Ghibli AM 191332 RACER

Take a look at this Ghibli,.....looks like a great way to have some fun.

Maserati GHIBLI UNDER OFFER For Sale, classic cars for sale uk (Car: advert number 191332) | Classic Cars For Sale

 

If ever there was a Maserati that was built as a GT not a racer the Ghibli is it. Even with drastic weight reduction I cant imagine it would be competitive and the engines reluctance to rev cant help either. It would be interesting to know the history of this car, was it modified for racing out of necessity or choice?
Lovely old thing though.

 

Interesting. But it seems like a hurtful thing to do to a Ghibli. It strikes me as no more than a GT with a silly paint job.

 

The question is was it ever really raced back in the day?

As to making it a race car well ... ever heard of a Thepenier Group IV Bora?

Here's a convenient link 1973 MASERATI BORA GR4 THEPENIER

Do some reading. Had it been allowed to compete it would have been formidable. It certainly has been in the Shell Historics.

Nothing wrong with the engine if it's set up properly.

But did they reduce the weight of this Ghibli sufficiently?

Looks more like a very nice looking pretender?

Can you use it in Europe or the UK?

 

The car in this specification is not genuine! A Ghibli was never seen racing on circuits in period events.

I was contacted by someone from Austria who told me that he had bought this car.

I wish him "bon voyage".....

 

Not genuine but i kinda like it. Wonder how much they are asking. If it's less than a Ghibli and if it's still road legal, could be a fun car

 

I am pretty sure that driving this car must be great fun! But - you can only drive it in the UK. But not in EU-events sanctioned by the FIA.

 

The question was not where they raced back in the day as I think we all know they were not, would love to be proved wrong though, it could do wonders to the value of these iconic GT's.
I also think most of us are aware of the Thepenier Bora even without 'doing some reading' but we are talking of a Ghibli here and one that I'm guessing had nowhere near the development of the Thepenier Bora. Just cant see why you would do this to a car that is clearly a tourer, but what do I know they raced the Mk IX Jaguar!
A lot of fun no doubt but to replace all the missing parts to make it complete would cost a Kings ransome.

 

Oh it's no longer a GT car now it's someone's "unique" project.
It could have been done though and the Bora reference was just to demonstrate that the engine is capable albeit with some modifications but then that's par for the course with street cars turned cars.

 

You can not take the Thepenier Bora Gr IV as a reference which was done by the Factory in period!

Nor the Factory or a private person modified or prepaired a Ghibli for racing in period!
You get a fun car, yes - but don`t expect to get a historic (!!) racer! Nope!

 

That Ghibli is not in the UK, the car is in Japan. It has been for sale for more than a year. It is astoundingly cheap but still not worth purchasing....at least not to us. What do you do with such a machine and how would you keep everyone else from laughing you off the track.

The former owner spent insanity money building it up with no apparent idea how truly bad an idea it was to do so.

I have 50 or so current photos and the quality of the work is commendable but the starting point of a Ghibli condemned this one to failure from moment one.

Good luck to her future custodian. Perhaps he will be someone with a private track and simply wants to laugh a bit himself in private...

Ciao,

Bill

 

++1!

 

I know a guy who spend 60,000 euros on a restoration of a Biturbo (bolt and nut restoration, complete new leather interior from Italy, re-done wooden panels, replaced engine with a V8 3.2 from a Shamal, changed the transmission, etc etc), drove it for 3 months and sold it. The next owner left it outside to rot for many years. Its still there. What a waste...

On a brighter side of things, does the gear leaver remind you of a dildo sex toy? or am I the only pervert around here?

 

What is astoundingly cheap?

It is an interesting car for sure...

 

Has anyone driven it who's qualified to comment?

 

The last price I was quoted put the car at US $68,600. There was something on the order of $245,000 spent on the restoration and conversion to the quasi GR/4 race car that it is today. There is a fantastic amount of moderns go-fast goodies in the car and it was obviously well thought out and constructed. Sadly it was well thought out and constructed after the insane decision to base the project on a Ghibli. Unlike the Daytona which translated very well into a race car, the Ghibli's design, construction, suspension geometry, low-rev, high-torque engine, center of gravity etc... are ill-suited at best as a track car. They are wonderful and enticing sports cars but I cannot even imagine what punishment the front tires must take being pushed side-ways through a series of fast, opposite-lock esses on any track.

It would take a truly talented as well as strong-armed driver to wrestle such a machine around a track... More than likely just about anyone good enough to be able to drive such a car, would just as likely rather be caught dead by his fiends than be seen behind the wheel of such a machine.

There is almost no car that I can not imagine wanting to drive on any given race track... in general, I love them all but this is one I would simply have to say no thank you to.

Cheers,

Bill

 

Why do you think this is an "interesting car"??? How can someone call this something "interesting" and ignores every 200S, 300S, T61 etc., etc....?

 

++++++++1!!! (again!!!)

 

I agree with Walter. Twice. Maybe I'm running a temperature. Or maybe I just need a drink.

+1

 

Good observations,... but I see it differently from most of you.

Would you consider driving a 66 Ford Galaxie? BMW 3.0? Louts Cortina? Dodge Dart? Or any vintage street car that had been turned into a vintage racer? I would. Would you consider buying one? I would.

I ask because from the way I see it....this car is a great place to have fun vintage racing SOVREN series , or any SCCA vintage events. And in the USA there are so many vintage races to choose from, it would be hard not to enjoy that with this car.

It must be well sorted and most likely could be made to do better.

Sure it's not what most people would want or do, but so what?

It's almost affordable for me, and if I add it up by hours of build time, it is a very good deal for one who wants to race, and have a smile on their face.

I'd love to own a 200S. Tipo 61, but I don't have the means for those great cars.

All said and done it works for me, but my glass is usually half full.

Ciao and best!

~Trev

 

Send me an email at [email protected] and I will email you all the inspection images and you can judge for yourself if such a machine is worth pursuing.

I wish you only the best of luck of course in all that you find, especially any that end up in your own garage!

Ciao,

Bill

 

So you haven't driven it then?

One thing is clear, you don't think much of the motor.

 

Joe,

the Ghibli V8 is clearly not an engine designed for racing....

 

It most certainly is not... The bore and stroke combination along with cam profile, cam timing and ignition timing are all geared towards high torque at relatively lazy rpms for "sports car" performance and longevity. The weight of the motor and positioning within the chassis also less than ideal.

Under heavy race loads and constant rpm changes, you are going to "egg" the bearings rather quickly as well as stretch rod-bolts in short order. While Maserati's early V8s were designed for short-term high rpm, high performance, racing, it was always anticipated that overhauls would be frequent, usually after each race.

The 5000 and later V8 derivatives were never intended to be punished in such a manner and their tuning, strictly geared towards many thousands of kilometers of relatively trouble free, enthusiastic road use.

Think along the lines of Cadillac, Lincoln, Chrysler Monster V8s of the mid to late 1960s. Adequate bhp coupled to massive amounts of low rpm torque to move the weight of some very, very large machines at decent speeds.

Ciao,

Bill

 

And don't get me wrong... I loved the massive fun factor of the 450S we used to have. I also enjoyed nearly equally the fun factor of our old 5000GT. Same goes for the various 4.7 and 4.9 Ghibli's we have had.... Just don't try to mix the application of the road engine in a racer and vice versa or the laws of mechanical malady are going to thump you with a massively expensive repair bill in very short order!

Cheers,

Bill