Maserati Barchetta

Yesterday I was offered a Barchetta which always had my interest. I have had both modern and classic Maseratis including a Ghibli Primatist with a engine more or less similar to the one in the Barchetta. But I have no idea about the handling, braking and driving performance of a Barchetta. If I buy one I would like to have a road registration.

Has anybody made any experiences in driving a Barchetta ?

Regards
Johnny

 

Johnny,
I drove it last September for some laps on the Porsche circuit near Leipzig, Germany. The car is perfectly balanced. It goes very neutral in corners and just before coming coming out it has a little tendency to understeer - but nothing serious! The brakes a great when warm. Steering is light an progressive. Only problem is the gearbox as transmission goes on 2 different levels. This stresses the gears after some time and you have to check the gears once a year! Also I had to get used in doing gearchanges without a "gate".

The car is very light an this comes good for a car that hasn`t so much engine-power! I really liked it.

There is a fantastic car -fully restored!!- for sale in Germany yet.

Ciao!
Walter

 

Thanks for prompt reply. Do you have any background informations about this Barchetta ?

 

I`ll send you a PM!

Ciao!
Walter

 

Now that car I would like to drive. We shall have to talk about this later this week at Pocono. You know there's one 50 miles from Pocono but it never shows up.
The owner is a character and most likely it doesn't run anyway. It would be nice to see it though.

Bob S.

 

Very neat car. The Chubasco concept car used the same chassis I believe.

 

Bob,
dig him out of his house!!!

Ciao!
Walter

 

Yes! And Agnelli knew exactly why he pushed the bottom to make DeTomaso cancel that concept! It was much more advanced than anything Ferrari made until then.

Ciao!
Walter

 

There was an article in the TMC clubs Il Tridente about that chap from a small town in the northeastern US who has that Barchetta -the only one in the US I think- and he had strange ideas such as going to a tiny show in the middle of muscle cars where of course he felt completely out of place with the car.

Could this be the car that Mr Prezemullo has been offered?

I saw 001 run twice in recent weeks at Charade and le Vigeant in France, it is second on my list of desired track cars after a 333SP but unlike the latter you can drive it on the road!

best regards,

Marc

 

I doubt it but if it is beware as I don't think it's ever been made track ready since he's owned it. Several of us have tried numerous times to get it to the show & track but he will never bring it to Pocono. It's a long and tortured but quite funny story. He has an EB110 that runs on LP gas too.

But all of the cars in his collection are quite literally built from either sh*t or garbage.

I'm the one who took the pictures of it at the New Hope Penn. USA show. They're on Enrico's website.

Bob S.

 

no doubt there. the suspension and ground effects alone were 10+ years ahead of their time. It would have blown everything away until the Mclaren F1 and F50 showed up.

 

Had a nice conversation with Mr. Carlo Gaino, stylist of Barchetta, a few weeks ago. He generously offered me to send him further questions by email if needed, so, as I'm planning to do so in a few days, if anyone here has any specific Barchetta-related question I'd be glad to include it. (Questions about De Tomaso Guara and Lancia ECV-2 are also welcome).

 

As I see it, it appears the suspension arms are very short and geometry in general are pure racing configurations which I could never see being setup for road use.

 

Walter, I don't quite understand what you're saying about the gearbox being a problem?

As for driving these on the road, there's so little protection for the driver I would think it's not such a good idea anyway.

I'd still like a drive in one at the track but I don't think this is a car I'd want to own.
It looks like it would be very difficult for some parts like that fuel cell in the center tunnel.

 

The gearbox is not the problem. Problematic its the position of it on a different level. Transmission comes via an additional bearing. This stresses the gearbox and is causing problems when the car is used a lot. This problems are increasing when the 2.8 engine is installed as this motor has more torque (which is better for road-use!).

 

I have heared a Barchetta might be coming up for sale in Germany. Original race car, no conversion, no stories as I was told. Do not know the price, but surely up considerably under current market. Anyone interested, I could try to find out more.
Great car in my oppinion. Saw the one at Salon Prive and it was such a stunner!

 

Just what is a market price? There are so few cars or sales and I've seen high asking prices ($200k) before but the one in PA was sold to him for around $80K back in 2000????

 

I think 200k does just buy you half a Barchetta these days

 

Well given the crazy car market I guess I can believe almost anything.
As neat as I think these cars are they are a single series intra Maserati race car and I can't see them as a great investment for $400K.

 

Oh I hate to disagree with you, but for me they are the last ever real Maserati race cars. Very competitive in terms of lap time in their days, all own development (no F gens )
Simply, hard, fast, open - the theme of A6GCS Fantuzzi and 150/200/300S plus Birdcage moved forward into the 1990s.
And think about the road car attempts and the story with the F50.
Very small number made as well. even smaler the number of original cars still existing, so what else can you ask for - not just in today's market.
We will see.

 

If only they had raced outside of the single series but then they didn't qualify for anything.

I agree with most of your other points and had I been able to get one at the then going rate I just might have. But these are notoriously difficult and expensive cars to fix in some areas like that central fuel cell. So that was realistically way beyond my resources so I went with a far more reasonable GOC which in spite of some peoples insistence I don't think will ever become terribly valuable. It's also a far safer car.

This is as close as I ever got. It's in a personal collection/museum in PA.
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In fact they are not as difficult as People might want to say. The fuell cell can be reproduced easily and the engine is - as well all know - bullet proof. Some guys in Germany drive them on the road and even this works - reliably.
I would not be surprised to see some of them soon up for auction/sale - it is about time they get the recognition they deserve.
And I am not meaning this just in terms of value. Nice example was seeing one - with a nice Lady Driver - at Salon Prive this year in the Maserati 100 racing class. Even the judges smiled...
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An occasion to revive an old thread, I was asked to find a new owner for a very rare bird, a 1993 Barchetta, one of 17 built, chassis LAD owned by a very good friend of mine in France. I had a ride at the Vigeant circuit with his son in it a few years ago, a very competent driver and it handles like a kart. This is one of the few that has been made road legal, and this was done when it was in Germany with the stringent TUV service approval.

I would love to own this and may do an article since they have been covered relatively little in magazines.

Those unfamiliar with the model can read here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maserati_Barchetta




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