Maserati Biturbo (1984) – Enthusiast Wanted

In 2023, the most modern and imaginative Ferraris, McLarens and Porsches will use state-of-the-art twin-turbo engines for the necessary Punch. Not to mention, for example, the RS models from Audi or all performance cars that have the biturbo 4.0-V8 from AMG under the hood. If you want performance, it’s hard to ignore engines with two turbos as a car manufacturer.

That was once different. After all, twin-turbo engines simply did not exist in the past. Until the Maserati Biturbo appeared on the market in 1981: the first production car with a double-blown block. Brute, right? Well; secretly, the double-blown engine was not a means of ultimate performance at all, but a means of reducing the load sum. In the early 1980s, Maserati wanted to sell more cars and to keep prices low, in Italy it helped to keep the engine capacity below 2 liters – this prevented extra taxes.

Did downsizing start at Maserati?

Yes, in a sense downsizing started with turbotorrets at Maserati. Did you already know that? At least now. Focused on the Italian market, the Maserati Biturbo came on the market with a 2-liter V6 with two turbochargers, which had to ensure that the car could still produce Maserati-worthy performance despite its small displacement. A little later, Maserati also introduced variants of the V6 with a larger displacement (mainly) for the export market, which were nevertheless allowed to keep their horns.

So is this copy. A 2.5-liter V6 with two turbos and 190 hp ensures that the dark red coupe should be able to accelerate to 100 km / h in 6.5 seconds; for a car from the 80s still quite fast. The power reaches the rear wheels via a manual five-speed gearbox, so the Maserati is certainly suitable for the sporty driver who prefers to operate the technology himself.

Provided he can keep his focus on making pace, because now look at that interior. Fifty shades of brown, made possible by wood, leather and luxurious fabrics, create a soothing atmosphere that is only interrupted by the sporty edge of the blue counter plates. The seats may be even softer than they look, and sitting on them you look out over an expansive bonnet with a soft dark red color. Not so much sporty, but very chic.

Real leather, real wood, really soft-looking seats.

Here is a car that you can attribute to Italian flair – and that for about €15,000. That seems, especially given the almost virgin mileage, a very nice price. The car is in good condition and the seller indicates that the previous owner had the necessary work done to it. And yet: it could just be that you have to spend a few thousand euros extra for it.

Nothing to the detriment of the asking price or provider; €15,000 seems like a fair price. But the Maserati Biturbo is certainly not known as reliable and after almost 40 years with – most likely – periods of standing still for longer, all kinds of gaskets and rubbers could just be in bad condition. The car may have little wear, but that does not mean that old parts will not give up the ghost.

Still, we bet that there is a fan for this. The appearance and performance will appeal to many and if you don’t necessarily want to go too far from home and like tinkering, reliability may not be such an issue either. What do you think?