The Vignale was initially delivered in white with a black leather interior and sold new by the Maserati distributor Cornacchia Automobili of Rome, Italy, to Francesco “Franco” Migliacci, a renowned Italian songwriter and composer, also from Rome. In 1958, with Domenico Modugno, Migliacci co-authored the song Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu, aka ‘Volare’, which has become one of the most well-known Italian songs in the world.
The car was later purchased by a lady in Naples who apparently had its colour changed from white to Rosso Rubino, the beautiful Ruby Red it presents today. The interior was not touched and remained as when delivered from the factory in Modena.
The Napolitana kept the car until 1980, when it was acquired by Pierre Honegger, a race car driver and entrepreneur in Princeton, New Jersey. Honegger maintained the 3500 GT in his collection. When he received the Maserati, other than the paint, the car was original, without any evidence of accident or modification. He sold the Maserati in March 1997 to noted collector Peter Starr, with 29,037 kms on the odometer, believed to be the original reading. When Starr took possession of the car, it had already been fitted with another Maserati 3500 GT factory replacement engine - a correct 3.5-litre 6- 6-cylinder motor exactly as the original one. It is unclear whether the engine change was at the request of a previous owner or whether Honegger switched out the motor.
In 2006, Starr commissioned Ayer European Auto Restorations in Gardiner, Maine, to perform a respray, taking the body back to bare metal to ensure a first-class result. At the same time, the chrome was sent to D&S Plating Co., the Pebble Beach award-winning specialist based in Holyoke, Massachusetts. After years of careful maintenance and meticulous service, the Maserati was presented at the Amelia Island Concours in 2014 as the only Vignale Spyder at the 100th Anniversary celebration of the Maserati marque. After two decades of ownership, Starr sold the car to John Boccardo (allegedly for 800.000 $), a long-time enthusiast with an extensive and eclectic collection, including numerous Maseratis.

In 2019, this car changed ownership and was brought back to Europe, where it resides in Belgium with a Maserati Collector. The car either requires recommissioning to be driven as it is or is a perfect candidate for restoration.

This 3500 GT Spyder is believed to be dressed with the original top and interior, and other than a small tear in the top canvas and some insignificant paint flaking on the dash, the overall condition of the car is amazingly well-preserved with a patina of careful wear over its 63 years. It has three Weber carburettors, disc brakes in the front, drum brakes in the rear, a lovely set of Borrani steel wheels, and the desirable 5-speed manual transmission. The Maserati Archive has confirmed this car is a matching numbers car, and that is why the car comes with the official historical
documentation.