Interestingly it had Veglia gauges. It had to be one of the first after the change from Smiths.
Do you happen to know if it was born Red Walter? Or was it originally some more interesting colour? Best regards. Mark
Gasoline question: We are about finished restoring our 1968 Ghibli. We have re-done every part of the fuel system, including every rubber fuel line, the gas tanks, pumps, carbs, etc. I have two very smart car guys that have two different recommendations on what type of fuel to run. One says that we should run 110+ octane race fuel, one gallon for every 3 gallons of regular pump fuel (that being said, all of our pump fuel here has some amount of ethanol in it). The other says that we should run aviation fuel that we can get from the local airport. They sell “100LL and Jet A fuel from Phillips 66 Aviation”. Both guys have run these through older cars, and they don’t add Stab-il, even if they sit for a long time, with the fuel tanks being clean with no corrosion even after sitting for years. The race fuel advocate says that the aviation fuel, which is also used for some small engine applications, has a small amount of oil in it, which is why it should be avoided. There is a bit of a price difference ($9.99 per gallon for the 110 Race fuel, vs. $5.29 per gallon for the Jet Aviation fuel, vs. $6.25 for 100LL fuel). I'm not so much worried about the price difference, I just want to make sure I run whatever will be the best for the car in terms of keeping everything in good shape and not damaging the engine or components. I know that the modern gas with ethanol can damage older cars that were designed to run old school leaded fuel, which is not available anymore. I assume that it would not be a great idea to always run regular pump fuel with 10% ethanol. Thanks for your thoughts, interested in seeing what you guys are doing in this regard.
Running such fuel is entirely unnecessary and it’s likely your carburetors are not jetted for it either. Aviation and sometimes race fuels have a different gravity and additive package making it not conducive to running it unless that is all you’re going to run. Just run high octane pump fuel but note if your Weber jets are still stock sizes from 50 years ago they are most certainly causing the engine to run too lean with modern fuel, which is about 10% ‘lighter’. Setting up wide open throttle and cruise via a wideband O2 sensor (on a dyno or 3rd or 4th gear pulls somewhere safe) is the only way to get it right and you’ll pick up 15-20bhp not to mention it will run better and cooler. Pump gas is fine and if anything is actually more knock resistant than it used to be due to modern additives. Concern over ethanol in the fuel lines and system in general is somewhat valid, but it takes an awful long time for issues to arise. Make sure you drive it often and keep fresh fuel in there.
Ferraripilot: All very wise and correct statements. All I would add is the Weber factory jetting from the 1960s is generally somewhat rich on the top end. This was done to prevent warranty claims against Ferrari or Maserati about burned pistons. As a result, the original jetting is not too bad for street driving with today's fuels.
I've had a Bora since 1987 and I had none of these issues with having to change the jets. But since that time first we had MTBE as an additive. That got banned in California when it started showing up in fresh water everywhere. Next we got ethanol added to the gasoline. In 2005 I bought an Espada with some fuel and ignition issues. No ... some is the wrong adjective. Those systems were a mess on the car I bought. That was very different from my Bora which had 3,000 original miles. Everything looked and felt new on thar car. So I had the fun of rebuilding 6 DCOE's which were a real mess and I decided to convert the single Marelli distributor to a pair of Pertronix systems. They didn't have kit for the V12 single dizzy at the time so I had to build my own and I replaced the Lamborghini Marelli cap with the Jaguar one that was used on their V12. It all worked out fine with a lot of help from the Lamborghini community and a few folks on here except for the hesitation I'd get when transitioning from the idle circuit onto the mains. A brand new calibrated and tested distributor and freshly rebuilt carbs WTF? I did a lot of reading on the old VLG forum that was on Yahoo at that time and kept reading about similar issues with Countach owners at that time. This combined with a tip I got from a shop owner in California led me to changing the jetting in the idle and acceleration pump circuits including a reduction in the size of the bleed off jet in that idle circuit. That totally fixed all of my issues. I've been led to beleive that it's the ethanol. About the same time non ethanol gas became available about 40 mile from my garage where I keep these cars. I wish I had tried that first just so I'd know for sure but the reality is that non ethanol fuel is just too big a PITA for me to find. I tried some non ethanol gas in my Jag on a long trip with calibrated mileage tests and I saw 3 mpg better on a car that usually got 20 mpg.
Weber and all the Italian manufacturers in the day did indeed set them up just as you stated, other European manufacturers did the same. As I have not set up a Ghibli I cannot say what is normal for these now, but I have set up a great number of Ferrari's from this era and every one of them on stock jetting was above 15:1 at wide open throttle in the power band in 4th gear. That is far too lean for my comfort and it leaves a good bit of power on the table. Wide open throttle should be tuned to between 12.5:1 - 13:1. A 308 will regain 10hp at the wheels in just doing this, and a Boxer will see 20hp.
Hi everyone, for a friend that has a Spider i am looking to help him find his only missing piece... The flex plate and the bolts... nr 78 in the diagram and cross shaped... I've been looking for him all over Europe and UK but without luck... Maybe one of you in here did the conversion taking out the Borg Warner and bring it to manual and have the plate laying around... Or does anyone know where i could find this, or had reproduction made... Looking forward to get some help with this...Thanks in advance. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Gooding is offering a Chopped 4.7 Ghibli at Monterey. Estimate of 250-300k. https://www.goodingco.com/lot/1969-maserati-ghibli-spyder/?filtersInput%5BauctionType%5D%5B0%5D=Live%20Auction&filtersInput%5BauctionYear%5D%5B0%5D=2023&filtersInput%5BliveAuctionVenue%5D%5B0%5D=Pebble%20Beach&sortBy=ENDING_SOONEST&pageNumber=0&utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Gooding+%26+Company&utm_content= 3 real spyders were offered at auction this year all in Europe. a 4.9 SS sold atLe Mans Classic $633k A 4.7 NS at RM Paris high bid $683k A 4.7 NS at Arc Paris high bid $552k thoughts?
If we use the Ferrari Daytona as a comparison; Hagerty's valuation for a 1971 spider, coupe and cut coupe in #3 condition is as follows. Spider: $2,000,000 Coupe: $580,000 Cut coupe: $400,000 Some years ago when I was shopping for a Daytona and the thought of a cut coupe crossed my mind. I was surprised that Hagerty would price the cut cars so much lower than the coupe. I spoke to the person that does the valuations and his reasoning was that a proper Daytona coupe is welcomed at many events while the cut spider is not. Also, he said that Ferrari had warned auction houses not to accept cut cars. I do not know if that last statement is true but I can see Ferrari doing that. In the past chopped Ghibli have sold for more than the equivalent coupe but as Maserati gets more serious in certifying cars the cut Ghiblis are destined towards the same fate as the cut Daytona spiders. Both Daytona and Ghibli prices are in a downwards trend. Will they bounce back? Ivan
Hi, This car was restored to the highest standard in Australia and it's absolutely beautiful, here's the previous description when it was offered for sale at a local specialist Image Unavailable, Please Login
did it actually appear on the lawn at Pebble? I can see it being considered, but once the car was researched, i’d be surprised if it was on the lawn.
If you read the description carefully it says the car was invited to the Pebble Beach AUCTION, not the lawn. To me it makes no sense to spend massive amount of dollars/euros to restore a cut car to the highest level. Just buy the real thing, probably for less money. Ivan
I’m sure the conversion cost a lot . I wonder if it has a ‘proper’ double floor. It seems a shame that some details don’t seem quite right to me. I haven’t seen the wheelarch / horizontal swage junction blended like that before on a Ghibli. Likewise, the chrome vent controls on the dash are normally inserted from the rear through ovalised holes, not screwed to the dash directly. The quilting on various panels is also not correct, but is readily available from Maieli….I hope that the car fetches a good price, but my feeling is that it will struggle. Best to all. M
You are correct. As you pointed out, the chrome vent controls is a major screw up. This is a pretty car with many, many things done not as original. The trunk of the spyders were black regardless of the interior color. Felt, not carpet, was used to cover the area of the gasoline tanks. Also black felt covered the panel over the fuel pumps. The trunk stay rod is in the wrong location. The area behind the seats is supposed to be black, again regardless of interior color. Missing the antenna (which has a different location on the spyders). The edge trim around the engine bay should be chrome plastic, not black rubber. Vent window handles missing the dish that protects the leather. No photos of the trunk release, which is different on the spyders. Bolt on Borrani wheels had trident caps, not Borrani caps. It is an attractive car and someone will buy it and have fun. He can then park the car next to his fake Van Gogh Ivan
Image Unavailable, Please Login Does anyone know of a supplier for the insulators that shield the spade connectors on a Ghibli's electrical wiring? Many of my insulators are in bad shape. Especially those around the fuse box. I've found a source for the spade connectors: https://www.rdae.nl/6308-mm-3-2922-1.html
Hello Bob, as far as I know, Maserati wire looms were made by the company Frenoluce in Italy. On my car, I saved a maximum of them ! I'm not aware of reproduction. Here is a picture of as NOS wire loom for Maserati. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thank you, that is useful information. Who did you purchase the wiring loom from? Was it the Maserati factory?
Does anyone have for sale a new or used tray insert for a 1971 Ghibli ashtray? I'm also looking for the chrome ring that surrounds the shifter boot. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Going south! I brokered a 4.9-Spyder 5 years ago for 1.1m Euro. The high bid of the 4.7-car was absoluely correct. Silly decision not to let it go for $683k...
I have my strong doubts that prices for this great looking Maserati are bouncing back in the near future. With the Dayrona everything is based on the color to fetch good money.
Is it possible to remove the oil pan on a Ghibli with the engine in place? I though the answer was NO but I saw an email from a mechanic that claims he removed the crank bearings with the engine still in the car. Ivan
