I like my Maseratis like I like my Cabernet Sauvignon: 2004 Maserati Spyder "Vintage"

Ok, so I added the quotes around "Vintage" to both spell out my hilarious joke and call your attention to Maserati's ploy to make you think something new is in fact very old. In fact the Maserati Spyder Vintage is not explicitly new, as in brand new, since it surfaced from the depths, trident in hand, in 2002. It was a comfortable, polished, well-powered convertible held back by a crap chassis. The Vintage reissue proves that the Maser has progressed, although for the most part, the enhancements are cosmetic. There are non-tacky chrome accents, new wheels, a thick, easily-manipulated soft top and the expected sumptuous interior. The car is still conveyed by a terrific 4.2-liter V8, and only occasionally hampered by the sequential manual gearbox. And the crap chassis? It has been stiffened and reinforced successfully so that the old unwanted flexibility is gone, a thing of the past, so to speak. In a word: vintage.