Not quite a classic: Maserati 3200 GT

You can have a flutter on the horses. Chance some money on shares. Take a bet on an election.

But none of these approach the sustained gamble of buying a used, highly strung performance car whose random tantrums can replicate the Southern Rail experience with massive extra expense.

You could try a V10 BMW M5, with its reputation for occasionally chewing its own engine. Experience the will-it, won’t-it, sod-it starting problems of Mazda RX-8s. Or embark on your very own product development programme by attempting to turn a TVR reliable. 

But none of these has the glamorous allure of a used Maserati 3200 GT, nor the same capacity for occupying your mind with thoughts of what repairs/maintenance/preventive jobs you must do next, how much money you can spare for them and whether you’ll complete the journey that prompted these musings in the first place.

Like almost every old car with a following, there are non-franchised specialists with sensible prices and if the Maserati forums are to be believed, a much deeper understanding of these cars than official dealers. 

All of which makes this somewhat unloved Maserati more of a temptress.

As does a twin-turbo, 32-valve, 365bhp V8 that will deliver you 5.1sec scorches to 62mph and a 174mph workout for the fuel pump.

There’s sumptuous luxury too, the 3200 flaunting enough leather to supply a Moroccan souk for a day, rich hides sleeving most of the cabin and sometimes even the ceiling.

You face a sextet of classy, blue-faced dials, check the time from an ornate clock and sink your feet into luxuriant carpet. Even if you must wait for the AA, this is a pretty pleasant place to do it.

And then there are those boomerang taillights, these curving stripes of variegated light unique to the GT and a flourish that has tempted many a buyer across the financial line. 

The 3200’s subtly voluptuous body was Giorgetto Giugiaro’s work, its only oddity a roofline that turns curiously turret-like from certain angles.

The rest is sheer Italian class, and as a bonus, the rear half of its cabin will just about house a couple of adults. Who can push if necessary.

So what about the drive? Well. The figures say it’s fast, and the early drive-by-wire throttle and enthusiastic turbos will have you surging about like an amateur if you aren’t delicate.