1955 Maserati A6G/54 2000 Spider by Zagato to be auctioned

As Maserati works to rebuild, it is important to remember what made this Italian automaker great. Things like this Zagato-bodied 1955 Maserati A6G/54 2000 Spyder, which will be auctioned by RM Sotheby's on August 19 in conjunction with Monterey Car Week.

The A6G/54 is the last of the models introduced in 1950. It featured a twin-cam, twin-spark 2.0-liter inline 6-cylinder engine from the base A6G, and aluminum fin drum brakes. Sixty cars were produced for racing by 1957, 21 of which were given Zagato bodywork. Among that small group, chassis 2101, which will be offered at auction, is special.

Chassis 2101 was the first Zagato-bodied car, built as a more luxurious spider rather than a race car; it was also shown at the 1955 Geneva Salon, where it caught the eye of Argentine dictator Juan Peron.

Peron purchased the car but requested modifications, including removing the original fog lights and oversized Maserati Trident badges and adding a hood scoop and fender vents. The color was also changed from Grigio Piombo (lead gray) to Blue Algisto Scuro (cold dark blue)

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By the time these changes were completed, the Peron regime had collapsed and the order was canceled. Chassis 2101 in its new form was exhibited at the 1958 Paris Salon and sold to U.S. embassy official Louis W. Schroeder; two years later, Schroeder sold A6G to Sherrod Santos, a U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel stationed in France at the time.

Santos sold the Maserati in 1966, and it continued to change owners over the next few decades; restoration to its 1958 appearance was completed in 2003, and since then it has appeared at occasional concours events, including Pebble Beach in 2003 and Villa d'Este in 2013.

With its unique Zagato bodywork, the A6G/54 2000 Spyder is a classic from the golden age of Italian coachbuilding. As such, it is expected to fetch between $4.5 and $5.5 million at auction.

Maserati is now going electric, undergoing its biggest lineup revamp in years, and returning to racing in Formula E and the European GT2 series. However, coachbuilt cars are not part of the modern automotive industry.

Monterey Car Week runs from August 12-21 in and around Monterey, California, culminating with the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on August 21. For a full rundown, see the dedicated hub.