The Maserati Biturbo Spyder - Italy's Failed Mercedes SL..
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- Опубліковано 29 вер 2024
- Powered by the first twin turbo engine, Designed and built by Zagato, this was a true exotic that could have taken on the best.
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I’ve always thought the Biturbo, and every car that was based on it afterwards, were very attractive cars.
I very much agree, they are almost jewel like in person when they are in good shape. When I was a kid they were my dream car mostly because of looks and presence, and they had every electric gizmo there was heh. BUT once they had a few years they had one major issue, which was that a lot of the parts were easily scuffed/cracked or became loose and the leather took care to keep nice looking.. I thought of buying one in about 98 but was put off by mechanics bills plus that every bit in the interior would have to be replaced or reconditioned to look fully proper. But they can be found darn cheap, but prepare to have to have a lot done ;-)
I've always like the looks on these biturbos..now 30 odd years later still look stunning to my eyes at least..
The coupes were much better looking imo. Weren't they Bertone`? But Zagato built the rag tops?
Two turbos and it's still not fast? Way cool clock!!!
After the likes of the Bora, Khamsin and Merak, they made this in an effort to go more mainstream and failed miserably.
I’m only 19yo living in the us and I bought a 85 biturbo E, apparently really rare only 500 in the U.S. or something, it currently needs a clutch but when she was going it was unbelievable, 2nd best sounding car gtv 6 is the first.
Back just as I started my career in TV I worked with a guy at CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) who had a Maserati Biturbo I think it was an 1985 or 86 car. At the time I had my Supra and as guys do we chatted and then had a go in each other's cars. I remember loving the interior, it was a caramel colour and was comfy as hell and the ruched leather seats, armrest and door cards seemed really well made. The stitching was exceptional and while being pampered inside the layout of the car left a lot to be desired. Looks wise the Biturbo really looked the business in the late 80's, it's "boy racer" looks helped it to a few driveways in the city of Edmonton at the time. As I recall the 5 spd saw the car pull 0 - 60 mph (100km/h) in the low 6 seconds which was as fast or quicker than an 80's fox bodied Mustang GT. The biggest issue for me was the lack of handling, with a fairly heavy V6 right over the front wheels meant there was considerable understeer, which is ok if you only drive in dry weather. Sadly we have winter for 7-8 months of the year and trying to panic steer and unwieldy car around a corner on snow and ice was a challenge in my Supra but almost undoable in the Biturbo. We also worked with a gent with a Saab 900 Turbo who sailed through winter like the car was on rails. I actually looked at a few Biturbo's over the years with most in decent shape selling for $5K CDN or so. Which is also the same money for cars like a Merkur XR4ti (North America's Sierra Cosworth, without the Cosworth) Porsche 924, Mazda RX-7 1st gen, BMW 320i, Isuzu Impulse RS, etc. which made the Biturbo perhaps a little harder to sell. Now, if a tasty little Biturbo popped up at a good price would I be willing to re-home it? Maybe, I'm not in a situation where I have only one vehicle anymore and it would be a summer toy, not an all weather driver. I'm still crazy, just not stupid but, I will say, if the Biturbo's interior was that nice, I would love to find an Quattroporte of the era just to see what that interior had going for it!? Great review Jack, and thank-you to Nick for the use of his lovely Biturbo!! - Dave
I always liked the Biturbo’s.
When new, I always thought they looked like a (very) expensive BMW 3-series, just with a much nicer interior. To be honest, they still do, but they definitely have a retro 80s charm to them now. I admire anyone who owns and cherishes theirs :)
My thoughts exactly. Although I think the 3 series aged better than this.
Always looked like a fat Lancia to me.
Biturbo's are wonderful. Never worth the list price when new, but great value nowadays.
From experience I can say the simpler they are, the less prone they are to going wrong.
I owned an '86 420 for 8 years which was great. No injection, no electronic dampers, no assisted stearing or breaking, no ESP or ABS, a single exhaust and (quite) normal sized tires. 😉
But with those boxy looks, beautiful interior, electric windows, A/C and a lovely sounding carburated 2 liter V6. 😎
As an owner you need to get in touch with entusiasts who know them inside and out, because they will be able to tell you which cheap FIAT and Alfa parts can replace the expensive Maserati ones.
I like the exterior. The interior is the highlight of the car. Thanks Jack!
I agree the interior design is awesome...if the quality was there too it would have felt like a sporty small Italian Rolls.. would have been awesome
I can't help but wonder, how much could one do with after market bushes and dampers to help the handling? Some extra welding? Could it be sharper, could it be the car you really want with such easy interventions? With some cars, and this is one, I itch to try.
I worked for a dealer group that closed a Maserati dealership in the late 80s. We were asked to sell their last stock car which was a 430 manual saloon which I ( eventually)sold and delivered by road. I remember that the power came in very suddenly!!
looks like a posh lancia. quite fetching, hints of bmw 3 series going on in the styling perhaps.
Henri, owner of Henri Apartments and Discotèca Maxim’s in l’Estartit, Girona has two of these cabrio’s. A red and a black one. Yes two of the same kind. Not even one with a closed roof. I always wondered why he did that (?).
Wow! Did not expect this Biturbo… totally love it.
I really like the hard top Biturbo, but the soft top doesn't have the same appeal looks wise.....cracking stuff as always Jack buddy!
All in all i'm a coupe man as well but this would make a nice summer cruiser!
@@Number27 That it would Jack!
You can certainly see a resemblance to the Lancias of the early 80s, especially the Beta Spider (Zagato) and the Montecarlo (Scorpion). A bit odd, since both of them were designed by Pininfarina...
My next door neighbour growing up was the founder and owner of Kesterlian Motors Manchester they were a Hyundai, Isuzu & Maserati Dealer. I remember being about 9 or 10 in 89-90 and creaming over the Bitturbos that were on next doors driveway when we always had Porsches and dare I say it a Citroens
Have driven a few Biturbo’s ( not convertibles), loved the styling, fabulous interior, great engine, I think that they were reliable but as they passed a few owners, maintenance went downhill
I worked at a Mercedes Benz dealership when Cash for Clunkers was ongoing in the United States.
In order to qualify for Cash for Clunkers the engine had to be destroyed.
An absolutely mint condition one came in with less than 15,000 miles was taken in to the program against a Mercedes E-Class.
We asked the owner several times was he sure he wanted to do it because the Maserati would be destroyed and he said he had a lot of problems with it and had tried to trade it or sell it for months and nobody was interested so the money he got for destroying it as a Clunker was worth it!
It was so sad when they drained the oil out of it put sand into the engine and started it up and it destroyed itself.
Wow.. that is absolutely awful…
When a car was killed in the CfC scheme could the body be ready used? Was it only the engine that was destroyed? I ask because someone could have taken it and put a new engine in it
I never knew there was a prerequisite to qualify for cash for clunkers in the US. 10s of thousands of good cars were destroyed because of perceived value. Who would not trade in their $300 car for a $1500 down payment.
@@bobbyrayofthefamilysmith24 Nope
40 years later, there are still close-to-3-liter V6 biturbos in the company but now they are pumping out double the power in various Alfa Romeo models.
It is stupefying that someone can build an unreliable series of cars. And yet remain in business! Having seen the internals of a new twin-turbo V-8. The fact that maserati use the least expensive connecting rods is indicative of the brand. Cheaply made cars with poor reliability and a high price tag. Rather like a donald watch.
I remember 'my' garage had an early coupe in the shop. I was supposed to bring it in but it wouldn't start whatever we did. They showed me why: the fuel line from tank to engine was so close to the exhaust that airbubbles formed in it, despite the heat shielding. Now, I'm no engineer, but even I could understand how that didn't work. You had to bleed the line if you wanted to drive.
Such a shame. I'm one of the admirers. It's a Maserati, a big historical brand of pretty exclusive and luxury sportscars and of the mighty 250F, but with practical dimensions and a proper trunk to boot (ha... ha...). I really believed in it. It wasn't well thought out, though. By the time they had fixed issues like that and it was properly good, the bad rep was already established.
I like the continuity "error" of having a small bloke with sunglasses on and then you inside it ..... the Beastie Boys couldn't have made a better video! thanks!
Apparently, lowering the tyre pressure by up to 5 psi at each corner reduces scuttle shake …. Just joking…….
What a lovely thing. I like the exterior lines and adore the interior trim - so different to most other stuff of that era. Clearly dynamically not the best, but, as you said Jack this encourages one to drive them to their strengths rather than repeatedly highlight their weaknesses. Great content and I love the Italian pronounciation - wonderful stuff.
I noticed the ZX Spectrum reference. A good one. Great video of a car I always found attractive.
Accept the zx spectrum had raised rubber buttons. The zx80 and zx81 had the flat keyboard.
@@slacko1971 Good catch. I never had a Spectrum personally though, I had a CPC 464 🙂.
Christ, better than my beloved 1986 XJSC.....you dont hear that often 😂😂
I remember reading Car & Driver how bad the quality was. but still that is a gorgeous design
I've always liked these, the owner has great taste, a Maserati and a Griffith, it gets no better.
Hope Clarkson isn't around as he will drop a piano or a bankvault upon it.
That does happen...
Fast, Red, Italian & Sexy. What else does the Maserati Biturbo Spyder need?
To drive properly?
Please test Peugeot 504 convertible V6
Well I’d love to but finding one would not be easy
Saw this at the G-Mex motor show in Manchester in 1986 or thereabouts. The fancy clock was a nice touch (the one I saw was silver) and it's a pity the cars became a by-word for unreliability. The Spyder in particular was almost purpose designed to appeal to 1980s youngsters looking for something to pick up girls in, until it broke down of course. :)
If it had been built better, it could have been much more of a star than it was.
Though one odd quirk I have to note here ... I've seen Ferraris and Lamborghinis in multiple colour schemes (including some truly lairy colour schemes in the case of Gallardos and Aventadors), but I've *never* seen a Maserati Biturbo in anything other than red ...
This is just my humble opinion as a Maserati enthusiast. Maserati for me is like a foster child. A foster child whose foster parents were never able to offer a stable and secure future. Abandoned by the Maserati brothers, the days of glory with the Orsi family, the "hydraulic" Maseratis and the debt crisis of Citroen, the willing but not financially strong De Tomaso and lastly, the incapability/uselessness of FIAT in dealing with its subsidiaries. Maserati was never offered a safe and stable environment that would allow for continuity, like for e.g the SL series of cars. The BiTurbo era or the DeTomaso era is for sure the most controversial one. DeTomaso tried to keep the marque afloat and his BiTurbo's, with their pros and cons, did manage that. This series of cars ( i wonder why everybody tends to forget the Quattroporte III of the era and focus so much on the BiTurbos), with all the iterations from the initial 1981 Biturbo till the Gandini designed Quattroporte IV, gave the world a glimpse of Maserati's spirit. And these cars did carry the spirit of Maserati despite them not being loved so much. And as i mentioned above, these boxy Maseratis are in a great extent, the reason why the marque still exists.
Bellissima! When I was a 21 year old student I bought a used 1987 Biturbo 2.0 Si with the 227 BHP engine and no catalysts. Great sound, but it was breaking down in very creative ways all the time! Later I bought a superb 2.24V followed by the awesome Ghibli 2.0 with 306 BHP, a car I regret selling to this day, it was just the perfect Biturbo at long last.
For quality have a Merc SL. For wafting have the Jag. For Italian brio have a Busso engined Alfa Spyder (nee GTV).
I was fortunate to own an 87 spider bought used in 92 - A flawed diamond for sure but I absolutely loved it. Mine was auto and sounded fantastic - a Griffith 500 followed, but that's another story - I think we are of the same mind Number 27 👍😊
Nice accurate review.
The failure of the Biturbo in all its' various forms can be best understood by remembering who owned Maserati at the time: Alejandro de Tomaso. He was his generation's Flavio Briatore, and that is very definitely not a complement.
After cars like Bora, Merak, Ghibli and Khamsin, I'm afraid that this came as a massive disappointment to me. Looked like Maserati's version of a Beemer 3 series. The Shamel(?) that followed not a lot better.
On the upside, we can all appreciated how good the XJ-S convertible looked in that screeshot... :o)
Thanks, again, for putting this car in its 1984 context. I too think it is decent looking, I prefer short and wide cars, but details are disappointing (everything too understated, tail lights imitating Mercedes, lack of Zagato quirkiness, lost opportunity to exploit the iconic trident). Including the Biturbo, Maserati has become a name detached from its DNA. The Ghibli, Indy, Merak and Bora were lasts grasps at glory. Wonder if whoever owns the OSCA brand would care to introduce something interesting.
I'm considering one of these right now...manual trans. I've always had a thing for the Biturbo Maserati's. Thanks for sharing this with us. You might drive an Alfa 164 with the 3 liter Busso V6 and a manual trans.
I think you might mean the ZX81 Jack! The Spectrum had the squishy rubber buttons 😀
I’ve had the pleasure of driving a 222 1989 before the facelift to 90s facelift like the spyder you tested, and a 430 1990 with the facelift. Both a lot of fun. Was tempted to buy but didn’t. Had always wanted a Ghibli 2.8 GT or a Cup, or indeed a Shamal. Not too late I guess! But big risk.
Like a mate told me when I revealed my desire to add one of them to the collection “mate, you gotta have big b*lls to buy a car like that!” Not for the faint hearted when things go wrong…
But lovely nonetheless and were fun to drive! Especially with the dogleg box. Handling was great in the dry…
Had a 4.22 and 4.24 and used as them daily drivers. No issues with those later Biturbo's. But had an early 2.5 carb, everything went to hell with that car -:((
I had the last delivered RHD uk one of these from the fantastic CARRS MASERATI AND FERRARI in Exeter as a used car in the early 2000s I loved it as it was a rare beast, it had the number plate SPY 2X. I hope it’s still rocking around saying I loved it, it did spend lots of time back at CARRS getting fixed.
As a teen in the 80’s, a gentleman down the street had an absolutely gorgeous Quattroporte in a lovely deep burgundy and his wife had a matching Biturbo coupe.
I’ve always had a love for this era of Maserati design, especially the QP, but also a terrible fear of buying one and having nothing but problems 😂
Thank you for this video! This car deserves to be recognized for pioneering twin-turbo engines in road cars.
can we please have some consistency with this Italian accent malarky? he never seems to say 'ferrari' in a funny accent so why some Italian cars and not others?
I've always thought that it doesn't really matter how they are as a vehicle, they simply look brilliant to me, in all shapes and engine sizes. From the saloon, to the Shamal, I love them all.
My fave derivative was the Karif.Oddly proportioned,but strangely cool looking!
Looks like a Cadillac Allante
I drove a last spyder 2.8 L, with a 5 gearbox Getrag, era Fiat, honest, good car but some parts difficult to have..
Back then, Peter Ustinov was a Biturbo fan. But still, his advice was to buy 2 of them. Then you can drive one while the other is being repaired...
I always loved those and I always will, but I'd only recommend millionaires to get one!
Had numerous bi turbos including a same 2.8SE spyder with a dog leg box. Loved it. Totally lethal in even just a slightly damp condition. 2.0 I believe is more rapid from memory. Good fun all round though. Take the door cards off and you’ll see how bad they are put together ! A Racing coupe would be an interesting review but are like rocking horse do do in the UK.
Front reminds me of a Lancia Delta, interior is gorgeous. A manual version would be really cool. I would guess potential SL customers would be too conservative to buy one of these.
An Alfa 75 is just as weird, just as dodgy, and a lot better drive. I’m with Clarkson on the Biturbo.
There was a pensioner who drank in the pub I used to go to back in the mid 80s at lunch time. There was a retirement home a few doors down. He owned a Biturbo Spyder which was parked in the home's car park. I never actually saw it move. After he passed it disappeared. I wanted one, but no way could afford one, probably just as well.
The only nice thing about the entire car is the clock. Otherwise no redeeming features. Hard to see why anyone would pay through the nose for one of these rather than a Merc SL
Love the boxy look, the platform survived for well over a decade, I believe all the way to the Shamal. Jack have you seen the Toyota engine swaps being done on the biturbo?
I have always loved the design of the BiTurbo - it is both a clean and classic beauty!
ZX Spectrum! Which I had BITD 😁
If I wasn´t subbed already, I would have subbed just for that reference 👍
Thank you for another great video. So nice to see all the different things that you get to drive. 👍
Showing the top being raised and lowered is an important part of a review of a convertible.
Total respect for your Italian. Absolutely spot on. Bravo!
Attractive enough but .... the Merc SL wipes the floor
I was at the London Motorshow in the mid-90s. One of these Spyders was on the stand of a specialist dealer. I watched a potential punter walk up to it, walk round it and then open the driver's door. The bottom of the door then fell out onto the floor in a pile of rust, together with some of the internals. He kicked the bits underneath and walked away.
Beautiful wheels...
You now need to drive a 'Chrysler TC by Maserati' for comparison purposes. 😉
In profile it looks just like an e30 convertible
Thank you for driving it. So we don't have to 😂
TY Jack 🙏🙏. A rare, quirky beast indeed!
Ive always loved these........from afar, on purpose.
Bella machina, whatever they might say!!!
"I've driven a fewby-turbos"
Similar lines to a BMW E30
The maserati has some BMW E30 looks
The interior still looks great
In the 90s the independent garage that serviced my Uno looked after a bunch of these here in NZ. I think they made more money off the Maseratis :)
Ha!!!! I'm not surprised dude..
😎😎😎😎😎👍👍👍👍👍
Dude!! You’re always one off the first to watch. Thank you 🙏
More for show than go😂😂😂
Is the interior rattly?
225 bhp from a 2.8i v6 twin turbo must have taken some clever engineering to develop so little power😢
They had a 300hp version I believe?
This was the first road going twin turbo, and 40 years ago.
A 🔱 is always a special car 💛
love the wheels
Lexus sc430
👍👍
😊