Maserati aficionado, collector, restorer, and acknowledged 'Car Nut', Ivan Ruiz, has very kindly given me permission to publish his photos of three classic Maseratis that he has currently for sale.

The Maserati Ghibli by Ivan Ruiz

Designed by a young Giorgetto Giugiaro while at Carrozzeria Ghia, the Ghibli has been referred by some as the most beautiful sports/GT car of all times.

Even if you do not agree with that strong of a statement, there is no denying the Ghibli is certainly a very striking and handsome car whose timeless design has aged very well. The Ghibli was named after a hot, dry wind blowing over the Sahara.

Powered initially by a dry sump 4.7 liter V8 it was later upgraded to 4.9 liter. The 4.9 liter cars can be identified by their "SS" designation. The Ghibli SS also has a "49" designation within the serial number: e.g. AM115/49*1788*.

The exterior styling is equally matched by a gorgeous interior. The Ghibli interior is quite spacious and can easily accommodate tall drivers. One famous Ghibli owner was basketball star Wilt Chamberlain.

In 1969, primarily after demands from the US importers, a spyder version of the Ghibli was introduced. The proportions of the car viewed from any angle can only be described as perfect! A beautiful removable hardtop was offered, but only between 25 to 40 cars were shipped with this option. Spyders that were originally equipped with the hard top will have two chrome plugs covering the rear anchoring points for the top. In the late 80's several Ghibli coupes were converted to spyders, so make sure to check serial numbers when making a purchase. All spyders had a odd ending serial number (same number and chassis and engine), also many have an "S" designation in the serial number, example AM115S*1181*, although there are quite a few cars without this designation.

Although the factory never classified the Ghiblis in two series, there are many differences between the early cars (1967 to early 1969) and late cars (late 1969 to 1973). This was an evolutionary process so expect to find some late features on an early car and vice versa. All Ghiblis had air conditioner and many post 1969 cars have power steering. The earlier cars had true knock off wheels while later cars have bolt on wheels. At least 5 different wheel types were offered; early cars were either Borrani wires or Campagnolo solid with true knock offs. Later cars were offered with Borrani bolt on wires and either the bolt on Campagnolo star burst with "fake" knock off covering the bolts (later used on the Khamsin) or a Campnologo wheel, similar to the Indy,. Some Ghibli were equipped with automatic transmission, especially on the spyders, which was a rather sluggish unit and should be avoided.

The late cars have rocker switches to comply to US regulations. Somehow the US government felt the pointy toggle switches were dangerous during an accident! The toggles are more reliable and personally I find them more attractive. The rocker switches tend to be more troublesome (electrically they are rather weak and the plastic chrome tends to break) and the late turn signal switch is definitely problematic and very expensive (the early car turn signals seldom break).

Weber 42CDNF carburettors were adopted on the later cars, as was a single brake booster, plus improved cooling fans. The late cars tend to be better sorted and are therefore more desirable. Still, do not rule out an early car. A good well sorted early Ghibli can be a joy to own. The challenge is to find a Ghibli that is well sorted out. No matter if it is an early or late car. Having owned and driven several 4.7 and 4.9 "SS" cars, I can say there is not that big of a difference. My recommendation is to look for a good solid car. One that runs and drives the way it should and shows signs of having been "loved" by its previous owners. Do not worry too much of it not being a "SS" example, it is just a bunch of hype from people that do not know these cars!

The Ghibli has been compared many times with the Ferrari Daytona. Both have similar dimensions, were offered at the same time and had similar list prices when new. While the Daytona will outperform the Ghibli, the Ghibli will "out drive" the Daytona. You can easily drive a Ghibli in comfort on long trips and it will behave very docile around town. On several occasion I have taken a Ghibli Spyder on 12 hour trips and during the 2000 MaserMiglia, it clocked 1,500 miles in 3 days going over the mountains of the continental divide and crossing the desert with an outside temperature of 110°F. The Ghibli never overheated or broke down .... and at the end of the trip by body did not feel like I was just run over by a truck! How many Daytona owners would dare make that trip?

Currently, the Ghibli, especially the 4.7 coupes, are a bargain, but prices are starting to inch upwards.

A total of 1,149 Coupes were produced and 125 Spyders (25 Spyders were "SS" versions).


This Maserati Ghibli (#AM115*1508*) by Ivan Ruiz

This particular car is a very nice 1970 Maserati Ghibli in burgundy with black leather interior. It is fitted with the 4.7 liter engine, 5-speed ZF gearbox, late style wheels, late style engine cylinder heads, late style interior, quad exhaust, AC, Becker radio. Engine number matches the VIN number.

The paint, chrome and glass are quite nice. The interior is mostly original with the exception of the seats which were nicely redone in black leather to match the rest of the interior. The headliner is in very good condition. Rear seat cushions are included. Overall the interior looks very nice. Undercarriage is excellent with no signs of rust or prior accidents.

Mechanically this car is VERY nice!. It runs and idles flawlessly and revs up without hesitation.There are receipts for over $32,000 spent between 2000 and 2002. This included cylinder head rebuilt, new stainless steel euro headers, AC work, carbs rebuilt, cooling system, brakes, and much more. The work was done by a well known Maserati mechanic. Copies of the receipts can be downloaded here.

These cars sound fantastic with the quad exhaust! This is the third Ghibli I have owned with the quad exhaust and it really transforms the driving experience. The euro exhaust manifold, which this car has, is also is a great improvement as the USA manifolds were somewhat restrictive.

All the gauges, including the clock, are in working order. Tires are Pirelli P4000 Super Touring in very nice condition. Clutch and gearbox are working properly. Car comes with original owner's manuals, receipts, tools and jack.

If you are not very familiar with Ghiblis, click here for a description of this Maserati model.

You can send me an e-mail if you are interested at ivan@thecarnut.com.

Price: US $95,000

Click on any of these thumbnails to enlarge.

This Maserati Ghibli SS (#AM115/49*2112*) by Ivan Ruiz

This is the ultimate Ghibli for the person looking for a very unique example. It is a two owner California car with only 31K miles. Sold new in Los Angeles and has always been there until now. Has all the desirable features of a Ghibli; the larger 4.9 liter engine, Borrani wire wheels, power steering, 5-speed, air-conditioning, and factory-fitted quad exhaust. In excellent original condition. The interior is very nice. Paint looks great except some lacquer checking in several spots ... this is to be expected from paint that is now over 35 years old, personally I would leave it as is since the car looks very good from 10 feet and might as well keep it original. Never any rust or accidents. Engine runs great! Everything (except the air-conditioning) is in working order, including the clock. Includes jack in the bag, original tools in the roll, and very rare original owner's manual. The manual is for the SS version and is in both Italian and English.

This is the history of the car as documented by the prior owner.

"I purchased the car from a friend who also lives in Los Angeles area in 1982 he was in the music business and had a collection of 16 cars ranging from a Ferrari Daytona, Lamborghini Miura SV, Mercedes 300SL 'Gullwing', the Maserati and many others all of his cars were the best of that particular model available. Part of his mastic was that all his cars were black, even if it was brand new it got stripped and painted black. The Maserati was originally red, it was stripped and painted with 15 coats of hand rubbed lacquer black. When he told me he wanted to sell some of his cars I bought the Maserati, I almost bought the Daytona but honestly the Maserati was a better driving car and just as fast. When I purchased the car it had only 21,000 miles.

The gentleman I bought the car from went to the Maserati factory and saw two sets of the quad exhaust systems and had them both shipped back home and installed one on his car, so it is a factory piece.

In 2002 I had the misfortune of having a spoke break on one of the wire wheels so I sent all four to Borrani and had all new stainless steel spokes chrome plated and installed as well as the rim was checked v re-chromed and caps painted. At the same time I install a new set of Pirelli P5 tires due to the original tires starting to crack from age, I also installed new tubes. The spare wheel is the original wire wheel.

The engines head gaskets were replaced in 2004 as well as the carburetors rebuilt. In 2006 I had the water pump rebuild and the heater valve replaced due to a small leaks. Also in 2006 I had the starter re-built.

I have been very fortunate in regards to the interior, with treating it with Hide Food once a month the leather is very well preserved.

I did have the inside of the bonnet replaced around 1999 due to it starting to tear. The car was never washed with a hose only wiped with a damp cloth and wiped clean to avoid the potential of rust. The car was also glazed and waxed by hand every 2-3 months. The car cosmetically is as when I purchased it, the California climate and keeping it covered in a garage does work, as well as it never being in the rain.

As far as car shows it has been in many local car shows but never judged. The car is always a crowd pleaser and always one of the nicest Ghiblis.

Anything that was required to be done to the car mechanically was always done by master mechanics who know and understand Maserati Ghiblis and no expense spared."

You can send me an e-mail if you are interested at ivan@thecarnut.com.

Price: US $129,000

Click on any of these thumbnails to enlarge.