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

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From Mark in Australia

MASERATI GHIBLI OPEN CUP ROAD/RACE CAR

"HI Maseratisti, In 1995 Maserati purpose built 25 ‘Open Cup’ variants of the Series II Ghibli to compete in the “Ghibli Open Cup Championship” in Europe, an event for long time Maserati Customers and Enthusiasts. Two more were produced for collectors, including this particular vehicle that was ex-factory to Australia by the Australian Distributor to race in the GTP series. Of the 27 cars produced, only this car was officially converted to right hand drive. At least five have since been confirmed destroyed, further increasing the rarity of the ‘Open Cup’. It became truly unique when the Distributor made the vehicle road compliant and registered it. It is Victorian registered with a Brown Davis designed and installed roll cage. Being road registered, the vehicle can be driven in transport stages of tarmac rallies as well as to and from events without the use of a trailer. The other (LHD) car in Australia was raced for 2 seasons in the GTP series by Alfie Constanzo and co driven by a rising 17 YO Dean Canto at Bathurst and a win in the 1998 OAMPS Endurance Classic at Sandown. The Ghibli ‘Open’ Cup came equipped with a 2.0 litre twin turbo charged, 4 valve per cylinder V6 engine that generated an incredible 330 bhp or 165bhp per litre and was more than capable of producing over 400 bhp with minor modifications. The Ghibli ‘Open’ Cup had, at the time, the highest ever per litre power output of any street legal car, surpassing the Bugatti EB110, Ferrari F40 and Jaguar XJ220. It also features similar track times to that of the Ferrari 355 Challenge, a considerably more expensive vehicle designed to compete in the Ferrari Challenge Series. The Maserati Ghibli ‘Open’ Cup car is an amazing feat of engineering and design. Its pedigree reaches beyond its unique place in Maserati history to automotive history itself. When this particular car arrived into Australia it was set up and campaigned in one race where it unfortunately had an engine failure. It was subsequently parked up whilst its sister car did all the hard work for the remainder of the racing season. Ultimately the Maserati Concessionaires at the time decided to modify the car to be able to road register it and it was subsequently sold to its current owner in August 1997. In his ownership the car has competed in Targa Tasmania in 1998 as well as a number of other tarmac rallies and track days. That said the majority of its circa 37,000km have been travelled on the public roads. The photos show the car fitted with race seats, however, the original road car seats accompany the car which are unmarked and ‘like new’. Additionally there are four spare rims and a number of miscellaneous spare parts that will accompany the car. The car also has a CAMS log book. The provenance of this car is unquestionable. It is a one owner car and that the Maserati factory has confirmed it is a genuine ‘Open Cup’ car that was originally produced in February 1995 with a 1996cc 4V engine, external colour “rosso Maserati”, internal colour “pelle nera”. Be sure this is no ordinary Ghibli and it in fact makes a Shamal look a little tame ! Priced at $85,000.00 AUD (£39,500 approx.), this is a unique opportunity to acquire a very rare world market car. Given our weak dollar and the strength of your market I'm sending quite a few cars to the UK. The process is quite straight forward and the cost in a 20-foot container is approx AUD $4,000 plus insurance at 0.5% of the insured value (underwritten by Lloyds of London). For further information please contact Mark Jansen at mark.jansen@oldtimeraustralia.com."

























Maserati Ghibli Open Cup #






From Newspress in the UK

MASERATI TROFEO WORLD SERIES: SIXTH EDITION – IN MARCH THE MASERATI RACING ACADEMY.

Thursday 5th February, 2015: The sixth Maserati Trofeo World Series confirms its standing as a truly global event with the announcement of the 2015 race calendar which unfolds across three continents and includes three new circuits, taking the total visited since 2010 to twenty-five.

Maserati Trofeo World Series

The weekend of 21-22 March sees the Maserati Racing Academy take place at Vallelunga (Italy) and is dedicated to training new drivers under the expert eye of professional instructors and drivers. Two separate classes based on the drivers’ abilities are planned: beginners for those without any experience of competition and experienced for those with track know-how. At the end of the ‘course’, participants will have the opportunity to take the test to gain the licence that allows entry into the Trofeo World Series (FIA Internazionale C). There will be a competitive edge to the Racing Academy with the two top drivers awarded the opportunity to race, free of charge, at the season’s opening round (25-26 April at Paul Ricard). The two winners will share the drive of a Maserati and will enjoy the support of an instructor during the entire weekend. The cost of the basic package is €9,500 and provides students with a complete overview, inclusive of in-depth theoretical sessions on track techniques and regulations as well as intense stints on the track. For those aiming to take part in a real race, a promotional package that includes the Racing Academy, pre-season group test session and Race 1 in the 2015 Trofeo, is available for €25,000.

Maserati Trofeo World Series

The Trofeo World Series will kick off in France on 26 April, at Paul Ricard; a weekend that will also see the official start of season test sessions run. Round 2 will be challenged at Spielberg, Austria, on 24 May and will see the circuit make its first Trofeo appearance. On 28 June comes another new track: Road America in Wisconsin, USA. The Trofeo then makes a return to VIR – Danville, in Virginia, on 23 August. On 25 October the focus will shift to Asia as the championship touches down at Suzuka, Japan, for the first time ever. It will then be on to Abu Dhabi, for the third straight year, for the final stage of the series. The main change this season will be to the race format with tweaks made to level the playing field and make things as exciting as possible from the start.

Maserati Trofeo World Series

This means that the three-race weekend, employed in 2013 and 2014, will switch to two 42’ races with no pit stop. Races will be open to crews as well as drivers racing alone. Another novelty will be the running of a 40’ pre-qualifying stint alongside the 60’ free practice session. The fastest ten competitors in pre-qualifying will drive in the 20’ Superpole (another change for 2015). The other drivers will fight it out for grid spots thirteen and below in a separate 20’ workout; those who finish eleventh and twelfth in pre-qualifying will take part in Superpole to decide the grid order for Race 1. The starting grid for Race 2 will be determined by inverting the finishing order of the first race with the other positions decided by the qualifying lap times. To wrap things up, a handicap will be added to the top three race finishers (50kg for the winner; 30kg for the second-placed driver and 10kg for the driver in third). In 2015, the titles up for grabs will be the Overall Trofeo, the Single Driver Cup, Twin Drivers Cup, Trofeo Over-50, Pole Position Award and the Trofeo Under-30. Whoever takes the Trofeo Under-30 will be awarded a bonus that can be used during the 2016 Maserati sporting year. The Maserati GranTurismo MC Trofeo itself will be unchanged following the modifications ahead of the 2014 season. Competing in every race will cost €125,000 with a bonus of €5,000 for those who sign up before 28 February. There is also a further reduction for drivers who have participated in at least one championship since 2012: €103,500 for enrolments made before 28 February and €108,500 for those made after. As always, the drivers will enjoy an all-inclusive package and must only cover travel costs to the circuits. Maserati is also considering competing with the GranTurismo MC Trofeo in the CUP and GT4 international categories. Among the options on the table, to be finalised after discussions with US sporting authorities, is the possibility of racing two US rounds tied in with a Pirelli World Challenge North America event. Text and photos courtesy of Maserati.






From Paul in the USA

BITURBO ENGINE TRANSPLANT !

"Hi Enrico, I cannot believe someone has once done this engine swap that I have done. I thought I was the first. Whatever happened to the one I saw on your website ? Does it run ? Did they finish it ? Mine will be driving very soon. It’s very fun and rewarding work. This Biturbo, was left sitting on wet gravel, under a small roof, for more than 20 years. The floors rusted away and the engine did not run, the electrics were dry and brittle. The original interior was torn and dry, very tatty. The car was going to be left there, to rust away into oblivion. It had to be saved. I, like Jeremy Clarkson - could say "Maserati" before I could walk (well, not really) but I have always wanted one. I offered more than it was worth, and I bought it. Saving or trying to restore the car completely, was something that didn’t make sense. It was too far gone. I decided on a road legal rally car version. I have built several budget racing cars and have done the very popular Toyota MR2 V6 engine swap, several times. We use the 3.0 liter Lexus ES300 engines for those swaps and I’m familiar with Toyota/Lexus engines. Amazing things, especially the LS400’s V8. It’s a very special engine with forged internals, six bolt mains, hypereutectic pistons, quad overhead cams, all aluminum and insanely reliable. I will keep you up to date with the progress, rest assured that I will drive this car by Spring. You have my permission to use any part of the Biturbo thread or pictures, if anyone asks about it, feel free to send them my way. You can post my website in case someone wants to contact me for anything. Feel free to use whatever you like. I have several friends in the UK, although I’ve never been there. The Website TwoBrutal is a forum where we discuss the MR2 and the V6 conversions, that’s how I met my petrol head friends and we ship parts and number plates back and forth several times a year. Great guys, I hope to make it across to a car show someday, with my wife and children for a visit. The road handling is likely to be good, the center of gravity is low, the engine is moved back into the cabin significantly for a better balance. The 1985 suspension however, is old and worn. I have some Volvo 240 front strut cartridges to replace the stock inserts, I hear they fit right in, not sure - but I have them to try. I will also find some rear struts to replace the original ones. I will use the stock hubs and brakes, although the solid rotors leave a lot to be desired and the rear independent suspension on this car, does not have an ARB/ sway bar. If the suspension and handling are unsuitable, I will buy an old Audi and start swapping that with more modern stuff. I am hoping that I don’t have to do that. What I am interested in however, is a possible replacement brake setup, that’s basically bolt in and go. Do you know of any ? I have the 4 lug hubs, not the 5. I’m also very interested in a Biturbo 222 or 228 rear boot spoiler and a rear ARB/Sway bar. There was a spoiler on ebay UK, but by the time it would be shipped across, it was over 200 USD and I could make one for a lot less than that. So if you know of anyone that wants to donate those items for the build, I will be eternally grateful and include them in the credits of the build as a contributor. Thanks for your website and the work you do there, it’s got a lot of information on it and I will be a frequent visitor. Feel free to contact me for anything in the future. Paul." Cleveland Ohio USA www.GrenadeMotorsports.com

Ten days ago, I saw this car for sale within an hours drive of my home. The guy wanted too way much money for it. Here's why I wanted it in the first place: Front Engine. Rear Wheel Drive. The entire car weight is 2590 pounds. Four wheel disc brakes. four wheel independent suspension. It is a complete, intact car, good glass, solid (worth repairing) shell. These cars are not what I would consider "cool" and were never considered powerful or reliable, or very valuable, or well respected or drove particularly well. BUT - if you factor in this car is automatic and I have a 1UZFE engine and automatic transmission, along with the fact that I skillfully worked this guy over for ten days of back and forth emails - I bought it cheap. It's a mess.







The car has not been on the road since 1999 and has claimed to have only done 36,000 miles.		This car is a lot more solid than the Triumph TR7 that I had previously chosen for this engine.



This engine is going into this car.
The engine had insanely low mileage. No need to rebuild. I got lucky with finding one like that. I re-gasketed it, new timing belt, seals, water pump, dizzy caps, leads, etc. Blasted and painted everything. The Maserati is getting stripped out tomorrow. I have a buddy that is going to buy all the parts. This car should be interesting with a V8 ! The car has a bit of floor rust through, not bad - no big deal. A small amount of sill repair needed, hardly nothing to complain about. This car is solid. It's door bottoms are curse word, but I can re-skin those. I am going totally strip out everything except the steering rack and the front & rear suspension. 5. Roll cage. Used racing seats & harnesses. 6. Aluminum dash, possibly LS400 instrument cluster - don't know yet. 7. Bare minimum wires needed to make it run, have lights & heat. Our laws regarding road legality are excellent. No MOT's, insurance doesn't care what engine is in it - nothing really matters including emissions when the car is older than 25 years. None of this wiring would work anyway. I'm doing this with the breaker's yards and a tight budget. It will look respectable when completed. A bit Hillbilly, but respectable.






From Enrico in the UK

MASERATI BITURBO Si

On the other hand, one comes across a very nice example, this 1987 Maserati Biturbo Si; a one owner vehicle that was stored in a garage for over 20 years. The Maserati Biturbo Coupe, I loved the styling the first time I saw it previewed in the Italian magazine Quattroruote back in 1989, and still do !!





















There were 42 bids and the final selling price reached US $7,978 !!! Could this turn out to be the bargain of the year ??





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