The latter corresponds to the coupé but without roof and proper windscreen; a small air deflector protects the passenger and the driver from the passing wind and the car had to be driven while wearing a helmet.

The Guarà is based on the Maserati Barchetta Stradale prototype from 1991 which was meant to be the street-legal variant of the track-only car.

[5][6] The first Spyder was completed in 1999 to the specifications of a German industrial designer who did not like the standard interior and did not want a fixed roof.

Once De Tomaso switched to the Ford engine, no more Spyders could be built as the larger powertrain could not be accommodated.

[7] Fibreglass, Kevlar, and other composites make the body shell, fitted to a backbone chassis made from aluminium.

A six-speed manual transmission made by Getrag was used to drive the rear wheels and it had a gated shifter for easier gear changes.

The Guará had a dry weight of 1,200 kg (2,646 lb) and had a power-to-weight ratio of 236 PS per tonne with the BMW engine.