The Maserati BiTurbo just may have saved Maserati from extinction.
By Wallace Alfred Wyss
In the late 1970s, Alejandro de Tomaso came to America to find out what kind of car Americans want. He had been building the Pantera since 1971 (continuing even after 1974 when Ford ceased importing it to the U.S.) and bought Maserati yet he wasn’t sure what kind of car Americans really desired.
It was by happenstance he dropped by Dick Guldstrand’s shop and Guldstrand invited me over to talk to Alejandro about what I thought he needed to build. I mentioned the BMW 2002 to the Italian car builder and told him what a great car it was in its time. He left and not long after I heard about the Maserati Bi-turbo.
De Tomaso had bought Maserati from Citroen in 1975. That marriage—Citroen and Masrati—had been a disaster, and de Tomaso was only glad to pick up the pieces when the French decamped. It is said that he bought it for the price of one Maserati mag wheel, using government money since the Italian government wanted to see employees continuing to be employed.
By 1978, de Tomaso had running prototypes of his new small car. The production model of the Maserati Biturbo was introduced in 1981 as a two-door, four-seater notchback coupé featuring a two-liter V-6 engine with twin turbochargers and a luxurious interior. The design was attributed to Pierangelo Andreani, an engineer from the de Tomaso team, and basically imitates the Quattroporte III, a much larger car done by Guigiaro at Ital Design.
Export versions came initially with a 2.5 liter V6, but after 1989 the engine was enlarged to 2.8 in Italy, because of a huge tax on cars over two liters, a two-liter high-performance version was offered. The engine was a little jewel—aluminum block, aluminum heads, a 90-degree single cam per bank descended from the Maserati Merak two liter engine, which some say goes back to a Formula 1 engine designed by Giulio Alfieri, the legendary engine designer.
The carbureted 2.5 liter V6 cranked out 185 hp and 208 lb·ft of torque in North American spec and slightly more elsewhere. Fuel injection was fitted in 1987 raising power to 187 hp. In 1989 the 2.8 engine took a big leap to 225 hp and 246 lb·ft of torque for North America and to 250 hp for Europe.
Even in its first form the car was fast, doing 0 to 60 mph in under 7 seconds. Its top speed was limited only by its tall shape to around 125 mph.
The car was introduced to America as a 1984 model by British Motor Car Distributors. Although they had adequate parts and service, the car had more than a few problems.
Before these became widely known they brought out a Spyder version with coachwork by Carrozzeria Zagato, which had a beautiful interior, with lots of wood veneer stretching from one end of the dash to the other and a Cartier clock, by far the most reliable mechanical device on the car.
I remember one owner of my acquaintance, Filipo Pola, who was at first enthusiastic about his Spyder, but it seems like every time he went out in the car it broke down. The town’s tow truck driver, seeing him coming, would follow, waiting to be summoned. Finally Pola, furious at the unreliable fuel pump, called de Tomaso in person and told him to spend a couple more bucks and buy a fuel pump that worked. De Tomaso was, as per his style, resistant to outside suggestions. Other problems cited in road tests include improper carburetor float levels causing the engines to stumble during left turns, pickup wires in the distributors cracking from the heat, fluids leaking from faulty seals throughout the drivetrain, fuse boxes melting, and coolant temperature warning lights coming on even when the engines weren’t yet over-heating. Add clutches and timing-belt tensioners to the long list of bits that needed redesign early on. Road and Track tried to mollify the critics, saying in 1990: “It’s amazing a small company like Maserati with no experience in volume production fared as well as it did with the Biturbo. In fact, while the Biturbo’s failings were always annoying, they were usually not serious. And nearly all the car’s bugs were eventually worked out with upgraded parts. … Most notable of all, our experts wholeheartedly agree that the basic Biturbo engine — the block, pistons, etc. — is virtually indestructible.” Maybe R&T didn’t want to lose the ad money.
The Bi-Turbo could be a blast to drive but it was unpredictable. Despite the use of two small turbos to combat turbo lag, it lagged anyway and then when the turbos would finally kick in, it would be so violent that , at the same time that you were thrilled by the kick in the rear, you couldn’t help wondering when a piston would exit the block.
The Bi-Turbo problems so soured Maserati sales that the company departed from the US. after the 1991 model year, only to return in 2002 with new owners in Italy and the new coupe and Spyder, at last reliable cars.
Roughly 40,000 Bi-Turbos were sold worldwide. Some were even prepared for races, in venues like the British Touring Car Championship, but they were unsuccessful and received no factory help.
Always happiest creating new models, de Tomaso was a sort of Wizard of Oz behind the curtain creating dazzling products. He was not so interested in the tedious refinement of products once they were out in the field. And America is admittedly a daunting place to sell (or warranty) cars. Consider that a single car might go from the 40-below of Minnesota in winter to the 122 in the shade of Twenty Nine Palms in the summer.
In the last few years of the Bi-Turbo variations, deTomaso seemed to go into hyper-gear, creating half a dozen variations, some of which looked far different than the original car, and whose specifications were mouth watering, even if you suspected not all the mechanical problems had been licked. Among the follow-up models were the four-door 420/425 and 4.24v , the Karif, the 228 and 2.24v, the Maserati Racing and the later Shamal and Ghibli II.
One can see by the name Ghibli that de Tomaso was not above reactivating a name from Maserati’s past to hype a new model that didn’t look anything like its famous predecessor. They eventually dropped the Bi-Turbo name, hoping the bad reputation engendered by its mention would die with that name’s withdrawal from the U.S. but the Spyder, 228 coupe and 430 sedan were not sufficiently promoted to save Maserati sales in the U.S. It was a sinking ship and the crew was seen running for the lifeboats.
The last models shipped to America were not all made to U.S. spec. and there are reports in Automotive News of dealers here and there having their stock of Maseratis confiscated for being non-conforming.
The real irony of the Bi-Turbo was that it is the car that saved Maserati, because it sold in volume whereas none of their previous cars could be considered volume sellers. The Bi-Turbo kept Maserati alive until a proper rescuer could be identified and secured. The result of de Tomaso’s efforts was that Maserati was a much more delectable entity for an investor; being in that a running company with a sales network is more desirable than trying to revive a dead marque’s name. When Fiat bought it in 1993 they were able to keep it going until they could roll out all new models bearing the Maserati trident.
De Tomaso was right in choosing to make a small car; but his arrogance toward criticism of his cars and failure to act quickly to make them right almost doomed his efforts. Still, Maserati fans worldwide have to thank him for saving their favorite marque. (de Tomaso was a Maserati enthusiast himself and owned some significant historical Maserati race cars, which were sold after his death).
What impact does this checkered history have on Bi-Turbo values today? Well, unless you are a mechanic, make that an Italian car mechanic, and have lots of parts and experience on this marque, we would recommend against it. None, save the Spyder, are worth much in the U.S. models. Over in Europe with the more developed models like the Shamal, it might be different.
And so it is; a great name had to go through hard times to make it to its present state of vitality…
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my only experience with the biturbo was with a guy who lived locally & had one, the leather upholstery was disintegrating rapidly. i’m sure he was having mechanical problems too.
he had to commute frequently between here & pittsburgh & in the winter that is never a good idea with any car.
he asked me if i wanted to buy it, i said no i have too much italian machinery already.
it reminded me of another guy i worked with in 1967 who had a pantera but it was in the shop all the time being attempted to be repaired. i’m sure that car cost him his wife and his job too.
> jack
The Bi-Turbo may be the car which saved Maserati, but it is also the car which sunk more than one dealer.
I had been a customer of my local Ferrari dealer, and they talked me into buying their first Bi-Turbo, to have it in friendly hands. Neat little car, I found out in the first week that the hot-weather testing on the car had apparently been done in the Arctic. Stopping at a traffic light in Atlanta in the summer meant immediate vapor lock, as everything under the hood heat-soaked.
Lots of warranty work was required, and Maserati had a policy that any warranty parts had to be sent from their warehouse in Baltimore, even if the dealer stocked the part! Their concept of service was a car laid up, waiting two weeks for the warranty replacement to arrive, while the customer stared at the same part on the dealer’s shelves. (My dealer, and probably most, ignored this policy.)
I sold the car back to the dealer after 18 months. We estimated that if the warranty work done on the car had been done at retail prices, it substantially exceeded the cost of the car! On my car both turbos were replaced (oil leaks), front and rear engine oil seals, two transmissions, the tires, speedometer, fuel pumps, fuel hoses, electrical parts, on and on.
The Bi-Turbo was fun and quick when it ran, but that was all too rare. It was replaced with a European-spec BMW M6 (imported under the “one car in a lifetime” exemption — remember that?), one of the best cars I’ve ever owned.
The Maserati BiTurbo may have been fast, attractive, whatever, but as a car: a device to get passengers from one place to another, on any sort of a reliable basis, it was a failure.
I was a mechanic for the Alfa-Romeo, Maserati, Ferrari dealer when these came out. When initially introduced they were well recieved but this quickly soured. Poor reliability and from my point of view a hard car to work on. One mechanic did manage to burn one to the ground and the owner was more relieved than upset. The only plus point is that they helped us sale a few Alfa GTV-6’s.
The later cars with fuel injection were better, and more developed, but maserati pulled out of the US market before many of these were sold.
In my humble opinion Alfa Romeo died when purchased by Fiat and Maserati died when purchased by De Tomaso. I love the cars of both of these manufactuers before these events, but have no use for the later models.
When de Tomaso was thinking of your recommendation, he was obviously considered only the 2002’s size and demographic, rather than its (much more important) well-considered design, economy of operation and ease of service. However many its shortcomings, and there are a few, the 2002 remains as the car that was good enough to make North America forget that Alfa invented the postwar sports sedan, whereas the Biturbo was the car whose reputation Maserati had to overcome to regain some market share here. It might interest you to know that the 2002 freak in the family, my wife, lusted after the Biturbo when first she laid eyes on a picture of it. Thank God its American debut was delayed by a good two years and the price doubled in the meantime; had it come in at the announced $17,000 when it was supposed to, we would have had one.
And, Wallace – I wouldn’t go around telling everyone that a suggestion of yours inspired the creation of this thing. I know a few folks who might come a little further unhinged at that…
The Maserati BiTurbo, just like so many other machines from the Italian Motherland…Lancias, Benellis, Alfas, MV Agustas…were never intended to be reliable, or even understood.
You do not invest yourself in one of these conveyances because you are sure it will forever be predictable and get you to work on time. You do so because the blood from your heart would surely stop pumping and you would die a cold and lonely death, aboard the machine from any other country…
I have owned a 1987 Maserati Spyder since the early 1990’s and except for routine maintenance I have never had a “major” problem with it. Maybe I am lucky, but the reason is probably that it is fuel injected, (not carburated), I only drive it occasionally, and it is kept in a heated garage when it is not being driven. A family car it is not, nor a daily driver. It is fun, unique and something not many other people are driving around.
Author replies:
(to Mr. Harper)
I don’t think the Maserati marque died when De Tomaso took over.It seems to be thriving today, and today you get a Ferrari-developed engine under the hood. Some marques (those with a soul, I’ll argue) have an amazing ability to be revived on their deathbed..
(to Robert Owen) I think DeTomaso already had the car developed and was only deciding which markets to bring it to. He asked me because I had recently been with Motor Trend and he thought I had a finger on the pulse of what the public wanted.
(to Mr. Stulpins)
Your comment about the unreliability being part of the excitement reminds me of when I’d driven a new Jeep and a Jeep fan asked me if it leaked and I said it did and he was happy because that meant it was a “real Jeep.”
My dad has owned an ’87 spider, (fuel injected) for about 7 years and has no major issues. Maybe they were all sorted out by the PO? It is a beautiful, fast nad fun car, but like most exotic cars it is not just turn key, go and forget.
I have owned an 86 spyder for nearly four years and I love it. It has been more reliable than some British cars I’ve had. I have found that exotic Italian cars are like exotic Italian ladies in that they will tolerate abuse but not neglect. Furthermore, if you “fix” them without knowing what you are doing you can really screw them up. Mine was the last carb car they made and they were struggling to meet US emissions standards. Going to a automatic choke with hot water plumbing was not such a hot idea but once you get the devil warmed up it is a joy to drive.
Ciao
Dick in Vancouver, WA
Saved Maserati? I think the Biturbo damn near killed Maserati. Trying to guess what the public wants to buy “is a fool’s game” to quote David Gilmour. The Biturbo made Maserati into a laughingstock. What happened to making cars like the Ghibli and the Bora? The Maserati brothers are still turning over in their graves…
Yes saved Maserati. It brought the Marquii back in the limelight and finally returned with quality. I have a 1985 spyder which a bought the 76th production model off the line in Italy and brought it here in 1985. Almost 25 years later I still get excited driving it and people still stare at it like any other exotics. Ok Ive had my share of similar problems with it that were mentioned above but so do Ferrari, Lambo, alfa, Ditomaso and Lancia owners.
Buy a Ford if you want reliabilty
I have owned two Bi-Turbos, an 85 coupe and 87 Spyder. I first saw one in 1987, and fell in love with it’s beautiful lines. I first began to consider owning one in about 1993. In researching the car, I visiting many for sale. Almost every owner proudly pulled out a thick stack of repair receipts from the glove compartment. I heard many stories of what went wrong. Maybe only 10% had the original speedometer.
In 1995, my Pontiac 6000 STE was hit and totaled. I saw an ad for a 1985 Bi-Turbo in the paper and went up to see it. The body was pristine, the same magnificent burgundy color I had seen in 1987. The only visible defect was that the headliner was beginning to sag. In test driving it, it was fantastic and my blood raced. It had about 35,000 miles showing. I did hear a little intermittent noise, to which the owner said “Yeah, it sometimes does that.” I bought it for $3,600!
Two days later, the water pump went out. The maintenance headaches were beginning. The most notorious perhaps, was the dripping of oil. I eventually discovered that the compression fitting on the bottom of the oil pan was leaking, obviously hit by a piece of gravel or stone bouncing up from the road. The tubing off the compression fitting snakes up the side of the engine block to supply oil to the turbos (which is why you turn on the ignition and wait for the red light in the dash to go out). The replacement part (tubing and fiting) cost $18. The labor was $500, as the mechanic basically had to take everything including the exhaust manifold off the left side of the engine!
I used it for a daily driver for a few years, when in 1998 I happened upon a beautiful silver 1987 Spyder on a dealer’s lot. 28,000 miles and the odometer worked. It was a garage kept, one-owner car, he bought at auction in San Diego and brought up to Seattle. The right side window didn’t work, but in my solo test drive I discovered it was just a fuse. I negotiated a trade for my very ailing (and now body damaged) coupe and picked this beauty up for $8,200.
This car has given me 12 years (and counting) of motoring bliss. It now has about 50,000 miles and, with proper routine maintenance, has been as trouble free as any American car I’ve had. No it’s not for those who want the reliability of an Acura or Lexus, but those cars don’t have the tactile, sensuous feel of an Italian automotive vixen.
It is a bit sad that the poor (and deserved) reputation established by the early year Bi-Turbos soured the market for the later models when the kinks had been worked out. Whenever a newer car catches my eye, I look at the resale/trade-in value of my 1987 Zagato Spyder against the cost of the other and ask “Will I have more fun per dollar per mile if I do this deal?” The answer so far has repeatedly been “No way!”
i own a 222 4v now working perfect,and i drive a 224 from 2000 to 2007 60000 km drive in it in 7 years,in amsterdam no problems , its inside garage when not driving rain is no good ,after overhaul the engine in 2001.
never failed,just services them and drive carful when cold.