have put in to ensuring that the car drove and handled as well as it possibly could.

And we can confirm that it drives very well, including the notoriously fickle automatic gearbox. It even has the sort of sharp, instantaneous throttle response that its designers always intended rather than the mushy, unresponsive pedal that poorly maintained examples are prone to display.

The cambelt was last changed at 44,859 miles on the 20th July 2017, and the owner tells us that he is not aware of any faults with the car bar a slight leak from the exhaust that was picked up by the MOT tester as an advisory item, and the revs, which sometimes rise and fall a little at idle. That the list of faults is so small is vindication of his determination to buy the right car, and to then keep it so.

The online MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever and confirms the car’s low mileage. The car comes with a number of expired MOT certificates plus a sheaf of invoices and bills from Maserati specialists like Emblem Sportscars, SMDG, and Meridien Modena to confirm the work that has been done to it.

It also comes with the original owner’s handbook and bumf-filled wallet, the Becker Mexico operation guide, the stamped service history booklet and a photographic record of some of the work that has been carried out on it.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained in recent years to the very highest standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please contact the market HQ to arrange an appointment.

As we’re among friends, we’re going to be honest and admit that buying a Maserati 3200 GT is going to be one of the bravest moves you’re ever going to make. And yet, you, like us, probably have this very conversation at least once a month and if you’re going to pull the trigger on one then this is the example to pull it on.

And it’s not like you’ll be risking the house, either. At a time when a contemporary Ferrari is fetching silly money, you could find yourself the owner of this minter for only £9,000 - £14,000, which is staggeringly good value.

Oh, and that automatic gearbox? We think it’s actually a far better choice than the manual that everyone will tell you that you need; this is a luxury, grand touring car and it needs the right ‘box if you’re going to cover continents comfortably.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen here at The Market HQ in Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings of any auction, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles we have for sale. While we use our trade experience to assess every car that comes through our hands (and between us we have bought hundreds of classic cars over the years for our personal use…) we are fallible, and our assessment of a car may contrast with that you might form yourself.

This is why we offer a far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange a professional inspection on their behalf of, each vehicle prior to bidding than any traditional car auction, and we will never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this by coming to see it in person.

That said, we do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or those formed as a result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.