WANTED --- Ghibli II

How about the ultimate Ghibli ll and Open Cup car?

 

All that I know of are 1 Ghibli Cup in Canada (recently arrived so I don't think that one will be up for sale very soon). Two Ghibli Open Cup cars. One in Houston and the other I own. Neither of those can be used on the road, not suitable and an enormous federal fine if you're caught. Rather slim pickings I'm afraid.

Bob S.

 

Just test drove a Ghibli Cup from 97.Fantastic Car!Smurf Blue.60 pcs built.Price 25K Euros.
The open Cups are rare,i have just seen one in real life in Italy.Kermit green.Owned by Matteo Panini.

 

I think there is a good chance now that the Ghibli II road car could be imported to the USA under the "Show and Display" law (otherwise known as the Bill Gates law). I have a friend that imported an MC12 from Italy under this law. Basically you have to demonstrate the historical value of the car, its relevance in motoring history and its rarity. The Ghibli could qualify:

1) Only 2200 Ghiblis were built between 1992 and 1999
2) Maserati is an important historic brand
3) The twin-turbo V6 was historically significant as it had the highest specific power output of any road-legal engine in the world (162.5 BHP/Liter for the Ghibli Cup, higher than the Ferrari F40 and Bugatti EB110).
4) The Ghibli II was designed by Giugiaro's Italdesign

OK it's not a long list but it could be enough to get a show&display exemption from emissions/crash test legislation and to get the car registered as a one-off here. Another point could be added if you go for a Cup version:

5) Only 65 Ghibli II Cup road cars were built between 1996 and 1997.

It's worth a shot. I recommend you talk to a firm specialized in one-off historical imports as they can give you the best advice and help you get the car here.

 

Sorry to nitpick, but wasn´t Ghibli II designed by Gandini? Giugiaro designed the 3200.

Love the Ghibli II..

 

I think you are almost right. Gandini designed the Shamal and the QP IV (hence the trademark rear wheel arches) and his design studio (but not himself personally) designed the Ghibli II (which doesn't have the funny wheelarches). However I don't know if there is a single individual that can claim to have designed the Ghibli II.

 

I think that one reservation he had was the import expense versus value of the car. For a standard Ghibli II this is only getting worse with time. Ghibli II prices are headed south in a hurry these days. Show and display only allows very limited mileage. You can't use it like a regular car. A number of MC12s were imported but they were Federalized for regular road use at about $150K each. That's very different from show and display. MIE does stock parts for the Ghibli II. The parts are expensive but a bigger problem could be finding anyone who knows how to work on them here in the USA. You can pay to have a good mechanic learn about them. They're very different from the old 3 valve Biturbo that came here. If you get an early Ghibli II with the older FI and distributor based ignition system it will be a little closer to the early 3 valve motors.

They're fun cars but only the looney need sign up for this. So go ahead, I'm very lonely and could use the company. ;>))

Bob S.

 

I bet the US population of the Ghibli II is quite small. Cool car. I hope you can find one. Let us know if you do.

 

The Ghibli is a final version of the Biturbo and not that different from the earlier Biturbo's. When you can work on a Maserati Biturbo or Biturbo Spyder, you can work on a Ghibli, too. I used to have a 3 valve Biturbo 222 and now I own a 4 valve 2.24v but exept for the engine itself (timing belt different, airfilter different, oil different), maintainance is the same. Early Ghibli's had an engine almost identical to the 2.24v and the Racing (now that is a rare one with 230 built!). The later versions, the GT and the Cup have a completely different lay out in the engine bay (air fliters etc) and different Turbos, a different clutch and a different gearbox.

The real problem will be the availability of specific parts for these cars. Headlight units fotr example are almost unobtainable WORLDWIDE, the same goes for windscreens, rear break discs and airco panels. Here in Europe, people are collecting parts for the future because there isn't much left. I bought a spare 4.24v car to break in case I need some parts...
See for parts: www.eurospares.co.uk, great people but can sometimes be hugely expensive.
When you are going to import one, choose the rarest 2 litre version: e.g. the Cup or the GT. Don't buy a 2.8 version since they tend to overheat in hot weather. When you are only planning to use it on the track, then try to find an open Cup. Only 23 built, see: www.cars-at-speed.com/maserati-ghibli-open-cup/index.html.

 

I don't know how you reached your conclusions about this not being that much different from the early Biturbo but the direct ignition 24 valve engine is hugely different from an an 18 valve early Biturbo engine. I own both and have rebuilt both motors. The pistons, crankcase, exhaust manifolds, water pump, oil pump and crankshaft are very similar everything else which is what most people will have to deal with is very different. Rebuilding the 24v heads, timing the cams or changing the cam belt & chains has zero in common with the 18v motors. As a maintenance job it's a much bigger deal. The direct ignition versions are also a bit different from the distributor based 24V engines with completely different and better electronics but still Weber Marelli.

You could more easily import an Open Cup than a Ghibli II to the USA because it is a race car, two have been and I own one of them, but you can't drive that on the road at all.

As you've pointed out the parts issue gets worse every day so as a consumable driving car it's going to be a real chore here in the USA even if you do get it in "some how". It would appear that Maserati wants all of these cars (Biturbo=>3200GT) dead ASAP.

The headlight issue can be solved by using the Ghibli Open Cup EVO style headlamp solution. Basically it's Ferrari headlamps (355, 456 ...) with the Japanese market mounting frame and fiberglass bezels. For as long as the inventory on those hold up. Not as nice looking as the originals but workable.

Bob S.

 

I can hook you up with a wery Nice Sera Blu 94.Watch it at-
www.youtube.com/tonewheelduderacing

Ciao!

Patrik G

Sweden

 

Easy one... there are about three. All of them are Cup racing versions. As far as I know, nobody has yet attempted to import a road-going Ghibli II to the USA. It would make it a lot easier to get the car through (unbder "show & display" legislation or otherwise) if there was a legal precedent, but I'm not aware of any. This job will require lawyers and a lot of paperwork. Good luck... if you succeed I'll follow

 

Hi Andre,

So now there's a third Open Cup in the USA? Of course Bookout brought in the two but who brought in the thrid one? Maybe now we have enough to have a show? ;>))

Bob S.

 

I dont agree with the fact that you will have a hard time to find a mechanic that can work on these cars, I own a repair manual for both engines. I do believe that obtaining parts will be difficult and expensive. I myself plan to import a Ghibli II, and I will be the one maintaining it. The only issue I have is how will I ever get it registered in california. I would love to see a thread about reliability and common problems the Ghibli II is known for.

 

OK, but based on what? There may be a mechanic somewhere in this country that has worked on these cars but it's higly unlikely that you're going to find them close to where you live. So you can pay them to learn how to work on the car and hope that they're still around for the next service. It's not the same as the 3V Biturbo from the 1980s. Is it unbelievably hard to work on? Of course not. Is it harder than the 3V engine? I think so. I would suggest that you learn to do your own work. I would also hope you've some experience timing the valves on 4 cam engines. This is going to to be waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay harder than getting a Lamborghini or Ferrari serviced. About 4 years ago when I was running my Ghibli Open Cup at Summit Point one of the Italian technicians who was visting FOW knew something about these cars but most people haven't even heard of them.

So, learn to maintain it yourself.

Bob S.