Maserati Bi-Turbo Zagato, 1986 Bi-Turbo Zagato | Conceptcarz.com - Pictures, Pricing, Information, Wallpaper, History

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Spyder
Coachwork: Zagato

The Maserati Biturbo (pronounced Bee-Turbo) was introduced into the United States in 1984. The coupe featured a 2.5-liter V6 SOHC engine that developed 185 horsepower at 5500 RPM. The Biturbo had originally been introduced in Europe in late 1982 with a 2.0-Liter engine.

The engine was derived and heavily modified from the 2.0-liter Maserati Merak engine used in the Italian home market. It was an aluminum 90-degree V6 with cast-iron wet cylinder liners, three valves per cylinder, with one exhaust valve and two intake vales of dissimilar sizes. The engine bore was fat (91.6mm) with a relatively short stroke of 63mm. Two IHI turbochargers sat underneath the cylinder banks and blew air through a single 2-barrel Weber carburetor housed atop the engine in a plenum chamber. Peak torque of 208 lb-ft was available at a low 3000 RPM, and combined with a weight of around 2700lbs, helped propel the car from 0-60mph in about 7 seconds.

The Biturbo has a five-speed manual ZF transmission, manual rack-and-pinion steering, and a leather interior. The front suspension was MacPherson strut, and the rear was an independent semi-trailing arm design. Large non-ventilated ATE disc brakes were at the front and rear, with four-piston fixed calibers up front, and 14-inch 4-bolt wheels.

In 1985, the Biturbo was offered in the USA with the options of power steering and an automatic transmission. The Sensitork differential began to appear during this model year, a limited slip differential which replaced the earlier Salisbury unit.

A higher performance version of the Biturbo, called the E model, was offered during 1985 only. The E model had two-tone paint, firmer and shorter springs, a stiffer front anti-roll bar, re-valved shocks, larger tires (205/60-14 instead of 185), and different wheels. The Biturbo E had the options of either dual air-to-air or air-to-liquid intercoolers, the latter made by Spearco and available only on cars sold on the west coast. With the dual air-to-liquid intercoolers, the engine produced 205 horsepower @ 5250 RPM and 2600 lb-ft at 3500 RPM. The Biturbo E sprinted to 60 mph in about 6.3 seconds.

For the 1986 model year, the 2-door coupe was temporarily dropped from the lineup and two new models arrived: the Biturbo Spyder, a convertible, and the four-door Biturbo 425. All cars were equipped with automatic transmission and power steering, and water-cooled IHI turbochargers replaced the previous oil-cooled units, which tended to improve the reliability of the turbochargers. A slightly smaller Weber carburetor was fitted. The Spyder had a shorter wheelbase than the earlier coupe and seats for only 2 people, but the mechanicals were much the same. The four-door sedan had a slightly stretched wheelbase and increased height over the coupe.

This example is a one-owner car, having remained in the same ownership since new. It resides in the San Diego, California area and is a brillaint example of the Zagato-bodied Maserati Biturbo Spyder.

The Maserati Biturbo was produced from 1981 through 1991. It was powered by a 2.5-liter V6 engine that had two turbochargers attached, thus its name. The car was true to the Maserati heritage, providing luxurious accommodations in a sporty package.

The SOHC V6 engine was based on the 2.0-liter Merak engine and mounted at a 90-degree angle. The export version of the car originally had a 2.5-liter V6; after 1989 the displacement was enlarged to 2.8-liters. The 2.5-liter engine produced 185 horsepower in the United States trim, and more in other markets. The 2.8-liter engine, introduced in 1989, offered 225 horsepower for North American and an astonishing 250 horsepower for Europe.

Sales of the Bi-Turbo were strong for the marque, selling about 40,000 examples world-wide. A few examples were entered in the British Touring Car Championship though they had little success. Their fate was no better in the European Touring Car Championship or the World Touring Car Championship.

1986 Maserati Bi-Turbo Zagato
Year	1986
Make	Maserati
Model	Bi-Turbo Zagato
Body Style	Spyder
Engine Location	Front
Drive Type	Rear Wheel
Body / Chassis	Steel unibody
Production Years for Series	1981 - 1991
Coach Work	Zagato
Price	$31,899.00
Weight	1085 kg \| 2392.4 lbs
Combined MPG	0.00

Performance
0-60 mph	7.5 seconds.
Top Speed	130 mph \| 209.2 km/h Similar top speeds

Engine [Optional Engines]
Engine Configuration	V
	90-degree
	Vee-Type
Cylinders	6
	Solid valve lifters
Aspiration/Induction	Twin-turbocharged
	IHI turbochargers
Displacement	1996.00 cc \| 121.8 cu in. \| 2 L.
Valves	18 valves. 3 valves per cylinder.
Valvetrain	OHC
Horsepower	180.00 BHP (132.5 KW) @ 6000.00 RPM
Torque	188.00 Ft-Lbs (254.9 NM) @ 3500.00 RPM
HP to Weight Ratio	13.3 LB / HP (Vehicles with similar ratio)
HP / Liter	90.0 BHP / Liter
Compression Ratio	7.8:1
Main Bearings	4
Fuel Type	Gasoline - Petrol
Fuel Feed	Carburetor
	1 Weber 2-barrel carburetor
Block	Aluminum
Head	Aluminum
	Vehicles with similar horsepower and weight

Standard Transmission
Gears	5
Transmission	Manual

Optional Transmission
Gears	3
Transmission	Automatic

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1986 Maserati Bi-Turbo Zagato