Introduced in September 2001 alongside the Spyder GT, the Spyder Cambiocorsa was Maserati's first production car equipped with a F1-style paddle-shift gearshift, technology derived directly from Ferrari’s racing experience. The transaxle electro-activated unit came with four settings: ‘Sport’ for competition style gear changes and faster responses, ‘Auto’ for a fully automatic driving experience, ‘Ice’ which limited the engine throttle for the most treacherous driving conditions, and ‘Normal’ to optimize the smoothness of the gear change and enhanced fuel economy. The Spyder Cambiocorsa also featured the optional Skyhook automatic damping suspension control system, with quicker reactions than any similar system existing at the time.

The folding roof received a glass window in 2003 and a subtle restyle was introduced after July 2004, mainly concerning the front grille, which became taller with four horizontal slats. In 2005 a special ‘Vintage’ trim level was added to the Coupe and Spyder range. The package included eye-catching detailing such as side air vents mounted on the front wings which evoked those in Touring’s original 3500 GT coupé.

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Motor Trend, June 2005, in a comparison test with the Spyder Cambiocorsa:
“Maserati’s 385-horsepower, all-aluminum 4.2-liter V-8 is one of the world’s great engines, delivering searing performance all the way to its 7500-rpm redline, accompanied by an elegant V-8 howl… And it’s as glorious to look at as it is to listen to, with a crackle finished aluminum intake manifold—complete with cast-in Maserati trident—arcing gracefully between the red-finished cam covers.  It’s how you always imagined a Maserati engine would be… Fan the downshift paddle, and it instantly reacts to the computer-controlled throttle, ripping up the rev band between ratios like a Ferrari.