1993 Maserati Spyder E

As a Spyder, ‘K343 EGM’ would have been assembled for Maserati by Zagato in Milan. Interestingly, despite using the shorter chassis of the two, the convertible’s luggage compartment is actually bigger than that found in the saloon, which makes this iteration of the Biturbo a potent touring car as long as there’s just the two of you.

A genuine right-hand-drive UK car, albeit one with a Cat D marker against it, it had had more than £25,000 put into it with McGrath Maserati, the well-known independent specialist, in the decade before the seller bought it at the end of 2024.

A probate sale, the car had lain unused for a couple of years by then, so he consigned it back to the same firm to be recommissioned. McGrath weaved its usual magic, which added another £1,400 to the tally.

Still showing just over 60,000 miles on the odometer and the recipient of a nearly-clear MoT – a couple of rear tyres would take care of the only advisories – this is a rare chance to buy an increasingly desirable convertible sportscar. 
 

Our in-house assessor, a man feared throughout the industry for the sharpness of his pencil and his willingness to deploy it, reports that the Biturbo Spyder’s bodywork is “very straight with no significant dents”.

The panels all align well too, and the BiTurbo sits nice and level. It also has a decent shine to the blue paintwork.

The matching blue fabric roof opens, closes, and latches as it should, and seals well. It is also nice and taut when it is closed but it does have a couple of holes in it, plus some areas where it’s rubbed through. There is also a long tear on the nearside rear quarter.

New door and window seals had been fitted before we sold it last in 2020, and the wheels had also been refurbished at around the same time. The 15-inch alloys are still in a good condition and are holding up well but then they’ve only travelled a couple of thousand miles since then.

They are also fitted with four Toyo Proxes tyres. The front ones are date-stamped 2019 and are still in good order but the rear ones, which were the subject of an MoT advisory this year, are 14 years old, badly perished, and need to be replaced.

Nonetheless, we will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly.

We have identified the following flaws: the front bumper has scuffs to both corners; the windscreen has started to delaminate and the rubber seal has come adrift; the nearside front wing and nearside door are slightly different colours; the front grille surround has a slight dent; one of the nearside headlamps has condensation in it; the nearside rear and front indicator lenses have cracks in them; the rubber trim on both bumpers is damaged; the offside door mirror casing is scuffed; the front and rear valence both show damage; and most panels show either minor or moderately deep scratches.

More urgent is the nearside rear quarter, which has a significant rust bubble at  the bottom immediately behind the door.
 

Our chap reports that overall, the interior is tidy but is starting to show its age, but then aren’t we all?

The patina makes itself known most obviously via the seats, which are cracked and creased. They’re still plump and pillowy though, with that trademark Maserati blend of supreme comfort allied to good support.

The plush armrest between the two front seats is also heavily cracked, but the somewhat vestigial rear seat, whose minimalism contributes to that huge boot, is in a good condition overall.

The dashboard is a fetching combination of suede, leather, and walnut veneer, and the steering wheel, gearknob, and handbrake handle, which are all made of wood, are in an acceptable condition.

The nearside door card is excellent, the suede dashboard top is in good order, and the iconic analogue clock is still present.

The boot is pretty good with clean and undamaged carpets and a decent capacity for such a small car. It also contains a jack and wheel brace plus a few spares; please see the photos for details.

As for cosmetic issues, the carpet and mats are worn, the suede on the back of the front seats is bobbled, the leather steering wheel hub has aged quite badly, and the front of the radio is missing.

Finally, the nearside window doesn’t work, and while the offside one does go down, it requires some encouragement to go back up again.

Oh, and an isolator switch has been fitted, which will do double duty as both a battery saver and an anti-theft device. 
 

March 2025 saw McGrath Maserati take the Biturbo under its wing after a couple of years of not being used.

This was a good choice because the same firm has been looking after the car for a decade or so now. In all its bills come to a staggering £27,000, including a new steering rack and a reconditioned gearbox in 2019.

As you can see, it starts and runs well.

The engine bay is a bit messy and dirty, but we can’t see any signs of an oil leak, either under the bonnet or on the underside. The underbonnet sound insulation is in a very good condition.

The underside looks like it’s had underseal in its recent past, although whoever applied it missed a few places and left some overspray on the spare wheel and exhaust. But, the exhaust system looks like it has been replaced fairly recently.

That’s the good news. The bad is that the spare wheel has a sizeable and rusty nail in it.
 

The Maserati’s MoT certificate, which is valid until May 2026, had only two advisories for the rear tyres we mentioned earlier.

The recent Vehicle History Check records the car’s Cat D status in 2006, something the RAC describes this as “deemed to be too expensive to fix by the insurance company” but “can be repaired and returned to the road”.

We have no further information on what happened or what was damaged, but Biturbo values were so low at the time we can see that even a minor bump might have proven uneconomical to repair.

The history file includes a wealth of paperwork from McGrath Maserati.

NB: The seller is awaiting a new V5, although he tells us that it has been applied for.
 

Any Maserati Biturbo is a rare and exotic sight in the UK, not least because the few that came here often succumbed to terminal rust at an early age.

Not that this has been an issue here as the online MoT history shows no mention of structural corrosion, which is a significant plus in its favour.

Yes, there are a few things you’re going to want to put right but this is reflected in our guide price of between £6,000 and £10,000.

That’s good news in itself but it gets even better because the Spyder, which must be the most desirable of all the Biturbo models, is being offered with no reserve, so will sell from the very first bid, no matter how derisory that might be.

Imagine spending a long hot summer with your new Maserati convertible sportscar before tucking it away over the winter for a little TLC.

Tempting, isn’t it?

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