1986 Maserati BiTurbo Spyder

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, 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 a 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 calipers 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 that 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 was 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 brilliant example of the Zagato-bodied Maserati Biturbo Spyder.