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	The Trident on the front grille of an A6G/54

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

YOU ARE NOW ON PAGE 158






From Johann Stegny in Austria

*A limited edition (No 3 of only 40 examples) 1:43 scale model of the Maserati GranTurismo in Bordeaux Pontevecchio* by BBR Models.**






From Barry in the UK

"Dear Enrico, Just to let you know I have now sold my Bora through your website, very many thanks indeed. Kind regards, Barry."






From Maserati Corse

Bertolini and Bartels Champions for the second time, MC12 first and third in the Championship In the land of Juan Manuel Fangio, unforgettable Formula 1 World Champion in 1957 with Maserati, today Andrea Bertolini and Michael Bartels have added another resounding victory to the Tridente's collection. Driving one of Vitaphone Racing Team's Maserati MC12s, they've just won their second Drivers' title in the FIA GT International Championship, after the first one obtained in 2006. This is the third consecutive Drivers' title for the German team, counting Thomas Biagi's victory last year. The Vitaphone Racing Team also won the Teams' Championship for the fourth consecutive year, proof of the team's high professional quality and top-notch race drivers. The second MC12, driven by Miguel Ramos and Alexandre Negraõ, got an excellent final third place behind their own team-mates. This extraordinary, lasting competitiveness is also due to the victory of three of Spa's classic 24 Hours in the last four years. Since the year of its debut, 2004, to today, MC12 has won an overall ten titles in the FIA GT (4 Drivers', 4 GT1 Teams' and 2 Manufacturers' titles). This year's high level of FIA GT International Championship racing is confirmed by the participation of five different car makes under the category GT1: Maserati, Aston Martin, Chevrolet Corvette, Ferrari and Lamborghini. Ferrari and Porsche were part of the GT2 category. In general, over twenty cars competed at each race. The last race saw Bertolini zoom into third position behind Mackowiecki and Fassler. After noting the track's tire grip problems due to dust and sand and the new, rather thinnish paving, the Italian driver adopted a conservative tactic together with team-mate Bartels, letting their adversaries move on to stay in control of the race and not take unnecessary risks. There were quite a few accidents, and only five cars made it to the finish line. During the 20th lap Negraõ lost control of the car at curve 16 and was forced to leave the track. Maserati SpA CEO Harald Jakob Wester was present at the circuit and congratulated the drivers and the team at length. Text courtesy of Maserati

©Maserati/Studio Mazzi The victorious Vitaphone Racing Team with their trophies!		©Maserati/Studio Mazzi Andrea Bertolini and Michael Bartels - 2008 DRIVERS CHAMPIONS!

©Maserati/Studio Mazzi The Andrea Bertolini and Michael Bartels Maserati MC12 #1		©Maserati/Studio Mazzi The Miguel Ramos and Alexandre Negraõ Maserati MC12 #2

©Maserati/Studio Mazzi The Vitaphone Racing Team - 2008 TEAM CHAMPIONS!

©Maserati/Studio Mazzi Andrea Bertolini and Michael Bartels		©Maserati/Studio Mazzi Michael Bartels and Alexandre Negraõ

MANY CONGRATULATIONS TO MASERATI, VITAPHONE RACING AND ALL CONCERNED!

From Julien in Belgium

"Buonasera Enrico,

From L'Espresso magazine I spotted the car registrations in Italy for the first ten months of 2008. I transfer them gladly to your pages.

Porsche 911	1884
Mercedes S classe	980
BMW 6 serie	576
Maserati Granturismo	492
Audi A8	478
Ferrari F430	402
Jaguar XK	263
Maserati Quattroporte	234
Mercedes SL	223
BMW 7 serie	209

Forza Maserati and kind regards,

Julien."






From Enrico in the UK

"Biturbo owners, Just spotted this interesting item on eBay - "Maserati Biturbo SPEARCO Intercooler and Piping". Described as "a good find for all of you '84, '85, '86 Biturbo enthusiasts, (1) lightly used Spearco intercooler with ducting attached and piping included!!! The front edge of the ducting is a little bent, but I do not have a hood to match it to so I will leave that very minor repair up to you." Check it out here: www.ebay.com". Enrico."






From HP in Switzerland

"Dear Enrico, Could not restist and bought this 1991 Shamal with only 25,000 KM on the clock! We just got the first snow so "roadtesting" will have to wait until the Spring ! But I am exited. Regards, HP."








"Hi HP, It looks very nice indeed. No wonder you couldn't resist! Congratulations! You have bought what I think is the most collectable of the "Biturbo Era" cars. It has all the right things going for it; named after a "wind", a V8 engine and styled by a well-known stylist - Marcello Gandini. It has a short wheelbase so watch out for it in the wet. It's powerful and tricky. "Fai attenzione!!" Saluti, Enrico."






From Terry in Australia

"Hi, I recently purchased a lovely old 1989 Biturbo Spyder Zagato (2.8-litre version). It came with the service books and leather wallet but no owner's manual. Is there anyone out there who can assist? I am looking for the original issue Driver's/Owner's Manual. I'm pretty sure my car is the last of the Spyder Zagatos hence a 2.8 litre engine. My contact e-mail is terrynewleaf@bigpond.com. Regards, Terry."






From Hamann in Germany

Hamann have released a set of wheels for the Maserati GranTurismo, which has been fitted with the company’s 21-inch ‘Edition Race’ wheels. The wheels are also decked out in black but lend themselves more readily to the GranTurismo's sporty nature. Customers can choose from several different wheel sets, with sizes ranging from 18-inch to 21-inch. The largest set is the 21-inch Edition Race wheel, which measures up to 345mm in width for the front wheels and 345mm for the rear.

Photo by Hamann Motorsport		Photo by Hamann Motorsport

Photo by Hamann Motorsport






From Enrico in the UK

Following on from the great success of Maserati GranTurismo, and the unveiling of the GranTurismo MC Concept at the Paris Motor Show in October, the MC concept is expected to be used for competition in an FIA sanctioned motorsport event. According to EVO magazine, "Maserati, buoyed by strong sales of the standard GranTurismo, is considering launching the MC Corse as a road-going ‘halo’ model that could compete with the likes of the Ferrari F430 Scuderia, Lamborghini LP560-4, and the Porsche 911 GT3 RS." The car would be powered by the same 450hp (335kW) 4.7-litre V8 engine from the concept but the car’s kerb weight will probably increase due to the addition of compulsory safety features and comfort ancillaries. Even with these added features, a road-going GranTurismo MC would still only weigh around 1,400kg – much lower than the standard GranTurismo's 1,880kg kerb weight.

Photo by Maserati SpA The impressive looking Maserati GranTurismo MC Concept		Photo by Maserati SpA Hopefully soon to be available at a dealer near you!






From Enrico in the UK

"Ciao Maseratisti, Last weekend I attended all three days of the Classic Car Show at the NEC, Birmingham. I was there as a steward on the stand of the Maserati Club here in the UK. I have been a member now since 1998, the year I bought my Maserati Ghibli. It's a great club with very friendly members! If you're not yet a member, you should really think about joining. Friend and fellow member Roger Harrison, organiser of this year's display, asked if I would show my Ghibli, as their display featured Maseratis from the period between 1981 and 2002, namely the "Biturbo Years". Keeping abreast of the new exciting models from the Casa del Tridente, the stand also displayed a new Maserati GranTurismo S in Rosso Mondiale, kindly supplied by Nick Whale Maserati, the new official Maserati dealership for the Birmingham region and the Midlands. My Ghibli MY94, took it's place alongside Roger's superb 222.4v ("il famoso due, due, due"), a Concours winning Biturbo Spyder, a Karif - complete with Zender body kit, a rare Ghibli Primatist, a Quattroporte ottocilindri, and a 3200 GT assetto corsa, another concours winner. The display was very successful, with many classic car enthusiasts taking a great interest in these "affordable" Maseratis. Quite a few enthusiasts were keen to know about owning a Ghibli, and I was able to provide an honest appreciation of ownership, the pitfalls, and the costs involved. In fact, two days after the show, I was delighted to receive an email from one visitor who has now bought himself a Ghibli. IF you missed this year's show, don't miss out again next year, you will always find something exciting on the Maserati Club stand! Enrico."

The impressive Maserati Club UK stand

The GranTurismo S supplied by Nick Whale Maserati		The Maserati 3200 GT assetto corsa

The Maserati Ghibli Primatist		The Maserati Karif

The Maserati Biturbo Spyder		The Maserati 222.4v

The Maserati Quattroporte ottocilindri		The Maserati Ghibli MY94






From Roger in the UK

THE MASERATISTA IN THE BITURBO BIANCO – REG PALMER STORMS TO VICTORY AT GOODWOOD

"Whilst Lewis Hamilton secured his World Championship at Interlagos in Brazil on Sunday the events which unfolded there were gloriously foreshadowed at Goodwood on Saturday 1st November, albeit with a smaller crowd and less media attention! Reg Palmer gained his first track victory since 1996 when he competed in the AC Car Club’s annual sprint and won his class with a handsome 3 second margin over the competition – Bill Shepherd’s 4.6 litre V8 430 bhp supercharged 2005 Mustang (and Bill is no mean driver either!). Reg had motored up from Somerset in his Maserati Biturbo “428 3v”, so christened (by me) because originally it was a 420i but has been fitted with a 2.8 litre 3 valve engine; this was the same car that disappointed so much at the same event last year when first time off the line the gearbox broke and Reg had to limp home without even a practice lap. The car has lowered suspension and some other mods which I am not able to reveal for fear of litigation a la Ferrari v McLaren. Reg tells me that the car is just as sweet to drive as a road car as it is for the track. Saturday was not forecast to be a day of good weather and across the open circuit at Goodwood a fierce north-east wind blew all day, bringing with it lashings of rain by late morning. However timed practice laps were undertaken before the rain arrived so Reg was able to set a good pace with his sticky Kumho tyres. By lunchtime when the competition laps started it was back to the road tyres as the track was too wet to risk the Kumhos. “Regenmeister” Reg played it gently on the wet surface and apart from a twitch or two at the rear through Lavant (when didn’t Biturbos twitch a bit in the wet?) rapid progress was made and on the second qualifying lap a winning 2:08:50 was clocked up. Reg couldn’t quite believe the result, and I don’t know how many times he went back to the timekeepers to check the result! But there it was – a well deserved victory – for Reg, for the car, and for the reputation of the often maligned Biturbo. Roger."

Reg Palmer's Biturbo at rest at the B&B by dawn's early light		Reg Palmer's Biturbo - The White Shark!

In the paddock at Goodwood on the start line		On the start line

We are off! It's not damp, it's wet !!!		Photo courtesy of Focus_Events Reg Palmer on his way to victory through the driving rain!






From Stoffel in Belgium

"Hello, We have met last year at the stand of Maserati at the NEC show. Unfortunately, I was not able to be there this year. Last week, I did find an intriguing picture of a (yellow with red nose) Emeryson car with Maserati engine, driven by Lucien Bianchi. The sharknose body was made by Brussels based Carrossier Jacques Coune. This is 1962. Since I am co-authoring a book on Jacques Coune, I was hoping that one of you might be able to have some more pictures or know the whereabouts of the car. I have created a special email maserati@mulier.org to collect any potential answers… Thank you, Kindest regards, Stoffel."

Belgian driver Lucien Bianchi in the "sharknose" Emeryson Maserati at Pau in 1962






From Mehmet in Turkey

Hi Enrico, My old Ghibli...New restore...my friend new owner...name is "Murat PEKIN" other 3200 GT Maserati owner...full Maseratista... Saluti. Mehmet."
















Alfa Romeo Montreal

Mehmet and the Alfa Romeo Montreal






From Lurisia

Ideal Christmas treat for your Christmas table!

Lurisia, bottlers of the finest mineral waters, have added some thing special to their range. Just like a Maserati, the bottles are designed to ooze style and class!

Photo by Maserati SpA Still and sparkling mineral water from Lurisia for Maserati






From Johann Stegny in Austria

MODELL der WOCHE - MODEL of the WEEK

Johann Stegny at www.autoshow.at announces two new reasonably priced 1:43 scale models of the OSCA 750 TN in ready-built form from Jolly Models. Available in December - the models are available at only EURO 39,00 each!

The Jolly Models street and race versions of the OSCA 750 TN.





BACK TO TOP OF THIS PAGE

MORE FOR THE ENTHUSIAST