Maserati Enthusiasts' Page

The Enthusiasts' Page
	All things 'Maserati'. News of forthcoming models, owner's cars, tips, 'Marque' reunions and the odd touch of humour! In fact anything of interest to the 'Maseratista'. So if you have any news about Maseratis or have anything owners and enthusiasts should know, send details to enricomaserati@btinternet.com	Virtual Maserati clock by toolshell.org

You can click on some pictures for a better view!!

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From Fantasy Junction in the USA "Where Maserati dreams can be turned into reality!"

A Maserati A6GCS by Fantuzzi

I would like to thank Spencer Trenery of Fantasy Junction for allowing me to publish these excellent photos of #2053. "The A6GCS was a very important model for Maserati and had great racing success right from its debut. Maserati won numerous races with the A6GCS, including the 1953 Mille Miglia (1st and 2nd in class, 3rd Overall), against brutal competition from the Ferrari and Mercedes factory teams. Additionally, the A6GCS had success at the Targa Florio and Pescara, as well as elsewhere in Italy, South America, and in the UK, in addition to several wins in the US. In total 52 examples were built between 1953 and 1955, 48 with Spyder bodies and 4 cars with the `Berlinetta Pininfarina` body. All were originally delivered with a 1985cc aluminum block, overhead twin cam, twin plug engine producing approximately 170 horse power. Through the years, many of the A6GCSs used for racing saw multiple engine changes and subsequent modifications. Often, American derived power plants were used to replace expired 2.0L Maserati units."

The Maserati A6GCS by Fantuzzi #2053






From Motor Sport magazine in the UK

SPECIAL COLLECTORS’ EDITION FRONT COVERS Available 28 August 2009 "Dear Maseratisti, Motor Sport magazine’s October issue has been dedicated to Sir Stirling Moss to celebrate his 80th birthday. To make it even more special the issue will be available with one of four very special Collectors’ Edition front covers, as shown above) - each featuring a racing car that is synonymous with Stirling’s career including Maserati, Mercedes-Benz and Aston Martin, plus there is a special portrait cover too. MOTOR SPORT CELEBRATES WITH FOUR SPECIAL COLLECTORS’ EDITION FRONT COVERS We were very honoured that Sir Stirling recently visited our Chelsea offices and sat in the editor’s chair while recalling his most memorable racing moments. He says: “I am pleased to be guest editor of Motor Sport; motor racing has been my life, it still is. Motor Sport covers the modern sport and also does a tremendous job of covering the past. It doesn’t forget the past because the past is still with us.” The Stirling Moss issue coincides with his 80th birthday in September and it is published on August 28. In celebration of this unique occasion, Motor Sport are delighted to offer Maserati enthusiasts an exclusive subscription offer – of 14 issues for the very special price of £46! That’s a 33% saving on the regular retail cover price – to receive perhaps the best-known motor racing magazine delivered direct to your door, each month. You can select which cover edition of the October issue you would like to start your subscription with*! Motor Sport, driven by quality, intelligence and integrity, covers the best of motor racing of today, and yesterday. Providing a unique view on contemporary racing, in particular Formula One, plus historical articles and fabulous photography, Motor Sport has an enviable reputation. Some highlights of our upcoming features include a round-up and review of the Goodwood Revival, a feature on the F1 championship leaders, Jensen Button and Ross Brawn of Brawn GP, Lunch with Nigel Mansell, Nigel Roebuck’s in-depth post-season review of the highs and lows of the F1 season and a rallying special. Don’t delay – subscribe today to secure this exclusive offer. (Offer closes on 30th September 2009) You can choose to contact us by phone or web: Contact us now and quote emc1: www.motorsportmagazine.co.uk/emc1 Tel: 01858 438764 and quote emc1






From Dennis in Sweden

"Hi Enrico, Thank you for your answer. I was reading on your excellent website and I need to know what car I have. My car is a 1991 Maserati 222 SE 2.8-litre 18-valve engine, solid black colour according to my registration papers. All interior and that it has electric adjustable suspension are exactly like an SR. The man who I bought it from (the car was bought in Nice from an Italian who lived there) told me that the car is one of 210 produced cars and that mine was car number 165. I have tried to contact Sig Cozza by fax but failed (no answer). This is the following numbers from my car: Chassis No: ZAM331B00LB120938 Model Type: 331B28 Engine Type: AM 473 No. for Spares: 1058 Do you think that you can help me please? Best regards, Dennis - Sweden."









"Hi Dennis, A friend of mine who works at an official Maserati concessionaire in Italy has infomed me that #ZAM331B00LB120938 is a Maserati 222 SE. The electronically adjustable suspension was available as an option on this model. Regards, Enrico."






From Alfred in Austria

"Hi Enrico, Permanent looking to your fantastic Maserati website has given a lot of pleasure to me. Therefore I hope to get help from you. I am restoring a Maserati 3500 GT Spyder Vignale from ground up with the intention to find the full originality. Now I have some problems with the interior and I want to ask if one of the many visitors of your website can help me. My car was delivered in 1960 with number AM101871. The exterior colour was “canna fucile” and the Conolly leather interior was neutro (Conolly PC 1544). This was the information of Sig. Cozza from the Historic division of Maserati. The problem I have is to find the correct colour and the name of the producer of the carpet (a moquette). Maserati does not have any information about carpets. I have a lot of original pieces of the carpet but there is no moquette any more on the floor and those pieces which still have some moquette I appear in a lot of different colours. I would like to ask if there is anybody on this world, who can tell me the correct type and colour of the carpet and the name of the producer. I have a catalogue of the carpets of Abetone from the well-known producer Radici Tapetti, one of the world’s biggest Italian producer of carpets for motorcars. I was told this company might have delivered carpets in the Sixties to Maserati? If somebody can give me an advice it would be a great help for me in restoring the car to the best of originality. I hope to get help from you. Best regards, Alfred." P.S. I have more than 500 photos from my #871, and to give you an overview what had happened since the beginning of 2008, I will send you some photos and a little history. On Pic-0001 you see the car located in Sidney/Australia where I bought it in January 2008. On Pic-0002 the car arrived at my garage near Vienna/Austria. For transport, the car has been completely assembled in Austalia, so it was running, when she arrived in Vienna April 2008. After studying the part list for many hours and travelling more than 3000 km through Europe to see and learn from similar cars, I decided to start a complete frame-off restoration on December 16th 2008. We worked hard for 7 days and one day before Christmas the car was completely dismantled (Pic-0003). On Pic-0004 the car is completely sandblasted (January 8th 2009). The coachbuilder worked for 2 month and in the middle of May (after waiting for drying) the car was ready for painting (Pic-0005). On Pic-0006 the painting has been finished and #871 has its original “canna di fucile”. In the meantime we did not sleep. Between January and March I was travelling hard between Switzerland, Italy and Germany to collect the parts. In April we worked to rebuild the engine, which was completed in May 2008, as you see on Pic-0007. Pic-0008, 0009 and 0010 show restored and new parts of the front and rear axle as well as the front and rear suspension. In June and July we restored the gearbox, the steering, the brakes, and the electrical parts (starter and alternator). Next week we will start assembling the car. So we hope to finish this work till October. During the winter the upholsterer should do his work to have the car ready for use in spring 2010. After ending of holidays in Italy in September 2008, I will organize the material for the hood, the trunk and the bonnet. For this material I have already good examples, so this will not make a problem. The only – but at the moment my biggest – problem is to find the correct carpet for this car. This is the reason, why I will try to get help via your website. I hope I could give you a little overview about work we had done and the coming steps, we are looking forward.

Pic-0001		Pic-0002

Pic-0001		Pic-0002

Pic-0001		Pic-0002

Pic-0001		Pic-0002

Pic-0001		Pic-0002






From Jacques in France

Jacques' Maserati Ghibli Spyder at Valescure

Jacques' Ghibli Spyder







Jacques' Ghibli Spyder





Ferrari 250 GTo






From Andy in the UK

"Hi Again Enrico, After that last trip out to the North Yorkshire Moors which you kindly posted (see page 176), I started a front-end rebuild on the Ghibli and thought you all might like to see the progress so far. My intention was simply to make it clean, sound, rust-free and protected as It's a car I plan to make good use of, so 100 point perfect (or whatever the expression is) will not be necessary. That original lumpy underseal finish on the box section beams which I have read here on your site is quite correct and original, unfortunately had to go as years of oil mist had softened it over a significant area. Covering the entire chassis and under bonnet area, it had done a pretty good job over the last forty years at keeping the rust at bay. Only under the wings had it actually given in where areas of the sealer had cracked and fallen away. Gear oil: I've been reeking of it for about a year now and while I accept that women in general just can't resist it, it was time to do something about it. The gearbox was one of the first jobs I tackled. the top gasket had pretty much disintegrated and oil was flowing freely down the sides of the box, destroying the rubber sandwich block in the process. I checked out the gears while I was in there and they looked pretty good as you might expect from a 60k miler. Stripping the front suspension was the buggest pain, particularly the lower wishbone shafts. Degreasing, de-rusting and double painting what seemed like hundreds of components was all worth it once re-assembled with new bushes and ball joints all round. Thanks to Bill McGraths (particularly Duncan) for excellent tips and advice on all manner of things. So; engine next. My main reasons for 'going-in' are weeping oil and a slight spitting misfire which I can't seem to eradicate otherwise so check head gasket, water galleries, valve seat recession and repair as necessary. I don't expect to find anything too unpleasant as it runs well, still has a great turn of speed and doesn't burn oil. It's just a bit grotty looking with 4 decades of filth on it. Why not just clean it and put it back in?......part curiosity...part stupidity. Till next time. Andy."

At the start: #AM1151378		At the start: Engine is situ

At the start: Engine removal		Before: Gearbox

Before: Transmission tunnel		After: Transmission tunnel

Before: Suspension and Steering		After: Suspension and Steering

Before: Engine bay as viewed from above		After: Engine bay as viewed from above

Halfway there: Engine bay left-side		After: Engine bay left-side






From Sander in The Netherlands

"Hi Enrico, I have done a lot of reading on your website, the technical assistance part for Ghibli IIs. My name is Sander from the Netherlands. I recently purchased a 1996 Ghibli 2.8 Auto, unfortunately on my way home I blew a head gasket. I am not a Maserati specialist, but have some skills in mechanics. At the moment I am trying to replace them (together with the water pump, belts, spark plugs, etc.). Right now I am running into some difficulties and would really appreciate it if you could give some help with the following: 1. I heard that is should be possible to remove both cylinder heads without removing the engine from the car. The left bank (from driver's position) will need clearance from the brake booster. So I removed the four screws above the pedals inside the car, but there is no room to remove the brake booster. Any ideas on this? Maybe push the engine aside and then the brake booster can go aside, or should I loosen one engine mount? 2. How do I remove the belt tensioner, or at least take the tension off? 3. Should I always replace the cam chains and tensioner as well? 4. Are there maybe other points I will have to keep in mind, like maybe have the camshafts fixed before disconnecting (I marked everything by the way). I saw my Ghibli a couple of months ago for sale at a car showroom near London at GB £6,000. Compared to the prices in The Netherlands this was a bit cheaper. The advert said the car had a full service history and was in top shape. Unfortunately the truth was a bit different; the car didn't have a full service history; from 2,000 miles on there were only a few handwritten leaflets. I already made a lot of expenses to get there and had planned to drive back. So there wasn't really an alternative. So I paid the seller the money (something like GB £5,700 in the end if I remember correctly) and began with my drive home. On my way home I found out that the air/con didn't blow cold (although they told me it worked fine). Then in The Netherlands I found out that the car was using coolant. And finally, when I drove it home from our DVLA (called RDW) it almost did not start and the engine was running badly due to a leaking head gasket (I hope it's not the cylinder head itself). When I contacted the company about it they didn't really bother, although I am 90% sure they knew it was using coolant. I have a broken headlight (driver's side), not sure if this was already there or if it happened on my way home, but I have since found out that it's about the most expensive part on a Ghibli. All in all, pretty bad experience with that company and I wouldn't advice anybody to buy from there. Because I have studied automotive engineering and worked for some years in several garages, I decided to do the work myself. I worked at a Maserati dealership so I ordered the parts (too bad without a discount). With these cars you really depend on the help from others, because I for sure, don't have all the knowledge it takes. I can't say everything is going smoothly. A Maserati isn't a VW or BMW of course, so some bolts can't be reached, some parts are located well hidden or other stuff like that. When the car was running good it did have a lot of power, shifted smooth (it's an automatic) and of course it looked great (cream leather interiour is full of Italian class). I noticed the intake ports were machined. The thin wall between the two ports for one cylinder was even razor sharp, can't believe this is standard on these cars (also attached a picture of this). The interior is in very good shape. There is no structural rust or anything, just some rust bubbles. My turbo pressure gauge isn't working and I believe it has Quattroporte IV wheels (I think it doesn't look too bad). So I am excited to get it back one the road again but it is a lot of work. I don't have a workshop or professional tools, just basic tools and I do the work under a car port. I am planning to set up my own business importing and selling special cars next year. I bought four cars in total now in the UK (BMW E30 320iS, BMW E34 M5 Touring, Mercedes 2.3 16V Cosworth and the Maserati). I am thinking about keeping the Ghibli for myself, but at 25 years of age it is rather expensive to drive. I attached some further pictures. If I am correct this should be a hydraulic one? But which bolt do I have to loosen in order to get the tension off? What do you think about the intake ports, are they machined or something? I also made a picture of my working space. It shows the limited possibilities to get the engine out. I will try and see if I can loosen the engine mounts. I am always very cautious so I will only proceed when it's not dangerous. What do you think about the intake porsts, are they machined or something? I am happy to answer any questions and of course would appreciate all help. If somebody has any advice concerning my plans for the car import business or knowns a interesting left-hand drive car for sale, I would also really appreciate any help. Thanks, Sander."

The Ghibli in the showroom near London		During the journey the Ghibli takes in some fresh air

Back in The Netherlands along with ...		... Sander's collection of imported cars

The Ghibli in Sander's carport come workshop

The razor-sharp thin wall between the two ports!

The Hydraulic timing belt tensioner





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