By producing some truly desirable cars over the past three years, Maserati has done the hard work and got itself out of the debt that was burrying the company in 2006. Now, it seems, it’s time to make the easy money, using the old trick of tarting up an exisiting car, producing only a handful of said model and jacking up its price.

The number is 12 and the car is this Special Edition GranTurismo S MC Sport Line, finished in Pearl Matt White. The figure represents the victories Maserati has had since 2005 with its MC12 racecar in the FIA GT championship, as well as the 12 Middle East cities where Maserati is present. Each car comes with a plaque bearing a flag and the city’s name.

The exterior features 20in, Trident-design wheels, carbon fibre lip and a matching rear boot spoiler. Capitalising on the region’s taste for customisation, Maserati says buyers can personalise the exterior to create ‘a dynamic sportive look’.

For the interior, there’s carbon fibre on the dash and sills, black diamond-stitched seats with red threads, as well as red lining for the floor mats, which together help create a more racy mood. The Abu Dhabi car has been sold, but you can get one of the others - for an astonishing $ 215,000.