1986 Maserati Biturbo Spyder from North America - Comments

Premature failures (my opinion)

Front struts.

Water pump.

Rear main seal.

Tonneau (SIC) Leather cover shrunk.

The spyder is a much different animal than the sedans and coupe's, in my opinion, the spyder, designed by the ecclectic Zagato, used the front and rear of the hard top and then blended his ideas into the convertible. The build quality on the spyder seems to be a little better than the coupes, but the overall quality is in question. DeTomaso, the owner of Maserati at the time of the Biturbo design wanted to compete with BMW in quality and quantity and this put a lot of pressure on his manufacturing, it shows in the nit picky things that are badly incorporated into the car, Maserati is not a car designer, but a builder, so the parts bins of many Italian and German cars were scavenged to make this car work and sometimes it does not work at all. For instance, after market wheels will not fit the non standard 4 bolt pattern, they have to be customized in order to work and the 185/60 tires are too small with 6" wheels, it makes the car look like an Accord, not an exotic. The engine design is pretty good except for the goofy use of a Carb and Plenum design on the early models, you can't adjust the carb with the car running, you have to reassemble the plenum, which is a real pain. Luckily they went to fuel injection which works well. The biturbo idea adds a lot of horsepower and I enjoy getting the turbos to ramp up for the take off, but the rear end shutters and feels like it is going to break, so you I really don't feel like doing many burnout's. So what is so cool about this car, well it rides really nice with the top up or down, the interior is a couple of hides of inexpensive leather installed just about everywhere except the gauge shroud, which is cheap Fiat vinyl which rotted away after a year. My car was purchased in 1986 for $36,000 by my Father, who kept it in pretty good shape, in 1986 you could buy a Corvette for about $20,000, and most models of US cars were going for less than $8,000, so this car was not cheap. Only 300 Spyders were imported into the US in 1986, so you won't see too many on the road, it does turn heads. A special thank you goes to Joe Walsh, current member of the Eagles. He put out a solo record a few years back and sang, "my maserati does 165 so now I don't drive" so a lot of people know the name, but not the car. The biggest help to all Maserati enthusiasts has been the Internet, with the ability to discuss with others about problems and solutions this car has been a lot easier to work on and repair. The rule is stay on top of everything, and preventive maintenence is the key. With 71,000 miles I have changed every hose, gasket and consumable item several times even before it is needed. I change the synthetic oil every 3,000 miles and don't allow any leaks to occur. The engine has recently been completely overhauled, with new cylinder sleeves. The heads, pistons, valves, turbos and exhaust have been resurfaced and cleaned up and all electrical has been upgraded along with new wiring and connectors (Electrical wiring and connectors are a BIG problem on these cars). A new fuse box is a must, or you will just fight electrical gremlins for ever.

There are a number of corrections that need to be stated. First, the wheels do not use a "non-standard' pattern. The wheels are 4x98mm and are very common on Italian cars including a large number of Fiats such as the X-1/9. Second, the wheels are not 6". In 1985 for the E model and for all 4-bolt wheels in 1986 and beyond, the wheels were 6.5", 7" and even some 7.5" have been reported. Third, the carb IS adjustable with the plenum removed. I do it on my 1985 E model very easily. Fourth, the leather is not inexpensive. Fifth, my "gauge shroud" did not disintegrate after only one year. Finally, Joe Walsh sang about his Maserati doing 185, not 165. Other than these few corrections, I believe that the writer did a very good job of describing his Maserati.

Joe Walsh sang "my maserati does 185,".

I bought an '84 Maserati Biturbo Coupe (Ivory) in 1988 for $10,500. I got some good use out of it, and impressed a few people, with positive results. I love the spacious and stylist (at least to my eye) interior compared to a BMW, and I really like the conservative styling. For the time, of course, it was very fast, but nowadays even hot econoboxes are as fast, but then they aren't Maseratis. It definitely had axle tramp. I let it sit for a while, then one day I drove it to work, and all of a sudden the engine stopped. Turns out a tappet froze, stopping the cam, stripping the timing belt, bending a couple of valves, etc. This wouldn't have been as bad, except the tow truck managed to bend the front suspension, requiring it to be taken to a repair shop, who wanted $300 to look at the engine and figure out what it needed, and then seemed to think that I was an improper person for not accepting their estimate. Anyway, they fixed the suspension, and the thing has been sitting in my garage (and lately in my driveway, covered), ever since. The engine is now on a stand, and I think it would be fun to get the car running again, except I don't have the time, and I could go out and buy a running Biturbo for far less than it would cost me to fix mine. Bummer!

I purchased a red 1989 automatic 222E in 2000 with supposedly 93,000Kms on the clock. I'd always liked the look of the car and having the pedigree of a Maserati made it even more enticing. I paid $22,000au. My first impressions were rocket ship. The car had incredible roll on acceleration with 220kph an easy reach and the car's stability becoming rock solid as the speed climbed. It felt as though nothing short of an excocet missile would knock it off line.

Whats gone wrong with the car: The power steering rack has been rebuilt at 11500ks, The alternator has been replaced at about the same time. The torque converter needed a pinon gear replaced at 130000ks after it became noisy in reverse and the heater water fittings in the cylinder head corroded leaving me stranded on the freeway. I still have the car, but it now travels less than 5,000 ks a year. Defintely not an everyday car. Every time I think about selling it I take it for a drive, plant the foot and get a big grin... in one word awesome!!!

Everything that is mentioned about the Maserati has a base in reality, which is why the car the Ultimate Exotic. It punishes you and you still go back to it. I just bought another after swearing I'd never do it since I sold the last one.

If you like punishment, then a Maserati Bi-Turbo is just something you can't live without (Unness it kills you first!!)