A Lesson In Maserati’s 80s Failure - Maserati Biturbo Spyder

[@hansh8071]

27 years ago a friend lend one to us for our wedding. the car, a manual, had issues, someone messed with the suspension to put wider wheels on. he worked on it for weeks to get it ready, against the odds he got it done. And after all his grafting and weeks of bad weather, he brought it to us in the sunshine with the top down and we had an amazing day with that car. The next day he took me for a proper spin, loved it and was thankful. He still ownes it to this day.

[@ceriabestsb3023]

I've always like the looks on these biturbos..now 30 odd years later still look stunning to my eyes at least..

[@JustARandomFio]

Timeless classic at its best. Beaten only by Pininfarina. And B&O.

[@prosto_potomuwto]

They're not perfect. The height of door and it's window does not have a golden ratio.

[@jblack5323]

@@prosto_potomuwtowhat styling house do you work for?

[@prosto_potomuwto]

@@jblack5323 what's a styling house?

[@jamesaustralian9829]

Their a unique looking car for sure.

[@KonstantinosKandiliotis]

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.

[@dm5374]

Very well said, sir.

[@71ala]

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.

[@justinbrown6558]

Pity, those Ghiblis with the 2ltr 306hp are absolutely bonkers (in the best possible way). Did you know that Jack test drove one a few years ago? It’s still featured on this channel…😉👍🏻

[@Joe-nq9qv]

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.

[@gerhard6105]

Indeed, the GTV6 is the best. I have one and a Maserati 4.24 ( that is the bi-turbo with a 2 liter engine and 245 HP.

[@davedaniels8211]

Good for you , young man . I had a GTV6 years ago , and it's supposedly Jeremy Claksons greatest sounding car . I'm now driving an Alfa 916 spider . Greetings from 🇬🇧

[@GForceVRX]

I’ve always thought the Biturbo, and every car that was based on it afterwards, were very attractive cars.

[@noth606]

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 ;-)

[@GForceVRX]

@@noth606yes I can see where you’re coming from. A very tempting car, but perhaps quality is not up to scratch

[@ceriabestsb3023]

@@GForceVRX my favourite design is the Ghibli which is based on this biturbo .The Shamal was bonkers.. beautiful it is not but more macho

[@sijbrendejong8502]

We have three in the family (a spyder from 86, a 222E from 89 and a QP 4th gen ottocilindri (manual!) from 97. Great cars! Oh and I recently got a QP 5th gen myself :-)

[@paultucker1272]

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 :)

[@postmax81]

My thoughts exactly. Although I think the 3 series aged better than this.

[@nigelalderman9178]

Always looked like a fat Lancia to me.

[@Schlipperschlopper]

Looks like a mix of BMW E30 convertible and Chrysler Le Baron

[@Beauloqs]

​@@Schlipperschlopper damn, so nasty and so nice in one sentence...

[@greg-warsaw4708]

Compared to this clean sharpness of contours, a 3-series looks a blurred, vague, out of focus image.

[@canucklehead0]

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

[@marcelhandsome6042]

I've always liked the understated elegance of this car a big fan of Gandini's and Giugiaro's designs I always remember one day parking my 1988 E28 BMW 520i which at the time was better than most saloons and the sports saloon most people wanted but for the very first time, this rare parked-up Maserati 4-door 430 besides my BMW made me hesitate and hanker after the Maserati question my BMW loyalty! and drool over this black Maserati 430! it was one of the very few cars at the time which upstaged and made my BMW look ordinary! especially the interior! which was on another level! bespoke almost! quality of seat fabric, carpets, and leather was just off the scale! Aston Martin Lagonda level!

[@dadcars]

That interior is stunning 👌😮‍💨

[@lint8391]

The seats are less comfortable than those in the Saab 900 & 9000 from that era.

[@davidw5814]

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!!

[@mkadair]

I like the exterior. The interior is the highlight of the car. Thanks Jack!

[@Number27]

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

[@ermias75ermis2]

​@@Number27Can you locate and review a circa1998 Maserati Ghibli Primatist with the all azure blue interior? That would be something to look at

[@antonymail882]

I've had two biturbo's and every drive was a visceral experience. If you measure it by 0-100kph times, stiffness, handling in the wet, reliability you will be disappointed. However if you measure it by how it takes over your emotions, then it's up there with Lamborghinis of the 70 and 80's. Not as good but up there. Basically if has charisma in spades.

[@DDd-hr6mz]

I thought I was the only person in the world who owned two of these. Traded in a carbureted coupe for a Spyder

[@71ala]

Actually they were pretty damn fast for their time. In my former 2.24V (245 BHP, 2 litre 24 valve engine) I raced a guy in a BMW M3 E30 and he had absolutely zero chance in acceleration at any speed - the Maser was just in a different league, especially in-gear 50-100 mph even a Porsche 911 of the era struggled to keep up. The Ghibli was even more bonkers, I swear that in mid-range acceleration I could stay on the tail of a Ferrari F355... at least up to a certain speed

[@PB200559]

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.

[@jaywalker1233]

I had the pleasure of sitting in one of these at the Italian car event, National Motor Museum (Gaydon) in August. Looked exactly the same as this car (except in was the slightly longer 4 seater version) owned by a lovely couple - just normal folk - who’d bought it for around £8k (I think) a few years before, just to enjoy it and let people see it at such events. It was a really lovely car and I was impressed by the beautifully appointed interior (again exactly like the video) and how compact it was - frankly a ‘small’ car by today’s bloated standards and very easy to park + ‘place’ on the road I should think. A practical and very special car to go on a touring holiday pootling around country roads

[@AledPritchard]

Jack, thank you for this. I love all Maserati cars, if not all Italian cars. I’d have this over the Mercedes-always. The whole point is, Italian cars look better, sound better, and have that ‘Non so cosa’ about them that stir something other cars can’t, be it a little Fiat 500, or a V12 Lamborghini. Italian cars are simply cool.

Mmmmm, plenty of other stuff is cool and stirs the soul. And unlike much of the Italian stuff you don't need shares in rhe RAC.

[@AledPritchard]

Also true. Your RAC shares comment made me chuckle, that is also very true!

[@420Ard]

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.

[@timgillison1175]

Hi. Thanks for a really enjoyable video. It is lovely to hear someone be honest enough to say that they love a car despite listing all its shortcomings and faults. Much more interesting than a list of its specs followed by a ranking compared to others (on the basis of those specs). many thanks, Tim

[@arthurdardalis]

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

[@channex8179]

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

[@knightofcydonia07]

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.

[@ryanmccormick2150]

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!

[@Number27]

All in all i'm a coupe man as well but this would make a nice summer cruiser!

[@ryanmccormick2150]

@@Number27 That it would Jack!

[@bicello]

when i was a kid in the '80 the Biturbo was one of my favourite cars because of the front headlights, always liked them, and still today i consider it very pretty and better looking than the variations that came later.

[@h24k]

Allways loved the Bi Turbos and owned quiet a few, 222s 430s and currently a Quattroporte evo 3.2 v8 manual (very rare car) not the most reliable cars or best built but when running right very rewarding and fun and interiors one of nicest ive seen, also owned alot of Lancia Thema turbos (wish i had one now!!) and again even though flawed very fast and lovely interiors.

[@FarmerTorque]

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.

[@Apollodoros76]

Jack, da qualche anno alcuni ragazzi hanno fondato il club "Passione Biturbo", che si occupa anche di produrre nuovi pezzi di ricambio per tutte le serie Biturbo. Ora si può trovare quasi tutto, e se manca qualcosa lo fanno realizzare. So bene che la Biturbo è un'auto piena di difetti, ma mi ha sempre fatto battere il cuore!

[@nigelratledge3485]

Another great video Jack, thanks for taking the plunge and doing the much maligned and misunderstood Biturbo! Regarding parts availability, it's actually better than most people realise, Penny Boon near Lutterworth has an incredible stash of new and secondhand Biturbo spares which her late partner David Askew brought over from Portugal when the Maserati dealer there closed down, plus the numerous owner / enthusiast facebook groups are a great help in sourcing the harder to find bits. You've already seen my white 430 which has just come back from McGrath's, it's now freshly MOT'd and has a set of 16'' Ghibli Mille Miglia alloys with new rubber all round so it's good to go if you're still interested in doing a video on it. If this blasted rain ever stops I'm happy to bring it down to you. By far the Biturbo's biggest problem is neglect, they need to be used and enjoyed...!

[@Selmerpilot]

In the late 90s I fell into a 84 biturbo entirely by chance while in college. I drove it from Boston to Sacramento the summer of 98, used it as my daily driver for the summer in California, then drove it back to Boston. Zero issues other than it was difficult to start cold sometimes. It sadly died when someone T-boned me. Sad day but it was a great car

[@johnwacht152]

I have an 89 430 I bought as a non running project years ago. Learned a lot about them, love the car, still not quite finished with it, but it runs well.

[@italianduded1161]

Wow! Did not expect this Biturbo… totally love it.

[@tinman917]

Had a 425 Saloon, gold colour on Fondmetal wheels, in fact the distributor, Bond international gave me foc- a set nut covers. Turns out mine was supposedly the second UK saloon chassis.

[@chibiy2j775]

Brilliant vid as always! Can we expect your Lotus Esprit Sport 350 review? It's one of my childhood heroes (Hammond had this one), and contradictory one, as I've noticed. Back in '99 Autocar blasted it for 'over-stiff' suspension tweaks, 'darty' steering and 'poor' gearchange ('Uprated suspension mars Esprit's gorgeous handling and steering on road' - Autocar, 13 January 1999), while Evo and Car praised it for the same gearbox ('The clutch no longer requires Herculean effort, and you don't need two hands to change gear' - Car, Feb '99), track focused chassis working 'surprisingly well' on the road ('Perfectly judged suspension control' and 'More drivable with less balky gearchange and smoother clutch action' - Evo, Mar '99) and 'beautifully resolved steering' (Car again). Evo even added it in Top 100 Greatest Driver's Cars of all time in 2013 ('Criminally underrated. The V8 is super light and compact so you have the benefit of a mid-engine car without the mass of a big engine. Absolutely brilliant balance adjustable by a tweak of the foot and the merest touch of the steering makes it one of the most involving drivers’ cars ever. Light overall too, which gives it good performance. Shame there isn’t anything like it today' - Evo. 34th place). The funniest thing is that car they tested was the same №1 example. Maybe you'll finally unravel this tangle of contradictions around S350? I've heard this car is still owned by the same owner (Hundley's Garage channel on YT). Greetings from Russia!

[@Tacko14]

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.

[@justinbrown6558]

Exactly, I was thinking the same thing.

[@davebarron5939]

Great collection of cars you bring, so glad there are many folks willing to share their rides with you / us. Cheers!

[@barryberlow-jackson8454]

Back in the 80s I thought these were the business, more akin to a high level 3 ser but priced above it. As always thanks for your review!

[@TonyHiggins]

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...

[@williamegler8771]

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.

[@Number27]

Wow.. that is absolutely awful…

[@bobbyrayofthefamilysmith24]

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

[@joeblack007]

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.

[@williamegler8771]

@bobbyrayofthefamilysmith24 Nope You could remove parts but the bodies had to be crushed or shredded within 180 days. The body contains the VIN and that had to be destroyed and taken out of circulation.

[@Schlipperschlopper]

I have heard in california they even destroyed some Ferrari 308 I saved a rust free Peugeot 604 Gti 2.8 and almost unused Fiat Croma 154 2500 w. Busso V6 from the german cash for clunkers equivalentt....(here it was possible if you knew well the turkish owner of the wrecking center give him some Euros and all was fine...)

[@Lee_Pitcher]

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.

[@65283impala]

I noticed the ZX Spectrum reference. A good one. Great video of a car I always found attractive.

[@slacko1971]

Accept the zx spectrum had raised rubber buttons. The zx80 and zx81 had the flat keyboard.

[@65283impala]

@@slacko1971 Good catch. I never had a Spectrum personally though, I had a CPC 464 🙂.

[@johnnemo6509]

@@slacko1971 ZX80 and ZX81 users also had flat finger tips especially if they had the ram pack and a huge streak of masochism and tried to type in a 16K program by hand...starting with 2 index fingers and finishing on 2 pinky fingers as the fingers disintegrated😅

​@@slacko1971 Doesn't matter. Aesthetically very similar and that was the point of what Jack said. IE of its time design wise.

[@slacko1971]

Doesn't matter, of course not but aesthetically they are completely different. One is completely flat as in the vehicle and the one referenced has individual raised buttons which look nothing like it.

[@federicomalignani4957]

I love these Maseratis and I own a 1993 Ghibli 2 and a 1985 2,0 liter Biturbo S.The Ghibli is much better but the Biturbo is something special. The Biturbo is rich of faults but if used as a classic car and well kept is even reliable.To me the fact is that her faults become a plus if you drive such a car today. I can confirm that with the ZF box is a better car and with a beautiful sound. Mine has the engine with the pressurized carburettor and is the first Biturbo fitted with the double intercooler. Certainly there are many better cars,but is impossible to find a car with a badge as Maserati,with those performances,a beautiful leather and veneer interior,so fun to drive,at that price. Prices are growing up and buying one in good health now,should be a bargain.

[@Jonathan-dq8hb]

The Biturbo had an interesting cousin in the U.S. The Chrysler TC by Maserati. 501 were built with a twin cam turbo four and a five speed gearbox. It had a similar interior to the Biturbo.

[@Jonathan-dq8hb]

Sold from '89 - '91, the last 16V version was supposedly built for Bob Lutz. It was white with a red interior. They all had removable hardtops.

[@KingCast65]

I used to valet one of those routinely in '87 at La Maisonettte Cincinnati. An Italian E30 with the balls of an M3 and more torque. I loved it. But reliability even then everyone knew..... BTW the one I drove was identical to this but manual. Obviously I didn't have a chance to really get out with it on the open road to determine the weaknesses LOL.

[@Robert-n9d9l]

Hi Jack. Thanks for reviewing this car! I still own my 1988 2.0 L Spyder i after 26 years! Still loving it and keeping it well maintained. Now with over 200k km. You really have to drive these cars or they will rot. Thanks again!

[@DoNuT_1985]

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.

[@alaricbragg7843]

Thank you for this video! This car deserves to be recognized for pioneering twin-turbo engines in road cars.

[@TheJensenInterceptor]

Not a failure at all, just a small production run, I loved my Biturbo and drove it all over England every day as my company car. So much fun and so enjoyable and loved it all. I miss it and wish I had kept it but life does not work like that.

[@TheJensenInterceptor]

Mine was a 425 4 door family car. loved it and never look back thinking bad thoughts. Maserati was fabulous.

[@somzb7773]

I have a 1989 228 biturbo manual coupe in Malaysia. Still running. Yes it’s a mechanic’s headache and a few have befriended me since owning her. I’ve settled most of the issues but she needs to move. Keep her idle and all the problems start. It’s a fun car in the open road and hence given her the name my Italian Princess. 😊 Nice to see you doing a review on this car. Cheers..

[@individual1977]

I have a couple of 228's. One parts car and one driver(sometimes):)

[@ndautomotive]

Back in the day two bulgarian brothers slapped a Biturbo engine in Moskvitch Aleko and created the ultimate sleeper imo. It was converted to run on LPG too. 😅

[@rabit818]

Love the 80s incidental music. And the Biturbo, love the styling of the coupe and sedan.

[@tuneinchillout]

This model also appeared regularly in ITVs interceptor programme where it was used to chase down contestants! I know this because I used to watch the show just to see the car as I wanted one and still do!

[@byronmills5952]

It's still what I also immediately think of when I see a Biturbo convertible - I'd still love one in black! 👍👍

[@tuneinchillout]

@byronmills5952 Brilliant! We would of been watching at the same time back in the days long before streaming 👍

[@sainta2667]

Had one of the last versions, not a great ride, but so much style and sooo cool.. Still in love with the spyders until today. What a line.

[@liminal-m3g]

The Biturbo made a fleeting appearance in the 1991 Pirelli TV tyre advert, at the time it looked very stylish and exotic, and I remember thinking 'what is that cool looking car?' I would love to own one, ideally in gunmetal silver metallic!

[@bleizbreizh6264]

Loved the bi-turbo since my friend turned up in a press loaner coupe in the mid 1980s. Went to buy one that was five or six years old but quickly realised it was an explosion of reprayed rust and walked away. In the 90s had free use of a rather nice convertible for a while which finally cured me, at the time I was doing a lot of miles in an immaculate Merc 500 SL which was on a different planet as far as build quality and everything quality was concerned

[@UberLummox]

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!!!

[@federicomalignani4957]

Zagato made the Spyders. The others were styled by Maserati stylist Pierangelo Andreani,and were inspired by the bigger Quattroporte 3 styled by Giorgio Giugiaro.

[@UberLummox]

@@federicomalignani4957 Ok thanks! Yes, the coupes really remind me of the Quattroporte for sure.

[@greg-warsaw4708]

@@federicomalignani4957 True. Nothing to do with Bertone in this case.

[@francomartini4328]

I lived in Italy from 1983 to 1997, and during the mid to late Eighties, it was a very popular car (though not as popular as the VW Golf Mk2 in GTD form or the Mercedes 190E.) Italy got the 420 1996 cc engine because until the mid-2000s tax regulations meant that VAT jumped from 19% to 38% for petrol engines above 2-litres. The standard interior had buff-coloured jumbo cord seats which, when new, looked just as good as the leather-faced seats. However, although it was absolutely gorgeous and was what sold the car, that interior was also its Achilles heel insofar as it was very delicate and it didn't take long at all for the seats to look dirty and tatty. The base model 2-door coupe was, of course, the most common version seen on the street, though I did see a few 4-doors successively. I don't recall ever having seen a convertible nor any of the Biturbo's "larger" siblings (which actually shared the same bodyshell), the Shamal and the Ghibli. The Biturbo was seen as the relaunch of a storied Italian marque after the 1970s debacle under Citroen but they stuck with the same bodyshell for too long and tried vainly to create a whole range of models from it when they were competing with the likes of the Mercedes CE coupe and the BMW 3-series. Above all, for those not blinded by patriotism or the prestigious brand name, it was obvious that the car was qualitatively suspect and that its main selling point, that interior, was fragile. Crucially for the 1980s Italian market, at a time when diesel sales had soared from almost nothing to 25% in the space of about five years, and there were waiting lists of 6 to 12 months for Golf GTD, Mercedes 190D, and BMW 525D, Maserati chose to ignore the oil burner option when even Rover was stuffing VM's modular diesel under the hood of the SD1 in a desperate search for Italian sales.

[@IanSixbikes-by6ei]

Interesting review , in the late 80's I had the opportunity to drive a Bi -Turbo convertible ( a friend bought one) I thought it was a fascinating car both for its rarity (even back then) and it's looks, it wasn't a great to drive but I loved the interior, I didn't buy one but it did inspire me to buy a used 1986 Quattroporte (maybe you could review one of those) which I loved and kept for 10 years , the Bi Turbo might not be a truly classic Maserati but it is certainly rare and in some respects unique.

[@timgosling6189]

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.

[@donaldthayer9183]

I owned 2 1989 5-speed 430's and I really loved them and particularly liked their exclusively. These manual cars when floored, put a cramp in your stomach and the biturbo technology was ahead of its time, re: modern cars.

[@realLsf]

What a beautiful piece of automotive art

[@SimonWallwork]

I know these things get a bad press today, but I always liked them. Had a shot of a Gold painted one and it was a hoot- and very nice inside. Bit tail happy in the wet!

[@rhettcorcoran2879]

I've always liked these, the owner has great taste, a Maserati and a Griffith, it gets no better.

[@ceedoubleyou]

always had a soft spot for the Maserati biturbo, bought my first turbo car in 1984, a new Mitshi Tredia 1600cc turbo then in 1987, a new Sigma 2000cc turbo, these were NZ assembled cars from Japan and the most recent turbo car, was a Oz built 2008 Ford Falcon 4L inline 6, sold in 2020.

[@fujiuser1968]

I still have a soft spot for them,I had the pleasure of working on them in 87-88.I even valeted Elton Johns new 1 before he collected it :-)

[@TheEarlofK]

I think it's a classic '80s design by Zagato, a design House that has produced some odd looking cars in period. I think the Biturbo's natural home is the Corniche in the South of France on a Summer's day, it's always going to struggle on wet British B roads.

[@michaelcope856]

When I sold car consumables thirty years ago my biggest customer by far was a Fiat/Lancia dealer. Cable, fuses, connectors, you name it. The Italians couldn't do electrics to save their lives. I'd still have one of these though. So pretty.

[@jgg02]

This and the Alfa GTV6 were my absolute dream cars when I was a teenager. Another smashing episode. Please don't stop

[@gerhard6105]

I still have a GTV6 for 30 years already and a 4.24 bi-turbo, since 2011.

[@theblackhand6485]

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 (?).

[@ilmelangolo]

è milanista

[@3ducs]

I remember how, back in the day, owners would talk about the engines going 30,000 miles without quite wiping the crank bearings... good job Maserati! In '87 I did buy a Maserati, a '69 Ghibli 4.7 coupe. Prettiest darned truck you ever did see!

[@PaulPasteris]

Great video and fair. The lines of the day are still beautiful with a unique and opulent interior. I have two spyders and love them. You either fall in love with this car or you find excuses of its faults. All cars have faults…it’s wether you choose to accept the car for what it is and enjoy it or not. ❤this car

[@Tacko14]

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.

[@KnightIndustries572]

I too love the look of these things, glad they made them, but wouldn't touch one!..however there is a car in the video I love and I would have, and is interesting, at the 7.22 min mark you pass by a Lexus SC430 coupe-convertible (circa 2002 model) coming in the opposite direction, now THAT is something I would take the gamble on!

[@EyesWideOpen61]

I personally can’t criticize the result with these considering the budget they had to work with about 5% of what Mercedes-Benz has to develop a car Without the beliturbo series, there would be no Maserati around today And I couldn’t agree more about the styling, it aged very gracefully. I always thought it was handsome, I love the stance, crouched down next to a BMW three series it made it look like a phone booth.

[@theoriginaldanalogue]

Great review - as always. I think it’s a lovely looking car. I don’t really see a bad angle and it looks very sharp. Love the interior too. I can imagine owning one would be a money pit.

[@interests8864]

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.

[@R-Tap]

Maser got that look better in the 90's with Shamal and Ghibli. However, those wheels are class. Shamal............ ❤️

[@lewisreinhold6398]

My Dad bought a new Biturbo Spyder in 1987. It had the 2.5L and ours was manual. He loved the look of it but unfortunately it wasn’t a good drive. We always thought it didn’t go, didn’t stop and certainly didn’t handle. Scuttle shake was biblical and far worse than our 246GTS. The only problem we really had was overheating and Maserati installed a ‘tropical’ radiator to cope with Australian conditions. It was extremely thirsty and never did better than 16MPG. I do remember that it had incredible headlights and freezing A/C and the Missoni leather was luscious

[@JohnIreland-n6o]

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.

[@xhulianomurati5154]

I BOUGHT A 430 A SEDAN VERSION OF THE BITURBO. IT IS THE SAME ENGINE AS THIS ZAGATO YOU ARE DRIVING, MINE HAS ONLY 46000 MILES AND I BASICALLY STOLE IT FOR THE PRICE I BOUGHT IT. THEY HAVE PROBLEMS MAINLY WITH ELECTRONICS BUT THE DRIVING EXPERIENCE AND THE THELOOKS YOU GET FROM PEOPLE ARE WORTH IT.

[@JustARandomFio]

Loved the Spyder's look back then, and still love it today. The interior was fabulous, basically a comfy leather couch on wheels. And that watch, that watch... I was too wise and well-informed to own one, though. Plus, if I wanted to go bankrupt, I would've chosen to do it with style, with the 82 Quattroporte III.

[@gaycha6589]

The interior still looks great

[@arconcritter]

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 😂

[@graemegaw5536]

Great video as always, I love the look of these but not sure what I would use it for. I'd have a Shamal in heartbeat though

[@iangerrard321]

The ZX Spectrum had rubber buttons. You're thinking of the ZX81 before it. Happy memories of nocking the plug in memory booster. And losing everything you had been doing!

Still look very similar though. I think he was just trying to get across the design aesthetic of the time.

[@miff227]

they are completely different. As different as two keyboards can get almost.

[@mikadavies660]

Thank you for another great video. So nice to see all the different things that you get to drive. 👍

[@robertx4550]

I used to work near a Maserati specialist in Sydney. Over time many Biturbos accumulated in the surrounding streets where they just sat - unloved and unrepairable.

[@longbeachcarguy]

Always loved the styling and interior. Maserati was really going after bmw 3 series coupe, the 325i. Thxs for the video!

[@redsmallblocks15]

Amazinvg driver, pain in tne rear to maintain. Had a customer who had one of these and a Jalpa in the shop. At tne end of the day it was cheaper to put a full Tubi exhaust on the Jalpa than it was to source the parts and install them in the Bi Turbo. It ended up deciding it wanted windows in the block and he swapped a bmw engine/trans in it.

[@skyll4141]

looks like a posh lancia. quite fetching, hints of bmw 3 series going on in the styling perhaps.

[@simonhodgetts6530]

My thoughts exactly…….

[@prosto_potomuwto]

You like old women's purses.

[@johnmoruzzi7236]

Yes the same styling vibe as the Delta, which everyone adores….

[@alejandroramirezmartinez3676]

The wheels are an art object!

[@gambanteinodal1246]

I have always loved the design of the BiTurbo - it is both a clean and classic beauty!

[@andybroer651]

They remind me of my QPIII with sharp lines, I love the look of the spyder especially in red

[@davidbarnsley8486]

It is a very nice car even today The interior looks so nice as well I have always liked that car 👍👍🇦🇺

[@BarricaG]

Being raised in the late 70s and 80s, the looks hit home. Just imagine what it could've been if it was well built.

[@genzigzag]

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?

[@simonhjc]

I really liked your comment about purchasing a collectable but backing off as they are hard to sell. Of all things i was looking at an Austin Champ. Fully restored. I thought it should make $10-$12,000 aus. Only made $6000 for that very reason you mentioned.

[@frednerk8366]

After the likes of the Bora, Khamsin and Merak, they made this in an effort to go more mainstream and failed miserably.

[@71ala]

@@frednerk8366 - not quite. Maserati had been losing millions making small-volume, hand made cars until De Tomaso took over, and he came up with the radical plan to use his Innocenti factory and supply chain to produce a high volume GT to compete with the Porsche 944 and BMW 3-series. The idea was smart, but they vastly underestimated the complexity and risk of building a V6 twin turbo GT with zero experience in mass production.

[@TomBreyfogle]

FAIL!

[@DouweBuruma]

I always liked the Biturbo’s.

[@resnonverba137]

The Biturbo's what?

[@Paul58069]

@@resnonverba137 the Biturbo's looks I suppose :)

[@resnonverba137]

@@Paul58069 Ah! Now it makes sense 🙂

[@dappergent9422]

Total respect for your Italian. Absolutely spot on. Bravo!

[@TheManFrayBentos]

In about 1990, I was driving past a Maserati dealership on my way back from the south coast, when I spotted a price tag on one in the window. £6000, it was. I thought , what? Can't recall what model it was, one of the four-seater family tourers that didn't sell well in the '80s. Even so, £6K seemed a steal to me. I was a bit carried away by the thought of having a piece of totally impractical and unreliable Italian exotica on my driveway, until a sense of sanity regained itself.

[@smhorse]

This generation of Maseratis can certainly rust once neglected! There used to be some real horrors out there.