Maserati Ghibli - World Of Classic Cars - Rank 106

Maserati Ghibli 'SS-Specification' Coupe 1967

The Maserati Ghibli is the name of three different cars produced by Italian manufacturer Maserati: first as the Maserati Ghibli I from 1966 to 1973, secondly as the Maserati Ghibli II from 1992 to 1997, and thirdly as the Maserati Ghibli III from 2013 onwards.

Ghibli I

The original Ghibli I (Tipo 115) is a two-door, two-seater grand tourer released by Maserati in 1967. The V8-powered Ghibli debuted at the 1966 Turin Motor Show and proved to be the most popular Maserati vehicle since the automaker withdrew from racing in the 1950s, outselling its two biggest rivals, the Ferrari Daytona and the Lamborghini Miura. American magazine Sports Car International named it number nine on its list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s.

Maserati Ghibli Spyder 1970

The Ghibli's steel body, characterized by its low, shark-shaped nose, was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro. Giugiaro, who today heads his own company ItalDesign, worked at coachbuilder Ghia when he designed the Ghibli.
The car was powered by a front-placed quad-cam 330 hp (250 kW) V8 engine. It had a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 6.8 seconds, had a top speed of 154 mph (248 km/h) and could be operated by either a five-speed manual or three-speed automatic transmission. Even by the standards of its time and class, the car consumed copious volumes of fuel, but Maserati fitted the car with two 50 L (13.2 US gal; 11.0 imp gal) fuel tanks, which could be filled via flaps on either side of the roof pillars. The car also featured pop-up headlamps, leather sport seats and alloy wheels. When leaving the factory the Ghibli originally fitted Pirelli Cinturato 205VR15 tyres (CN72).

Maserati Ghibli Coupé 1968

The convertible Ghibli Spider went into production in 1969. The slightly more powerful Ghibli SS (335 hp) was released in 1970. The Ghibli went out of production in 1973 and found a successor the following year with the Bertone-designed Khamsin. SS-engined cars have additional /49 designation (ex. AM115/49).

In all, 1,150 Coupes and 125 Spiders (including 25 Spider SS) were produced.

Ghibli II

The Ghibli name was resurrected in 1992 with the release of the Ghibli II (Tipo 336). The Ghibli II appeared with updated Maserati Biturbo engines: a 2.0 litre V6, with the highest output, for the Italian and European markets and a 2.8 litre V6 for other countries, operated via a six-speed manual transmission (early 2.8 cars have a 5 speed manual) or 4 speed automatic. The two-door, four-seater coupé was similar in appearance to Maserati Shamal, as both were an evolution of the previous Biturbo coupe. The Ghibli shows its Biturbo heritage in the doors, interior, and basic bodyshell, which were carried over from the Biturbo.

Maserati Ghibli 1994

In 1994, the car was revised. A refreshed interior, new wheels, a fully adjustable electronic suspension and ABS brakes were added. Another round of improvements resulted in the Ghibli GT in 1996. It was fitted with spoked alloy 17" wheels, and had suspension and transmission modifications.
The coupe was built for luxury as well as performance. The car featured a Connolly Leather interior with burl elm trim.
The final year of production for the Ghibli II was 1997. It was replaced in the Maserati lineup by the 3200 GT the following year.

Maserati Ghibli Cup

Several special edition models were produced by Maserati. The first was the Ghibli KS (Kit Sportivo), followed by the race version Ghibli Open Cup which featured improved power through roller-bearing turbos, a freer-flowing exhaust, and remapped fuel computers. The Cup also featured a toned-down carbon fiber-trimmed interior with aluminum pedals and a MOMO steering wheel, and the drivetrain included tweaked suspension and Brembo brakes. To celebrate the world speed record on water, Maserati made a further 60 special edition Ghiblis called the Ghibli Primatist, featuring bright blue paintwork and blue / turquoise leather.

Maserati Ghibli 1994

At the time the Ghibli Cup had the highest ever per litre power output of any street legal car, surpassing the Bugatti EB110, and Jaguar XJ220.

The racing version Ghibli Open Cup is highly sought after by collectors today. In 1996, the car received a modification upgrade, resulting in similar track times to those of the Ferrari 355 Challenge. After the end of the 1995 racing season, several of the original 23 cars were used in national GT events.