Maserati Enthusiasts' Page

The Enthusiasts' Page
	All things 'Maserati'. News of forthcoming models, owner's cars, tips, 'Marque' reunions and the odd touch of humour! In fact anything of interest to the 'Maseratista'. So if you have any news about Maseratis or have anything owners and enthusiasts should know, send details to enricomaserati@btinternet.com

You can click on some pictures for a better view!!


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From Philippe in Belgium

The Maserati Biturbo

Philippe has kindly sent me details of an interesting four page article on the Maserati Biturbo that appears in the December 2011 od Motor Klassik magazine. The article contains a number of useful service tips, well worth having. And, hopefully, your German is much better than mine !!

Pelle Frau® leather interior






From Newspress in the UK

Maserati and Poltrona Frau celebrate the 10th Anniversary of their partnership and their shared passion for design and quality

Luxury Italian brands Poltrona Frau and Maserati celebrate the 10th Anniversary of their partnership with an exclusive event tonight, Thursday 17 November 2011, showcasing a one-off window display at the Poltrona Frau Clerkenwell, London showroom.

Pelle Frau® leather interior





Featuring the Maserati GranCabrio in Grigio Touring silver, the display will celebrate a successful and lasting partnership between Italy’s finest luxury international brand leaders in the design and automotive worlds. The Maserati model range redefines the term “luxury”, uniting automotive excellence with fine Poltrona Frau leather upholstery, combining traditional craftsmanship and age-old techniques with inimitable Italian style. Poltrona Frau patented ‘Pelle Frau’® leather is renowned worldwide for the quality of its hides, painstaking production techniques and exceptional attention to detail. Pelle Frau® leather is used throughout the Maserati range, from the GranCabrio four-seater convertible, to the GranTurismo coupé and Quattroporte flagship saloon in all their versions. The successful collaboration between two of Italy’s most celebrated workshops – Maserati for speed and Poltrona Frau for comfort – began in 2001. Based on their shared belief of creating something new, transcendent and sublime, the Maserati and Poltrona Frau relationship was born. The quality of outfitting and customisation options is like no other, with Pelle Frau® leather interior available from seats, steering wheel through to the dashboard and headliner. Pelle Frau® leather goes through a special 21 step tanning process in order to create the finest quality it is internationally renowned for. The tanning treatment transforms the leather by increasing the suppleness and hardwearing qualities making it more practical for the Maserati driver. The result is the leather is extremely soft and comforting in winter and cool in the summer months. Poltrona Frau leather also ages well over time, creating timeless aesthetic reflective of the Maserati investment model. The highly successful collaboration between Poltrona Frau and Maserati has never made driving more pleasurable. Text and photos courtesy of Maserati






From Paul in Austria

THE OSCA 1600 ZAGATO

"Hi Enrico, Last week I was in Torino, Italy for art business and there was a little time to have a look at the new display at the Museo Nazionale Dell`Automobile Di Torino. A great Show with a lot of cars in a very good presentation, it's really worth to look! www.museoauto.it Attached some fotos taken back in May 2010 of an OSCA 1600 in the Frantz Workshop in Vienna. I have also include a number of photos taken at the Museo, feel free to show some photos, or just look the fotos as an appetizer for your next trip to Italy. Best regards, Paul."

The OSCA 1600 by Zagato







Paul's photos from the Museo Nazionale Dell`Automobile Di Torino will appear in our next Enthusiasts' Page 225.






From Arnd in Germany

MASERATIS AT THE GOODWOOD REVIVAL 2011

"Hello Enrico, I send you some pictures from the Goodwood Revival. Maseratis were really exotic between 250 E-Type Jaguars. Greetings from Germany, Arnd."

Arnd with his Maserati Quattroporte Royale		Maserati Mistral Spyder

Maserati Quattroporte		Maserati Quattroporte

A Sixties fashion line-up !!		Cooper-Maserati T61P 'Monaco'

Maserati 3500 GT		Maserati Ghibli






From Steve in the UK

MASERATI QUATTROPORTE DUO SELECT

While we're on the subject of the Maserati Quattroporte, it's not often that a Maserati comes on to the market, that has the provenance of once being the property of a true superstar of the "World of Pop". Well this is one of those occasions !! As you would expect from a celebrity with as extravagant a lifestyle as Sir Elton, his Maserati Quattroporte was lavishly equipped. "Hi Enrico, The ex-Sir Elton John Maserati Quattroporte V Thought you'd like to see a spectacular example of this beautiful model. Registered to Sir Elton on the 1st January 2005 and owned by him until I purchased it on 4 February 2010. It had only covered 3,500 miles from new until I bought it! Mileage now is only just over 10,000 miles. Massive specification as you would expect. Although the photos may give you the impression that the colour looks almost black, it is in fact Verdi deep emerald, a stunning metallic flake green which just sparkles when polished and in the sun. Very tasteful biscuit (cuoio) leather interior and rosewood veneer. The V5 shows 'Sir Elton John' as the original owner. There is also the original Maserati welcome letter to 'Mr John' together with an unused personal 24hr concierge 'credit style' card with Elton's name on. Also included was a personal gift of a matching leather covered key tray in a gift box. Also some press cuttings I collected at the time. This car made the national press at the time and featured in several newspapers. Specification is as follows: 4.2-litre V8 developing 400BHP Superbly smooth duo select paddleshift gearbox Optional 19" alloys & aluminium brake calipers; Unmarked alloys, never kerbed! 4 excellent Pirelli PZero's, minimal wear Entertainment system - TV, DVD, games input, remote; Maserati fit rear TV screen & console; 2 pairs Blaupunkt headphones; Satellite navigation; Bose surround sound, 6 CD autochanger Electric memory front seats Electric rear seats, aircooled & heated; Rear seat massagers Rear side privacy blinds; Rear window electric privacy blind Electric glass sunroof; Double glazed Rear parking sensors Electrically adjustable mirrors Headlight washers; Xenon headlights Front armrest fridge Rear seat picnic trays Unused toolkit; Maserati tyre inflator; Battery conditioner Soft custom car cover Carpets & interior as new, (overmats always used) All manuals, full Maserati service history The front nose of the car and edge of bonnet was vinyl wrapped to prevent stone chipping. This car is as close to a new car as you can buy in truly unmarked stunning condition with a unique heritage which makes this very collectable. Always garaged, hardly used and totally cherished. Drives like a new car, perfect in every respect. Regards, Steve."

Maserati Quattroporte DuoSelect















Maserati Quattroporte DuoSelect






From John in the USA

MYSTERY MASERATI

"Enrico, A few folks on the US Maserati forums suggested dropping you an email. I have been contacted about the following car and I was wondering if you could shed some light on it, or help me ask the right questions: "Here is the VIN: 107GS59796, located on the steering column. Sorry took a while to arrange someone to find it (by taking a rubbing no less) and take some photos.

A Tipo 107 Maserati Quattroporte

		And finally comes the proof !!

Here is the back story, just to recap. The car is believed to be a 1966 4-door Maserati Mexico. Legend has it that there were about 50 4-door Mexicos made for diplomats. When most Maserati experts are asked, they have heard the 4-door Mexico exists, but have never seen one. This car belonged to Leo Castelli, the most influential art dealer of the 20th C – represented Warhol, Johns, Lichtenstein, etc. He also represented Salvatore Scarpitta. He traded the car for for a Scarpitta painting in 1974 or 1977. The car was imported in to the US in 1977. Scarpitta couldn’t afford the insurance, so was stored in the studio most of the time." I have asked for more photos. Any help is appreciated. Cheers, John." REPLY: "Hi John, Thank you for your email. Looks like a Quattroporte Tipo 107 produced between 1964 and 1969. Check out http://www.maserati-alfieri.co.uk/alfieri65x.htm. I don't think the number you have found on the steering column is the chassis number, more likely a part number. The chassis number is normally found on a tag inside the engine bay, see attached image ( quattroporte_VIN_tag.jpg ). The chassis number is also stamped on the left-hand side of the chassis in the engine bay. Should read AM107_ _ _ _ . It's definitely a standard productiom Tipo 107 Quattroporte. This business of the 4-door Mexico, is rubbish. The legend inn this case, is a fairy tale, and the business of 50 4-door Mexicos made for diplomats is false. In the words of Sig Cozza at Maserati, "A Quattroporte is a Quattroporte, and a Mexico is a Mexico, and a Tipo 107 is indeed a Quattroporte!" Regards, Enrico."






From Volkan in Turkey

FAULTY IDLE CONTROL VALVE

"Dear Enrico, Please accept my apologies, as I have just noticed that I didn’t manage to answer your last message; I have a company serving for motor yachts and for the business related, I have bunch of electricians and fortunately a very experienced mechanic serving for my car. We dismantled the engine by ourselves with the use of the workshop manual. After blueprinting the engine, the car was perfect but after a very short period I overheated it due to a loose coolant hose!!! I will send you some detail pictures from next engine removal scheduled soon as we want to replace clutch kit and a valve adjustment. She is a daily driver as you can guess my engine bay is always dirty so I will provide photos after the service. Now, let me share you a strange example he did a couple of days ago for my faulty Idle Control Valve; When we decide to clean the Idle control valve we immediately found that it was broken. The car was idling around 2000 rpm and a chattering noise was disturbing under acceleration. There is basically a small piston and two balancer springs inside the valve. Piston end was badly damaged and it was not able to close air passage enough. My mechanic dismantled it and put the piston on a small turning machine. He machined damaged end of the piston and had a flat surface almost a millimeter wide. Than he covered the surface with soldering paste and a brass washer at the same time. He melted solder on both parts and put the washer on top of the piston. He melted the solder between the parts with a hot air gun and washer integrated on top of the piston. Next step was bringing it into correct dimensions on the turning machine again. Surprisingly (for me, he was confident) it worked very well. I have ordered a new one from ebay to see if there is any difference. Only difference might come from the balancer springs adjustments which we didn’t know exactly and tried our luck. So, here you are some pictures, as they say on TV don’t try this at home ! Best regards, Volkan."

My mechanic Tanzer		The Idle Control Valve

The dismantled idle control valve		The piston

Measuring		The soldering can be seen

The final machining






From Nick in the UK

MASERATI BABY QUATTROPORTE

"Hi Enrico, May I start by congratulating you on your website, keep up the good work. Secondly, I wonder if you could help with the launch date for the new Baby Quattroporte, it was supposed to be at the Frankfurt Motor Show but that has come and gone. There is a small group of friends, all Maserati enthusiasts who are champing at the bit to find out if the new one will be like the old ( good ), or a four door GranTurismo ( not as good ). I've read all the press about their collaboration with Chrysler etc., but it's all gone quiet on the launch. Do you know the revised date? Kind regards, Nick." Reply: "Hi Nick, Thank you for your email. No revised date yet, but the new Baby Quattroporte is due for a launch some time in 2012 or 2013. Body will be designed by Fiat's Centro Stile and it will be based on the Chrysler 300C/Lancia Thema platform. Check out the "spy shots" at www.gmotors.co.uk The new Quattroporte to replace the existing model will be some 22cm longer, powered by a new engine that Ferrarii is developing for Maserati. The good news is that this model, like its predecessor will be built in Modwena alongside the sportier GranTurismo and GranCabrio models. Hope this helps, Enrico." From Philippe in Belgium: "La nuova Maserati Quattroporte si farà a Modena Sul futuro della Maserati a Modena l’ad del Tridente, Harald Wester, avrebbe rilasciato dichiarazioni di notevole interesse. È quanto pubblicato sul sito Al Volante.it (www.alvolante.it), dove a Wester vengono attribuite affermazioni in base alle quali la prossima generazione della Quattroporte (che crescerà di 22 centimetri di lunghezza) verrà prodotta a Modena, nella sede storica della Maserati, con i modelli più sportivi come le attuali GranTurismo e GranCabrio. Le due berline utilizzeranno le nuove unità che la Ferrari sta sviluppando per Maserati; si tratta di due nuovi V6 e V8, entrambi con iniezione diretta di benzina, che saranno offerti anche in versione sovralimentata con il ritorno del nome "Biturbo". Saranno abbinati al cambio automatico a otto rapporti e alla trazione posteriore: le versioni più potenti, saranno proposte anche con la trazione integrale." The new Maserati Quattroporte will be built in Modena On the future of Maserati in Modena, the CEO of the Trident, Harald Wester, has issued statements of considerable interest. It is published on the website Volante.it (www.alvolante.it), where statements, attributed to Wester, on the subject of the next generation of the Quattroporte (which will grow by 22 cm in length), that it will be built in Modena, at the historical Maserati factory, alongside the current sportier GranTurismo and GranTurismo models. The two sedans will adopt the new engines that Ferrari is developing for Maserati, we are talking about two new V6 and V8 engines, with direct fuel injection, which will be offered with turbochargers with the return of the name "Biturbo". They will be equipped with 8-speed automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive; the two more powerful models will be offered with four-wheel drive.






From Natasha in the USA

MASERATI QUATTROPORTE DUOSELECT

"Hi Enrico, I am having trouble with my 2006 Maserati Quattroporte DuoSelect.

Natasha's beloved Quattroporte DuoSelect

Every time I am completely stopped at a red light or uphill waiting at a red light for about more than 2 minutes or so, my car battery light and oil light goes off and I cannot go, my car will not go even though its on. The pedal locks up and doesn’t do anything. I found that if I put it in neutral if it's already not, put it in park, turn it off, then turn it right back on, it starts again with no problem, but then the maintenance schedule overdue message comes up with a little picture of a wrench. This is quite frustrating and I am petrified of driving my car now in fear that I am going to get stuck at a red light and it will do the same thing. I took it to the dealership, here in Arizona, I bought it from and they hooked it up to some machine that directed the problem to my driver's side door and said one of the sensors were off. But 2 days later It did the same exact thing. I don’t know if maybe the maintenance info needs to be updated in the computer of the car to stop it from setting off a sensor or what, but I just want to burst into tears because I am beginning to feel like I am going crazy with this car. I love it and I want to drive it but with this problem I am scared to and I've only had it for 3 months. I bought it with 26,000 miles, it's brand new. Please help me Enrico I am going bonkers over this.. Thank you so much, Natasha. P.S. I printed the attachment and brought it to the technician at my Maserati dealership. They believe the source of the problem may be the clutch, it has 106% wear… It just reached 31,000 miles and I bought it at 26K, just 3 months ago, so not so happy or feeling good about possibly dishing out another $6,000 for a new clutch. I appreciate your help." Reply from Enrico: "Hi Natasha, There is a special way to use the gearchange system, especially in town. It's very easy to wear out the clutch is it is not used properly. Here is a reply from an expert: [ "Hi Henry, It is quite possible that the clutch is at fault here as we have had similar symptoms. 31,000 miles is pretty good on a clutch on one of those cars to be honest and it is even possible that it has had one already. The things that can be done to minimize clutch wear are to always select neutral when waiting at the lights, to not try reversing uphill when the gearbox is cold and of course to not launch aggressively off the lights! However, high clutch wear is a feature of this system however you drive it. Also, it is actually possible to have a clutch that is 106% worn. When a new clutch is fitted, the diagnostic tester will calibrate it but this can be altered by the technician. If he sets it up incorrectly, it can have over 100% wear. Cheers, Andrea." ] Here is a reply from another expert: [ "It is quite possible that the clutch is at fault here as we have had similar symptoms. 31,000 miles is pretty good on a clutch on one of those cars to be honest and it is even possible that it has had one already. The things that can be done to minimize clutch wear are to always select neutral when waiting at the lights, to not try reversing uphill when the gearbox is cold and of course to not launch aggressively off the lights! However, high clutch wear is a feature of this system however you drive it." Regards, Ross." ] Hope this helps, Enrico."





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