Gran Turismo 7 is handing out a legendary 1954 Maserati on a silver platter for a strictly limited two-week window, allowing players to taste absolute motoring royalty without having to sell a kidney. Normally, bagging this ultra-rare vintage masterpiece in-game costs nearly three million credits, making this temporary freebie a genuinely welcome surprise for digital drivers.
We are talking about the iconic Maserati A6GCS/53 Spyder, and it deserves a much closer look. Tucking a 1,986 cc inline-six under its long aluminum snout, this setup pushes 166 HP into a frame that tips the scales at a featherweight 740 kilograms (1,631 lbs). Naturally, all that output goes straight to the rear wheels.
Modern drivers will have to unlearn their habitual driving reflexes quickly: third gear comfortably stretches all the way to 124 mph, and pushing it too hard on GT7 occasionally serves up a harsh reminder of retro understeer. Yet, throwing it around virtual tracks offers pure, unadulterated joy.
The engineering mastermind behind this powerplant might make die-hard Ferraristi double-check their history books. In 1952, Maserati poached Gioacchino Colombo, the genius behind early Ferrari V12s, with a crystal-clear mission: make the A6GCS faster and far less fragile.
Colombo reworked the engine dimensions with a larger bore and shorter stroke to rev higher, fitting double overhead cams, larger valves, and twin-spark ignition. He threw out the original sports chassis in favor of a widened single-seater frame to accommodate two seats.
The story actually began years prior when WWII halted racing, prompting Ernesto Maserati to design a race car featuring a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter single-cam unit. The “A” honored his late brother Alfieri, while the “G” stood for ghisa (cast iron). The block eventually transitioned to lightweight aluminum, retaining the letter despite losing every ounce of iron.
Only 52 units were ever built, with 48 featuring lightweight aluminum spider bodywork crafted by Medardo Fantuzzi, a rolling sculpture on wheels. It claimed class victory at the 1953 Mille Miglia, took second and third overall at the Targa Florio, placed second at the 12 Hours of Pescara, and secured overall wins at Caserta, Avellino, and the Giro dell’Umbria.
Tamed in period by icons like Juan Manuel Fangio, Roy Salvadori, and the Marquis de Portago, it remains one of the most coveted 1950s sports racers among multimillionaire collectors today. Sadly, most of us won’t ever park one in a real garage, but enjoying two weeks of virtual bliss on GT7 before handing the keys back is a compromise we can live with.