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
BR 01 Tourbillon
 
You can click on some pictures for a better view!!

QUICK BROWSE - YOU ARE NOW ON PAGE 171
 
 
 
 
From Elmer in the USA
 

"Hi Enrico,

Just spotted this service offered by Padilla Car Collection in Miami, Florida, the only 10-seater Maserati Quattroporte s tretched limousine in the world!

Regards,

Elmer."
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
From Les in the UK
 

"Hi Enrico,

I have just finished fitting a replacement engine to my 1994 Ghibli, had the pleasure of re-acquainting myself with this lovely car, drove it three times only for it to cut out on my drive!!!!

No power to the fuel pump and electronic ignition, engine turns over. Please can you tell me where the relay is located, the car is fitted with round fuses located on the bulkhead of the passenger's footwell (R/H Drive car).

I was unable to page through your "Can you Help" page as the link does not operate.

Many thanks for a fantastic web site, it has helped me on many occasions.

Regards,

Les."
 

"Hi Les,

Try the links now, they should work.

I know that on left-hand drive cars the fuel pump relay is located in the engine bay, on the left-hand side rear (looking from the front of the car).

On right-hand drive cars, that's where the brake servo is.

If you do locate these relays, could you please send me a photo of the fuel pump and ignition relays on the right-hand drive Ghibli?

I'm sure this would be of great help to enthusiasts.

Regards,

Enrico."
 

"Hi Enrico,

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you, attached is a photograph showing the electronic ignition fuses and relays for a R/H drive car.

I took the car out a couple of times last weekend and still running fine. Once again thanks for your help.

Regards,

Les."
 

Location of the ignition and fuel pump relays on a RHD Ghibli
The ignition and fuel pump relays
 
 
 
 
 
From Mat in Poland
 

"Hi Enrico,

I attached pictures of wind deflectors for the Quattroporte IV. They did fit perfectly onto my Quattroporte's doors and improved its look!

A set of 4 costs GB 50 pounds (new & boxed). If anyone is interested in buying a set, I'll work out the cost of postage.

Regards,

Mat."
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
From Reg in the UK
 

"Hi Henry,

Good 'ol MP took these this pm. This is the best I think the car has ever looked and come a long way since the square front and 14" wheels and that dazzling orange and velour upholstery.

There is no way it would have gotten this far without the skills of the evergreen Pat Butt and his coachwork skills.

It's a lovely sunny day here and am off to Pat's workshop to carry on with the following.

Change all dampers over to Eibach, fit grooved 3G discs to go with the EBC yellow road/track pads. Fit new boot lid and body coloured rear spoiler, 4.24v. type. Last weekend saw the fitment of a new water pump and cambelt, slight further lowering of the rear suspension and some anti-roll bar setting changes.

Tyres on the 16" wheels are 225x45 Kumho directional [for the wet] and the other wheels will have a set of "dry" track day tyres.

In the near future all the brake calipers are being rebuilt and I'm considering moving the battery to the rear. One bit of advice I have been offered is to put bucket seats and full harnesses in on safety and weight grounds but perhaps I like the understated look of the whole car too much. The local race parts shop owner Andy at AC Services said it was the most unlikey track winning car he had ever seen!

I am still looking for an MIE front strut [tower] brace for my Biturbo. MIE say they are out of stock for the time being so I either need to buy or have one made. If anyone has a front strut brace, suitable for the Biturbo, surplus to their needs, could they please contact me at Ssuepalmer@aol.com.

As always there is never a parts problem thanks to David Askew, and Ross at Meridien. And of course Pat Butt and his body shop and workshop.

Ciao,

Reg."
 

Reg Palmer's Biturbo 420i ready for a season's sprint racing
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
From Zsu in Hungary
 

"Hello Enrico,

I write to you from Hungary.

Yesterday was my father's birthday. He has a Maserati Ghibli GT and his cake was this:) I send you a few pictures from this.

And the last picture.....1st of May was a Maserati Meeting (Hungarian Maserati Club). I had driving licence for 2 weeks and I drove a Maserati (Biturbo 425). Im my country the learner-driver take on the car "T" character. This mean they are learner. This was top of the Maserati :)

Sorry but my English not too good.....I hope my letter is understandable :)

Cheers,

Zsu."
 

Probably the tastiest Maserati Ghibli GT in the world ?
Zsu's father's splendid birthday cake !
 

Tasty from every angle !
Did anyone dare to cut the cake ?
 

Zsu with the Maserati Biturbo 425
 
 
 
 
 
From Enrico in the UK
 

"Ciao Maseratisti,

With the 2009 Mille Miglia due to take place in a week or so, I thought some of you might be interested in acquiring this stamp which will surely become a collector's item.


The 60 European cent Mille Miglia commemorative stamp


"On May 14, a postage stamp commemorating the World’s Greatest Road Race will be issued. Its presentation took place on April 17, in Brescia, in the presence of the Minister for Economic Development, Claudio Scajola.

As the Minister explained, “Stamps are witnesses in time, instruments of personal and collective memory. For this reason, it is fitting for them to be dedicated to the great collective identity and to phenomena regarding culture, economy, customs, and great sports events, such as the Mille Miglia.”

The 60 European cent postage stamp shows an Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 Gran Sport, raced by Augusto Caniato and Guglielmo Carraroli of the “Scuderia Ferrari” (the Ferrari Car Stables). The photograph was taken at the mouth of the Futa Pass in the 1931 race, where the car eventually ended up withdrawing. Luigi Orsini, who used the photo as an illustration (on page 57) in his book Mille Miglia una corsa italiana, (The Mille Miglia, an Italian Race), feels the photo was taken for the Fumagalli Photo Agency, which has since disappeared.

The stamp will be distributed to 14,000 post offices. Fans of the Mille Miglia, and lovers of stamp collecting, can buy a first day cover with a special postcard, a stamp collecting card and the stamp in silver leaf.

Another original idea will follow the three legs of the race. Brescia, Ferrara and Rome will each host a dedicated Italian Post Office stand so stamp lovers can cancel the stamps with the name of the city showing the date when the races arrives there."

Text and image by www.1000miglia.eu/.

So why not get in touch with a friend in Italy and get them to send you one or two. I'm afraid it's not a Maserati on the stamp!
 
 
 
 
 
From Stan in Canada
 

"Hello Enrico,

I was checking your site the other day and I read the email from Preecha. I was curious about these replacement blow off valves, so I purchased a pair. Well they realy improve the responsiveness of the engine. The boost comes on immediately and goes midway into the red on full boost. I highely reccomend these valves.

Feels great!!! I do have a performance chip from Modena Performance in Germany. That may have something to do with it...

Cheers,

Alec."
 
 
 
 
 
From Roy in The Netherlands
 

"Dear Enrico,

Last sunday was the second Kleve Meeting that I have organised, and it was a great success. Last year we had 37 cars, this year we had a very nice day with 110 cars, so next year there be even more, I hope. The oldest car at the meeting was a Fiat Topolino from 1938 and the newest a Ferrari 430 Spider just 2 weeks old.

We had different Ferraris and Lamborghinis, like the Diablo and Murcialgo, an Alfa Romeo RZ and many other special cars, you can see them in the pictures.

We had several Maseratis like a very nice Sebring, Ghibli, Biturbo Spyder and 3200 GT.

Next year I will organise another meet here in Kleve, Germany, with even more special Italian cars.

Kind Regards,

Roy."
 

Kleve Italian Car Meeting 2009
 

Maserati, Alfao Romeo, Ferrari and FIAT
 
 

Maserati 222 SR
Maserati 3200 GT
 

Maserati Ghibli GT
Maserati Ghibli 1a serie
 

Le Auto Italiani on display
Maserati Sebring 1a serie
 

Maserati Quattroporte IV
Sebring radiator grille
 

A casual lunch in the company of like-minded enthusiasts!
 
 

The fabulous straight-six Maserati engine
Italian car enthusiasts admire the Sebring's engine bay
 

La più vecchia - a 1938 FIAT Topolino
La più nuova - a 2009 Ferrari 430 Spider
 

You can see even more photos from the Kleve Meeting at Roy's online photobook at www.mijnalbum.nl.
 
 
 
 
 
From Fred Flintstone in Bedrock
 

"Ciao Maseratisti!"
 
 
 
 
 
From Maurizio in Japan
 

"Ciao Enrico,

Se vuoi vedere un paio di video nuovi che ho fatto, eccoli qui:

If you would like to see a couple of videos that I have made, here they are:

GranSport and Bora (5 minutes): www.youtube.com/1

GranSport and Bora (shorter version 1 minute): www.youtube.com/2

Maserati MC12 vs. Maserati Shamal: www.youtube.com/3

Un caro saluto,

Maurizio."
 
 
 
 
 
From Enrico in the UK
 

"Ciao Maseratisti,

Thanks to the latest contribution from our friend Preecha in Thailand, I have discovered an answer to the problem of replacing the headlights on a Ghibli.

Ghiblis exported to Japan and Thailand were fitted with a different headlight cluster to those destined for the European market.

They are not identical, but until a solution is found to the shortage of standard headlights, this conversion will at least get your cars back on the road.

This "kit" doesn't come cheap, but judging by the stories I've heard about prices being asked for the very rare original headlights, it doesn't work out that much more expensive.
 
 Here is a breakdown of the cost involved:
 Part No.  Description  Nos. required  Price
 363110107  left-hand side headlight  1  GB £198.49p
 363110108  right-hand side headlight  1  GB £196.07p
 368305305  left-hand side headlight bezel  1  GB £  46.74p
 368305306  right-hand side headlight bezel  1  GB £  46.74p
 363105139  left-hand side mounting bracket  1  GB £  30.59p
 363105140  right-hand side mounting bracket  1  GB £  30.39p
 368305303  left-hand side upper trim cover  1  GB £156.16p
 368305304  right-hand side upper trim cover  1  GB £156.16p
 363110346  fixed mounting screw  2  GB £    6.52p
 363110347  adjustable mounting screw  4  GB £  12.73p
 318320341  mounting grommet  6  GB £      .04p
 ALL THE ABOVE PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO VALUE ADDED TAX AT 15% PLUS SHIPPING
 

My sincere thanks Ross of the parts department at Meridien-Modena here in the UK, and of course Preecha for providing the photos below.

You can order direct from Meridien-Modena at parts@meridien.co.uk. Don't forget to mention if your Ghibli is right or left-hand drive!!!

Regards,

Enrico."
 

Left-hand side headlight on Preecha's Ghibli
Right-hand side headlight on Preecha's Ghibli
 

Left-hand side headlight lens on Preecha's Ghibli
Right-hand side headlight lens on Preecha's Ghibli
 

"Ciao Enrico,

Thank you for putting information on the Ghibli headlight problem.

It might interest Ghibli owners to know that the headlight unit used in the Japanese "Ghibli headlight kit", is the same unit as used on the following Ferraris; 348 (2.7 Motronic), 348 TB (1993), 348 TS (1993), 355 (2.7 Motronic), 355 (5.2 Motronic), 456 GT, 456 GTA, 456 M GT, 456 M GTA, F40, Mondial 3.4 t Cabriolet and Mondial 3.4 t Coupe.

Not so sure about the prices though!

Regards,

Silvio."
 

"Hi Enrico,

Hope you are well!

Thanks a lot for your comments on how to find a replacement for the Ghibli headlights.

I think this works for left hand driving countries, as Japan is one, but Japanese headlights would not be convenient for France for example. But anyway if the headlight is the same as for the 348 or 456, why not finding an Italian one?

I finally found a Ghibli headlight at C********** C****** in Italy, a new one! Of course it is a golden part, with diamonds......: 1,275 EUR...and the insurance paid for it, I am lucky, and by the way it prevents my wife from being upset.

Mr Nalet (Garage du Trident in Melun), told me he owns the same Ghibli ('97 GT) and had the same headlight broken while the car was parked in the garage! Same for me...

All the best,

Patrice."
 

"Hi Enrico,

I think I should point out some things about your piece on this subject.

You don't need those silly covers on the top and they're 237 pounds each at E*********. Meridien seems to be cheaper at the moment, are those current prices? For that kind of money you could probably get something better made from stainless if you felt that it didn't look right. I just leave mine off anyway as they crack rather easily. You would need a holder bracket for the hood latch rod though.

The mounting brackets for the lamps come with all the required hardware and between that and what comes on the lamps you don't need anything else for mounting or adjusting.

For Gods sake don't order the headlamps from Maserati. There are plenty of other global Ferrari parts houses that have the same exact lamp for about $220 US as of a year ago.

You just need:

The fiberglass bezels which fit badly and are of poor quality so expect some work to put those into proper shape and get painted.
The headlamps
The mounting brackets

You'll probably need to periodicaly refinish the bezels and top covers if you get those but now the lamps are easily replaced at much reasonable prices.

That being said the originals look more stylish.

I guess they switched to these on the EVO GOC because it's cheaper to replace on a race car which is more likely to damage them.

Bob."
 
 
 
 
 
From Preecha in Thailand
 

"Hi Enrico,

Sorry for reply your late. How are you? Last time, you told me about a CD-rom and I would like to have a copy from you.

And last but not least. I send you my fourth Maserati Ghibli 2800 Auto with some adjustments, I hope you enjoy it.

Have a nice day.

Preecha.

P.S. I saw this item on eBay and thought you might be interested."
 

Machined Billet Aluminium dump valves by onesmartmove
 
Comes with 3 springs for different boost settings
Low (~8-12 psi), Medium (~12-16 psi) and High (~16-20 psi)
 
 

Preecha's latest Maserati ...
... A 2.8-litre Ghibli GT with automatic transmission
 

Note the different headlights!!!
Carbon-fibre trimmed steering wheel
 

Carbon-fibre trim replaces the briar-wood veneer!
Maserati OZ Racing 'Futura III' wheels - front
 

Maserati OZ Racing 'Futura III' wheels - rear
 
 

Note the after-market dump valves!
 
 

"Dear Ghibli owners,

Before you all ask, I have already asked Preecha where he got the carbon-fibre inserts from.

Saluti,

Enrico."
 

"Hi Enrico,

Re: Carbon-fibre inserts

I used the original set from my Ghibli and asked this company to do it for me.

You can see from WWW.autotrim.co.th.

E-mail: contact@autotrim.co.th

Thank you,

Preecha."
 
 
 
 
 
From Andy in Japan
 

"Hi Enrico,

Hope you are well. It's been a while since I was in touch so I've got a number of photos of Maseratis seen here in Tokyo for you to post.

Included are shots of an A6G 2000 Coupe and Mistral Spyder taken at the Tokyo Concours D'Elegance 2009 which I see you've already had sent to you. I also attach a few Maserati photos from a recent visit to Milano.

By the way, Maserati apparently sold 547 cars in Japan during fiscal 2008 (April 2008-March 2009) up from 533 in the previous 12 months - not bad given the global economic worries!

Cheers,

Andy."
 
Maseratis at the Tokyo Concours D'Elegance 2009
 

Maserati A6G 2000 Coupe by Vignale
Maserati Mistral Spyder
 
Maseratis about Tokyo
 

Maserati Quattroporte ??????
Maserati Quattroporte
 

Maserati GranSport
Maserati Quattroporte
 

Maserati GranTurismo
Maserati GranSport
 

Maserati GranSpor
Maserati GranTurismo
 

Maserati Ghibli GT
 
Maseratis about Milano
 

Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT
Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S
 

Maserati GranTurismo S
Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT
 
 
 
 
 
From Mehmet in Turkey

"Ciao Enrico,

Italian Car enthusiasts enjoyinf a Track Day in the Korfez area....

Saluti,

Mehmet."
 

Black Ferraris on their way to the track
 
 

 
 
 

There was also a RARE red one!
 
 

The participants pose for a group photo!
 
 

The Maserati Ghibli is ready for action ...
... and very soon we'll be on our way!
 

I'll just ease past this one ...
... and then move on to the next.
 

There he is! I've almost caught him ...
... Ooooops!!!
 
 
 
 

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