They catch on fire because of air pump + catalytic converter + Weber carbs + a manual choke. Typically it was the catalytic converter that got way too hot and caught the carpeting plus padding on fire and the entire car would go up. Plenty of owners left the choke on too long. This also happened with the early Biturbos here 84-85. It was the same exact system. With 86 MY they had an automatic choke and a horrid carb. By 87 those were FI. If you remove the air pump and catalysts the fire danger stops but that's not allowed in California. In most other states it is allowed for the moment ...
ohh, well that is not a fun thing to have. Luckily European ones don't have a Cat. You see alot of owners using the choke for long duration and even drive with it because the webers haven't been properly tuned. Alot of qp3's and Maserati's with the same engine aren't properly tuned because it is difficult to do. The choke is used to just start it and then it has to run on its own.
The old V8 isn't all that hard to tune if you know how to work on cars but then you would have to go to vintage specialty shop to have it done and people don't like to pay for that. I never used the choke on my Bora except in very cold conditions and I only got caught in weather like that a couple of times. No fun. Usually you let the carb bowels fill for 20-30 seconds after you turn on the key, pump the accelerator 2 or three times and it fires up pretty quickly. If not then you have issues that require attention. Regular driving really helps keep them running well. It's just amazing how true that is and now how impossible that is for me. Life keeps changing ... You should learn how to tune your QPIII. With the electronic ignition on these cars and those 4 lovely DCNFs it really is NOT rocket science. A V12 with 6 DCOEs and dual distributors or 4 sets of points in a single dizzy ... well that's something else. Good luck and enjoy. Drive it a lot before they are regulated off the roads.
Hello, i was always a big fan of the QPIII. Around 2015 I saw one of the most beautiful color combinations. The car was for sale at Gallery Aaldering in the Netherlands. It was a very neat model with a manual transmission and was originally a Swiss car. Dark wine red (not metallic) and with a light cream interior. Beautiful. Even though I am a big fan of this model, I do not believe that these vehicles will achieve great increases in value in the next few years. But that is also a different story. What I noticed recently was, that Erich Bitter (Bitter cars) seams apparently used the Quattroporte III for his vehicles. Attached is a photo of the interior of the Bitter SC. Seats and steering wheel are like in the QPIII. The armrest is a little different. Nice greetings from Germany Zdenek Image Unavailable, Please Login
Do you know how much %CO your car has? Almost everytime when i start it i put the choke out, start the engine and it runs. I only use the choke like 5-10 seconds. If the car is warmed up or i have driven it a few hours ago it start without choke immediately. Not like injection cars where you hear it crank a few times. I have struggled alot with tuning the carbs because you have no vacuumport so that makes it more difficult. Eventually i got some help from my cousin who knows alot about tuning classic cars and now i know how to properly tune it. It runs amazing now, engine barely vibrates and no stutter or anything. You can feel that it still has the 280hp and its not slow by any means. I have seen quite a few old maserati's and almost all run like crap. Engine heavily vibrates, pops and bangs you name it. Went to a cas and coffee one time and there was a guy who had a Maserati Mexico and it ran like absolute crap. Car would stall if he didn't press the pedal and he said "I'ts an old car, it's suppose to run like this and it runs really good on the highway". Even on this forum you have people talking about colortune and such wich is just stupid, there is a guy from an "expert" who says to use that. In the Netherlands we have an expression: In het land der blinden is eenoog koning. It means: In the land of the blind the one eye is king. Almost noone knows how to properly tune old Maserati's. I don't drive it nearlly enough tho because of the weather and i also just forget to take it out for a spin, should enjoy it more this spring and summer. I hope they don't get regulated soon but you never know
You mean this car? Really nice colour combination with that white interior. It is still in the Netherlands, checked the license plate. There was an article about Bitter in a car magazine a few months ago where they said that Bitter had the interior made by an Italian company wich Maserati also used to make the QP3 interior. That is why they are so similair. Can't remember the name of that company unfortunately tough
Pirelli have just made a batch of 205VR15 CN72 again for the 1960s cars https://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/classic-car-tyres/maserati/quattroporte.html
I'm replying to myself here in case others need this information. The two rubber seals holding the reservoir started slowly leaking after replacing the master cylinder. I had to use the original rubber seals to stop the leaking. t
Got a pack of the Baldwin filters. Looks like they will fit. Peeling back the layers of the car. It obviously has sat in a garage in Kentucky for some time. Carfax shows it has not been driven since 2014. I knew that before purchasing it. The car has very good bones though A good Winter project; brakes, front suspension bushings, rear diff deal leaking, etc. Fixed the fuel sender unit, and got replacement struts for the trunk from O,Reilly’s. Work fine. Also cleaned up the original tool kit Chasing many issues, but the one I would ask for input is, I am missing the drivers door handle lock cylinder. I am sure this is used in other cars.. Any advice? Marc
Image Unavailable, Please Login This super rare beast is up for sale at no reserve with Artcurial in paris tomorrow 22 Oct. Not only a QPIII Royale, but with MANUAL transmission! https://www.artcurial.com/en/lot-1989-maserati-quattroporte-iii-royale-no-reserve-4392-11#popin-active I bet that economy gauge on the dash is always in the red…. will be interesting to see what it fetches. best to all. Mark
Well…the answer was hammer price €25000 Which to be fair was the upper estimate, but a bit of a bargain IMHO. M
still a steal in my opinion, change the hoses, give it service, original steering wheel and if you are patient you can get double the price. The lagonda for 26k was an absolute steal tho. That is nothing for that car… if only i had a spare 50k lying around…
I was envious of the Lagonda purchaser too. As I said to my brother in law, the phrase ‘Lagonda project’ could be viewed either as a dire warning or a challenge!!
The lagonda has a terrible reputation but i think these things are a bit exaggerated from a time where everything electrical was difficult. They said that the Porsche 928 had terrible electrics and the Citroën DS suspension was to difficult to bring to a normal garage. The porsche 928 isn't so hard to deal with in this day then in the 80's. We had many Citroën DS's and the suspension is rather easy, Rolls-Royce has the same supsension licenced in the rear and i always read on forums that people had so many issues and high repair bills from that. The dashboard is probably the most difficult thing for the lagonda but it still is 80's technology and that can't be extremely difficult for someone who knows alot about electronics. The cars that are made from 2005 to now have so much electronics and computers they are far harder to work on. My opinion is that like many of these luxury 70's and 80's cars had issues and needed alot of specialism at that time but are not that difficult now (we also have so much more knowledge trough the internet) but are still viewed with the same eyes as when they were new. And of course you can't bring your Lagonda or Countach to most of the average mechanics who work on newer cars. Everytime i read about the Quattroporte iii and people give their opinion they always say that it is a money pitt and really unreliable blah blah. These people never owned one of course but besides that the quattroporte engine is actually really reliable if taken care for. Having said that if you bring your Lagonda or Quattroporte iii to a specialist to have everything done it will cost you of course. And having a specialist restore a projectcar can be absolutely devastating to your wallet. If i see these prices of auctions then i am in doubt to sell my manual quattroporte iii, I probably can get real good money for it now and buy a project/decent car from auction like a Lagonda or Ferrari 400. The auction prices are often far lower than prices you pay at a car dealer or on salesites. On one hand I think the quattroporte is going up in price and mostly the rare types like the manual and Royale. My car is in almost concours condition and it drives amazing so if you want to invest in one then you have to have a car like this but on the other hand it is also completely possible that the market won't go up or even go down and then i haven't done what i wanted to and that is to own other exotic cars like a Lagonda, Ferrari 365/400/412 or even a Lamborghini Jarama. I just love the look of the Jarama and that brutal Lamborghini V12. The Jarama may be my ultimate dream car, many people think it is ugly but i don't. There is a project/barnfind car for sale in the Netherlands (where i live) and i can probably do all the work myself and if the Engine is bad i can get it fixed at my uncle runs a machine shop/revises engines. Unfortunately they don't want to trade in my quattroporte iii and to be honest it was a far stretch to get the resources to make that deal.
I will be re-restoring my 1985 QP III within the next couple of months (it’s been sitting on the side lines waiting in queue for an opening) and, want to change the front headlights and turn signals to European spec style. 1) The turn signals are amber/white - can someone advise what other model/make these were also used so I can attempt to source them? 2) The Euro headlights are rounder in appearance throughout all 4 corners, correct? Is MIE the only source stateside (if at all for them) or, can I punch in a part number or something onto eBay for the Euro specs or? A vendor from Germany appeared to offer a set on eBay but has no clue on what he has/where they came from, despite his listing advertising as if his were Euro spec (while using a rough Biturbo within the pics of his set)?!? I’ve been in contact with him and nice fella, but zero idea on what he has. I am not on social media so I appreciate in advance everyone’s input, help and time!
Hello OttoB... The primary source for these cars in the US has been/is MIE.. But, I think you would have better luck sourcing European spec parts in Europe. Perhaps the e-bays of England, Germany, France, and Italy may be of some help.. Additionally, there is Campana and Candini, both in Italy, who you may wish to contact. Their English may be limited, so I would recommend sending a general request (e-mail) to them and' see what kind of response you get.. As and aside, I lived in the West Palm Beach area for many, many years, before relocating to TN... I have an '82 QPIII waiting for my time! Good luck with your hunt for the Euro parts, and please, please keep us up-to-date on your restoration efforts... Mike
I know someone in the Netherlands who has European headlights and probably side markers. Don't know how much he wants for them but how much are you willing to spend and shipping is a thing too. Shipping will be easily 80-100 euro. Send me a PM if you want me to buy them for you
A caution on the Lamborghini V12. It's a lot more difficult to work on than the Maserati V8. I own both and as a mostly DIY guy and expert tech I still managed to get the job done but that V12 carb linkage and the DCOEs on that engine are far more challenging than Maserati's setup. If this were 15 years ago I'd be far more encouraging because there alternate parts sources that were far more reasonable back then. That has changed both in terms of cost and availability. THere are some people actually manufacturing some of more obscure unobtainium parts such as a friend of mine https://www.youtube.com/@vintagelambo9280. He has a facebook page as well so that helps. He's a very talented and reasonable guy who has helped me out a lot. Another great resource for identifying parts sources and technical specifics is the VLG. It's been around since the early 2000's. You'll also find good info in this websites Lamborghini section. In terms of expense I think you'll find the Lamborghini more expensive that a QPIII though any older car being restored isn't cheap. I have an acquaintance who bought his Espada at about the same time as I did. He's gone through thing completely doing some things twice and while he hasn't confided in me how much he's spent I think his license plate gives you an idea. LIRAPIT . He won an award at the Amelia Island concours, well deserved. Above all have fun. You don't have have a perfect car but I do believe it needs to run as perfectly as was originally designed.
The maintenance cost are something to keep in mind and parts availability. I have read somewhere that the ferrari 400 v12 is really solid and maintenance costs are similair to the maserati v8. The v12 with often fuel injection are often pretty reliable. Have you had a Ferrari V12 and what is your opinion on that?
No. There's nothing inherently unreliable about DCOEs. It has a lot more to do with unskilled mechanics, massive deferred maintenance but being able to properly setup that Lamborghini linkage is no small thing. Once you do it's fine. There's 12 of everything instead of 8 so that's a part of it. You should ask about the early FI Ferrari V12s in the Ferrari section but ... just in general early FI systems were difficult as were early electronic ignition systems. The system on a QPIII is identical to the 928 and late Boras. I've had great luck with mine. For the v12 Lamborghinis I'd recommend the Pertronix system as it's worked wonderfully on my Espada. I had the alignment checked on a friends Sun distributor machine. You will always find more parts and service help for a Ferrari than a Maserati or Lamborghini.
