Maserati Enthusiasts' Page



1997 RHD Maserati Ghibli Cup A story of restoration / modernisation by a Ghibli Cup owner

UPDATED 8th December 2004: Check out paragraph 5b for a full report on the power increase that includes a graph illustrating a comparison with Maserati's standard Ghibli Cup figures!!! You'll be, as I was, very impressed with the results!!!

As an owner of a Ghibli Cup, I thought it might be useful to document my experiences for other people considering purchasing one. I hope that the content of this article will be seen as an unbiased attempt to highlight the pros and cons of opting for one of the rarest and smallest engined of the RHD Maserati models.

Here is some of the technical data (as claimed by Maserati), although anyone considering buying a Cup should already be aware of this: 1996 cc V6 engine with four cams/pulleys (rear ones being chains). Two separate ECUs (one per bank of three cylinders). Two IHI roller-bearing turbochargers. Two air-to-air cooled intercoolers. Top speed: 167mph. Maximum power (from engine): 330 bhp at 6,750 rpm. Maximum torque: 275 lb ft at 4,000 rpm. 0 to 100 kmph (62 mph): 5.2 seconds (claimed to be 5.6 seconds by most of the UK motoring press). Quarter mile: 14.4 seconds.

At the time of being sold in the UK (during 1997 and early 1998) it offered the highest power-per-litre of any production car (165 bhp per litre). In recent times this feat has been matched by the Lancer Evolution VIII FQ330. You should consider that the Cup's claimed 330 bhp is not really accessible, since it is supposed to be achieved at 6,750 rpm - when the fuel cut-off occurs. Although this set-up allows for a top-speed of 167 mph (due to maximum power occurring at the top of the rev-range), it also means that in real terms the driver never actually has 330 bhp available to him. There is also a noticeable lack of torque (accelerator response) below 3,500 rpm, caused by the fact that the two turbos take some time to reach full boost. These days the Ghibli Cup is somewhat overshadowed by the much cheaper (£32k) 2004 FQ330. The FQ330 has the same sized engine as the Cup (in fact, 1997 cc and has just 4 cylinders and a single turbo) but achieves an impressive 315 lb ft torque (albeit at a high 5,000 rpm). The FQ330's 330hp is achieved at 6,800 rpm (similar to the Cup). However, don't forget that back in 1997 when the Cup was sold in the UK, the top EVO models were producing less than 280 bhp. The standard equipment, such as leather seats, is similar for both cars, so the Ghibli Cup's £15,000 extra cost looks a little expensive, especially since the FQ330 also has satellite navigation. Why the comparison to the more modern FQ330 you ask? Answer: Wait until the end of this document where the power statistics for my modernised Ghibli Cup will be supplied. All will become clear.



1. Background to my Ghibli Cup purchase I used to own an UK Toyota Supra, with standard features including heated leather seats and 326 bhp twin sequential turbo-charged engine (hp peaking at an impressively low 5,800 rpm and max torque at 2,800 rpm). I then had its power output increased to just below 500 bhp, but retained a sequential system so that lots of torque was present before 2000 rpm. The car also had an aggressive Veilside body kit and several other extras to make it fairly unique. When I sold it (to fund a house move) I lost a lot of money, so my next car needed to have at least a chance of retaining some of its value, but also needed to provide an exhilarating driving experience and seat my growing children. In preparation for my next purchase I compiled a short-list of cars for which I felt offered an acceptable balance between rarity, prestige and performance. None of the options would match the performance of a 500 bhp Supra, but I was prepared to settle for something less powerful that, like a Supra, could seat four people. After hours of Internet searches, I compiled a shortlist covering a range of different performing cars. The following list is roughly in 0-60 mph performance order (fastest first, slowest last): TVR Cerbera Another UK 6-speed Toyota Supra Audi RS4 Maserati Ghibli Cup Maserati Ghibli 2.8GT Audi S4 Maserati Quattroporte 3.2 Evolution Mercedes 320 CLK Initially, I gave most consideration to the top and bottom cars: The TVR for its looks, cool interior and performance and the 320 CLK for its practicality and low depreciation. However, one of the cars on the list had interested me due to its rarity and prestigious manufacturer - the Maserati Ghibli Cup. It had seemed unlikely that such a rare car (only 26 RHD built) would become available at a price I was willing to pay, so I had virtually disregarded it as "unrealistic". After listening to the practical voice in my head I went as far as putting down a deposit on a Mercedes 320 CLK and was at home waiting for my cheque to clear when I noticed a Maserati Ghibli Cup advertised for sale on the Internet. It took a matter of seconds for me to decide to go and view it. The Cup was being sold privately with a fairly high mileage, but the seller informed me that most of the mileage had been clocked up on the motorway and that the car had a full dealer service history (which the service log seemed to confirm). The car had very rusty exhaust tail pipes, some rust on the bodywork (primarily front and rear) and a cracked passenger-side headlight, but otherwise I was led to believe it was in good condition. Being aware that someone else was interested in seeing the car and being mindful that my cheque for the Mercedes would soon clear, I made an offer that was accepted. As expected with a private sale, it was sold to me on an “as seen” basis. I had only had the opportunity for a visual inspection and a test drive on slow-moving residential roads. But, the choice was to make an offer or allow someone else to purchase it. With almost 75,000 miles (recorded as 120,000 km) and an indicated full dealer service history, the £13,750 price that I paid had not seemed unreasonable for a RHD Ghibli Cup that was exactly six years old. I considered the price reasonable since the car had cost £47,500 new and at the time of my purchase a Maserati dealer had a low mileage 1997 Ghibli Cup on sale for £26,000. When I got home I cancelled the cheque for the Mercedes CLK and informed the garage that I did not wish to proceed with the purchase. However, after taking ownership of the Ghibli Cup I found the following problems: Tyres deflating by between 5psi and 15psi within a week (different tyres deflating at different rates). Exhaust had more severe rust than I had originally thought, requiring a completely new twin exhaust system. Windscreen wipers had a connection fault, requiring a replacement unit. I became aware of this problem when I was driving my car home in light rain. Maserati stamped service history was incorrect. The major service that requires the engine taken out and chains replaced had, apparently, never been performed. Quite worrying, since I believed I was buying a car with a genuine full service history and the service log had been stamped at the regular intervals. The climate control started playing up, only switching on after the car made a sharp right-hand turn! Central locking was failing on passenger door, causing driver's door to immediately re-lock after using the remote button to unlock the car. Also, I could not rely on the doors locking properly and always had to check the doors were locked whenever parking the car. Car put on rolling-road and found to be producing 220 rwhp (rear wheel horsepower) at 6200 rpm (instead of intended approximate 290 rwhp at 6750 rpm). The private seller had failed to mention any of the above details to me, although he may genuinely have been unaware of some of them.



2. Owning a Cup Here are a few comments (positive and negative) that I have received: When having the exhaust system inspected, the technician told me that pre-1991 cars did not need cats, suggesting that I could save some money by not replacing them if I had a new exhaust system fitted. I had great trouble persuading him that my car was actually manufactured in 1997 and therefore required cats. He preferred to believe that I did not know the age of my car than to accept that the boxy rusty thing on his ramp was a modern car. A close friend of mine regularly refers to my Ghibli Cup as "the shed". He states that it is the ugliest car that he has ever seen. This is the same guy who used to think my Supra was the best-looking car he had ever seen. People's comparisons of my car have ranged from a Lancia Delta to a Lada. I've yet to hear someone make a flattering comparison. If you want a car with pulling power then look elsewhere! My hairdresser saw me in the car at a petrol station just after I purchased it. When I next went to have my hair cut he was constantly talking about my car. He is a car enthusiast owning two modified Japanese imports and he once considered buying a Ghibli GT. He claims to like the appearance of the car. When I went to have the car taxed at the post office then sad-looking man behind the counter sprung to life. He was asking what it was like to own a Maserati and seemed impressed that I owned one. However, he had no idea what the car looked like and would probably have been much less impressed if he had seen the car. My young son keeps asking me to get another Supra but my daughter, who attends private school, likes to be able to tell her friends that she owns a Maserati. Even so, my daughter does not seem keen on her friends actually seeing the car! If I overtake enough cars then my son starts to become content. Someone, whose friend has apparently had just paid £68,000 for a new Quattroporte, recognised my car instantly and claimed to prefer a Maserati to a Ferrari. The fuel consumption around town is OK, although the Optimax fuel is more expensive than normal unleaded. However, if you drive the car as intended, with the revs quite high, then the fuel consumption becomes scary. At full boost you can almost see the fuel gauge decreasing as you drive. The two-litre engine is unresponsive prior to the turbos providing boost. You can cruise on the open road at 2,000rpm or less, but don't expect any noticeable response from depressing the accelerator pedal when in the higher gears if the revs are below 2,500rpm. The car starts to feel sporty when the revs are above 3,500rpm and the turbos achieve full boost. At low revs those who compare the appearance of the car to a Lada might also be inclined to consider that it drives like a Lada too! When driving the car at high revs (4,000rpm or higher) the car is great fun. It is just a shame that the Cup was not given the larger 2.8 litre engine so that it was more responsive at lower revs. Also, the fuel cut-off occurs at around 6,800rpm, so you do not have a massive rev-range in which to enjoy full boost. If you want an effortless drive then the Cup is not the car for you. To appreciate a Cup you must be prepared to use the gears to keep the turbos at full boost (and suffer poor fuel economy). The interior is not bad, although the Momo steering wheel and carbon fibre panels do not offer the luxurious feel that you might reasonably expect from a Maserati. The interior is definitely unique, but apart from the hand-stitched leather, active suspension controls and the gold clock, there is not much to suggest that you are driving an expensive car. There is not even satellite navigation. The Active Ride Suspension is one of the best features of the car. It always defaults to the second setting, which is reasonably soft and comfortable in most driving situations. I normally have it on the fourth setting, which makes the suspension very firm and is great for cornering. The first setting is for driving around town and provides the most comfortable drive, but not recommended if you wish to drive the car hard. Basically, if you plan to buy a Cup then you should make that decision because you really want one. Don't expect it to impress your friends, family or neighbours. Don't expect high levels of luxury. Don't expect an effortless driving experience. Don't expect the two-litre engine to offer good fuel consumption unless you are prepared to drive it at low revs. The Cup can be a great drive and provides good road holding and excellent braking, but there are much cheaper and sexier car options available if you just want a four-seat performance car. Wanting something that is different and pretty unique (whilst not minding much higher than average maintenance costs) needs to be a deciding factor when considering a Ghibli Cup. You buy this car to join a unique group of owners/enthusiasts - not to own a remarkable sports car.



3. My expenditure / restoration costs This is what I ended up having done to the car (some proved better value for money than others): Wheels refurbished with central spoked section painted blue to match body colour and bolts all zinc coated. Wheels refurbished and resealed to stop leaks for a total cost of GB £517.00. Ordered a replacement RHD headlight but discovered, after fitting, that I had been supplied one for an LHD car, which was illegal on UK roads. A second headlight was ordered and fitted. New stainless steel exhaust system manufactured for the car with 1/8in increase in diameter, two free-flowing performance cats and two larger oval tail pipes. Total cost, including fitting was an incredibly low GB £850.00. Full service performed, including fixing climate control, door locking, ABS work and replacing many worn brake cables. This included removing the engine and replacing the chains. Some boost issues were also identified and fixed, for a total cost exceeding GB £5,000.00. The passenger locking mechanism was re-greased, and has only so far failed to work correctly twice since the service. I will not be surprised if the locking and climate issues return again in the future. The car was taken to a body shop to repair most severe rust at front and side of car for a cost of around £450.00. Some rust remained at the rear of the car, but not too noticeable. Unfortunately, it did not take long for the rust at the front of the bonnet to start to return. I booked the car in at another body shop just six months after the original work was done, and this time spent £500.00 addressing all reappearing and outstanding rust spots and scratches. Ultra light carbon fibre rear wing acquired, painted and fitted to the car. This wing is so light that the weight of the boot has not noticeably increased. Total cost including painting and fitting was £300. I have had several Maserati fans accuse me of ruining the car, and I can understand their anger. However, for those who saw the car as a "shed on wheels", the rear-wing has provided the car with a sportier look and gained more respect. Maybe I have responded to the views of the less sophisticated members of society, and risked upsetting people who posses good taste, but if I ever chose to remove the wing and restore the car to its original appearance, it could be easily done. Also, the rear wing does aid in rear-wheel traction, thus enhancing the good road holding of the Ghibli Cup. Trident central wheel logos commissioned with sign-making company. The original ones were damaged and replacements are no longer available for purchase. The blue 'Speedline' logos that can be purchased as an alternative are, in my opinion, ugly and I felt they would ruin the appearance of the wheels. Cost £120.00 for four central wheel logos and two side wing logos. I also have short steel valves and locking 'Maserati' logo valve caps to optimise the appearance of the wheels. [Motec M600 Engine Management System to be professionally fitted: Details of power/torque increases to be given once this work has been performed].

4. After Refurbishment

		The car has improved considerably from the rust bucket I had purchased six months earlier!

These are some of the features of the Ghibli Cup: High quality hand-stitched black leather interior with seats that feel like they belong in your living room. Apart from electronic back of seat angle adjustment, the seats are fairly basic (no heating, no memory, no lumber adjustment, pull-bar for moving seats forward and back). I added the leather cushions, since I thought they provided an extra feel of luxury. Just about enough rear legroom for adult passengers. Central rear leather armrest can be pulled down to separate squabbling kids! Carbon fibre and black leather interior, with standard gold clock. Momo leather steering wheel and Momo carbon fibre/chrome gear stick. But why no wood in a £47,500 car? Refurbished lightweight Speedline 17" sectional wheels. Central sections painted same colour as car body. Middle of the wheels display chrome Maserati trident logo on blue background. Even the lockable valve caps have the Maserati name and trident logo. The entire twin exhaust system was replaced with a professionally designed stainless system. The tail pipes are a little larger than the one fitted to the Cup as standard. The rear-wing is body-coloured with chrome legs and weighs only 4lbs. The chrome legs match the chrome petrol cap. It is angled to increase down-pressure on the rear wheels and aid with traction. It has trident logos on each side and a trident logo and the text 'Maserati' on the top, which are visible in the rear-view mirror when driving. All Ghibli Cups have the Ghibli Cup logo on either side in front of the doors. Please excuse the loss of background colour, but the is a photo of a logo from my car. The standard engine is the all alloy 1996 cc V6 @ 90° unit with: 82 mm bore x 63 mm stroke Compression ratio 7,6 4 overhead camshafts Four valves per cylinder 2 IHI roller-bearing water-cooled turbochargers 2 air-to-air intercoolers Electronic fuel injection and direct ignition with two separate ECUs.



5. The Motec M600 ECU Even after the expensive service, the car was still only making 240 rwhp (20 more than before). However, the power curve was now much more impressive, reaching 240 rwhp (270 at flywheel) at a more acceptable 5500 rpm, which was 700 rpm less than the power had previously been peaking. The car seemed to be overboosting and thus loosing power in the high rev-range. Had the boost continued to rise until 6750 rpm then the car may well have been achieving intended power levels. The car was taken to a performance tuning company who specialises in race-tuning turbo cars. They gave the car an inspection and could not see any mechanical reason for the boost problem. It was felt likely that ECU problems, possibly worsened by the new free-flowing exhaust system, were causing the boost to be cut-off early. As a result, I decided to add a Motec M600 engine management system to the car (to replace the two existing ECUs) with the hope of exceeding the original power levels of the car. On normal turbo cars a Motec system usually provides a power increase of at least 25%. Considering the existing boost problems and the new performance exhaust system, I was hoping the current 240 rwhp could potentially increase by more than 25% after fitment of the new ECU. However, I wanted to achieve maximum power at lower revs, which I felt could limit the maximum achievable power output. NOTE: Different companies tend to calculate flywheel horsepower differently, partly due to the fact that rolling roads are actually measuring torque and horsepower is derived. The only way to get true horsepower readings would be to remove the engine from the car! The race-tuning company that dyno'd my car after its £5,000.00 service considered 240 rwhp to equate to 260 flywheel horsepower (8.3%). Maybe this fairly low bhp calculation was due to their experience of race-tuned cars, which would commonly have lightweight flywheels. I'm guessing that the flywheel in a Ghibli Cup is fairly heavy, although I have nothing to base that assumption on. Another garage's rolling road inspection, performed immediately after I purchased the car, had suggested that the then recorded 220 rwhp equated to 268 flywheel horsepower (22%). Other (so-called) experts suggest 15% difference for rear-wheel drive cars. Considering this discrepancy, I feel that a reasonably conservative 12.5% calculation should be used to calculate flywheel horsepower for my car. Therefore, based on 240 rwhp my car would have been peaking at 270 bhp at 5,500rpm. Not everyone will agree with my 12.5% calculation, but at least you now understand the basis for my decision, considering that calculating flywheel horsepower does not seem to be an exact science. It is probably also worth giving some consideration to the fact that 270 bhp @ 5500 rpm would equate to 330 bhp @ 6750 rpm if a straight-line power gradient existed, which in reality is not the case. The only two things that really matter to me are torque and rear-wheel horsepower (at the lowest possible rpm). A horsepower figure measured at the flywheel (such as 330 bhp @ 6750 rpm) means nothing when you are driving the car. What really matters is how well the car responds when you depress the accelerator pedal.


Prior to £5,000 service (tuning company 1)		After £5,000 service (tuning company 2)

My brief to the engine tuning company, giving a set of anticipated minimum results from the Motec M600 installation, was along the following lines: Make full possible use of the performance exhaust system. Get turbos spooling up sooner and harder, providing better low-rev accelerator response and more torque. Maximum torque to be still achieved by 4,000 rpm (or lower) and to at least match the 315 lb ft of the FQ330, but ideally reaching up to 330 lb ft at 4,000rpm. (Remember that the FQ330's 315 lb ft torque is only achieved at 5,000 rpm). Bring the power curve down, achieving maximum power closer to 6,000 rpm (down from 6,750 rpm) and exceeding 310 rwph (over 350 flywheel horsepower, based on my 12.5% calculation). Although this might appear to be requesting a 29% power increase (240 rwhp up to 310 rwhp), consider that the 240 rwhp was being achieved by 5,500 rpm. If the boost issue were resolved, as necessity dictates, then the actual requested power gain would be under 25%. 0-100kph to below 5.0 seconds (down from the 5.6 seconds believed to be actual time for a standard Ghibli Cup). Quarter mile to be achievable in less than 13 seconds. Engine and turbos to operate at safe temperatures, giving consideration to intercooler capacity and engine/turbo longevity. Also, ensure that stress on rods and pistons is not excessive. Fuel mapping optimised to help with fuel economy. Extend fuel cut-off to 7,000 rpm. If the above goals were all achieved, then I would expect the car's top speed to increase from 167 mph to something in the region of 175 mph.



5a. After Initial Motec Fitment

THIS IS WRITTEN PRIOR TO ITS TWO-WEEK HEALTH CHECK, WHERE MINOR ADJUSTMENTS WILL BE MADE TO THE MOTEC CONFIGURATION.

Firstly let me point out that the car has, after all, been left totally standard other than the new ECU. The turbo boost has not been increased, the standard injectors and intercoolers are being used and no performance enhancements have been made. All engine components (other than dump valves) are still those of a standard Ghibli Cup. It became clear that leaving the car running standard boost would prevent it from making proper use of the performance exhaust, which was a shame due to the potential offered by the exhaust system. The Motec was able to get the standard car achieving 343bhp (same as a new M3) but at an amazingly low 6,017rpm. However, at this point the injectors were at their limit so the power curve then began to trail off, dropping back to just below 300bhp by 7,000rpm. From 5,000rpm through to 7,000rpm the car is now producing over 280bhp, which is an amazing achievement from a 2-litre engine and gives the car quite unbelievable acceleration. With that much power available the car is now clearly capable of 0-100kph in under 5 seconds. It is also apparent that with larger injectors and running more boost-pressure the car would be achieving over 380bhp at 7,000rpm. A low-cost option to upgrade further is now available to me should I ever wish to take it. Rear wheel horse power is about 309 (same as peak torque). If I now apply the 12.5% calculation for flywheel horsepower, then the car would actually be achieving around 348bhp (or 355bhp if calculated as 15%). The turbos seem to spool-up faster now, and the turbo dial on the dashboard seems to move to the 3PM position faster that it previously did. With 300bhp arriving by 5,200rpm the car feels very powerful at high revs. A normal Ghibli Cup, according to Maserati, would not achieve 300bhp until after 5,800rpm and then reach 330bhp by 6,750rpm by which time the rev-cut-off would occur. My car has reached 330bhp by 5,500rpm and maintains over 330bhp until 6,600rpm. My car is now designed to rev up to 7,000rpm, giving a fraction more response time to change gear. Another massive benefit I seem to have gained is that the car responds well when cold. Previously the car was very sluggish in the mornings when the engine was cold. Now, it drives the same cold as it does warm, which allows the driver to determine how best to protect the cold engine rather than letting the ECU make that decision for him. The Motec is amazing in what it can diagnose. For example, when it was first fitted to the car it immediately identified two minor faults: The alternator was spiking every 72 seconds! One of the blow-off (dump) valves was not performing correctly due to cracked plastic housing, resulting in them both being replaced by more modern aluminium alternatives. The only fitting problem came when trying to control the timing, since previously each of the two ECUs had monitored three timing teeth to manage its cylinder bank. New teeth had to be made for the Motec to monitor so that it had six teeth for controlling both cylinder banks together. It had been noted prior to Motec fitting that the two ECUs had not been managing the timing correctly, despite me recently paying £5,000 for a full service. Part of my power problem may have been due to the timing problems. From this point onwards, any Motec engineer will be able to diagnose any fault and fix it immediately. Also, the ECU is fully programmable, meaning that the car can be remapped and optimised for any future change (performance enhancement, exhaust change etc). The blow-off (dump) vales make a gentle howl as the accelerator pedal is released, which works well with the moderate growl of my stainless exhaust system. The car sounds the business! Now for the bad news… The car is still down on torque. Although it now makes 309lbs/ft torque (instead of the intended 275lb/ft torque), this is achieved at a disappointingly high 5,500rpm. At 4,000rpm the car is only achieving 210lbs/ft torque. Although this sounds pathetic, in reality the speed of the turbo spool-up makes the car feel like it has much more torque, so this low mid-range torque figure is actually quite misleading. I would expect the actual mid-range accelerator response would amaze anyone – despite the low torque figure the car does pick up very quickly from around 3,000rpm because turbo boost is now delivered very quickly. And, why would anyone be trying to accelerate hard from below 3,000rpm? This is exactly the same 4,000rpm torque figure that my car was making previously, with the two Maserati ECUs. The Motec has confirmed that everything under the bonnet is performing perfectly, so this torque limitation must be caused by the free-flowing exhaust system that provides less back-pressure than the standard exhaust system. Although the dyno-chart indicates that the exhaust can help the car achieve over 380hp, it would need enhanced injectors and above-standard boost to do so. If I choose not to enhance performance further then I may consider restricting the exhaust system somewhat, so that the 343bhp is still achieved, but also so that more low-rev torque is also possible. Currently I do not have a working rev-counter, making exact comparisons tricky, since the Motec engineer could not determine how to connect it. He has ordered a Ghibli manual to get the necessary information, since not a single UK Maserati specialist could tell him how to connect it! – Scary that Maserati specialists seem to have so little knowledge about Ghibli Cups. I've found myself speaking directly to Ferrari UK in the past when no Maserati specialists could answer questions on the car. I have been told to drive the car for two weeks to determine if everything is working correctly. So far there has been one minor problem where the car can slightly misfire when I fully depress the accelerator pedal when driving at speed in the higher gears. It is only a brief dip in power before the car eagerly grips the road and throws me back in my seat. The car has iridium spark plugs fitted, so misfires should not be possible. Overall I am pleased by the impressive acceleration across the gears, but the engineers managed to crack one of my headlights and failed to improve the low-rev torque, so I'm not as happy as I might have been. I realise that the performance exhaust changes the torque curve, making it flatter at low revs, but I had thought the Motec ECU would be able to compensate. It is now clear that, unless I plan to enhance performance further, the exhaust is more free-flowing than it needs to be. A restrictive exhaust can hinder performance, but it can also help to regulate back-pressure. Getting the perfect balance between performance and torque is not easy. I will probably go for a compromise, adding some restriction back into my new exhaust system, whilst retaining the performance cats, and see if it helps. Any additional restriction should increase the low-rev torque, although anything short of a standard system may fail to achieve 275lbs/ft by 4,000rpm. The free-flowing nature of my new exhaust does have benefits over the standard system, which I have no desire to lose. Despite my desire to have a higher 4,000rpm torque figure, I should once again point out that mid-range accelerator response is very impressive due to the speed at which the turbos now respond. I have no doubts that may car would cover a standing quarter-mile much quicker than any standard Ghibli Cup. Comparison with FQ330 Of course, the FQ330 is now a bit dated. The new models being MR FQ 320, MR FQ340 and MR FQ400. The company I chose to fit the Motec happens to be the company that makes the FQ upgrades for Mitsubishi. They fit a Motec M800 (the most powerful Motec ECU) to the FQ400, along with a new Garrett turbo, replacement rods/pistons etc. After they did my car, I was told its acceleration pulling away from roundabouts did not feel dissimilar to that of a FQ 400, although my car would obviously not match the 0-60 time and is nowhere near 400hp. The turbo on an FQ 400 does not provide much boost before 3,500rpm, whereas my turbos spool up much sooner and my maximum power is delivered sooner than an FQ400's. Anyway, sticking to the fairer FQ 330 comparison, I think it is now reasonable to claim that my car is capable of surpassing its mid-range power, even though I might struggle to match it at 0-100kph. The Ghibli Cup was already a finer car than the Evo, but now it has performance to match all but the very quickest model. Motec Summary Maximum flywheel horsepower (calculated) 343bhp @ 6,017rpm (348hp 12.5% flywheel, 355hp 15% flywheel) Maximum torque 309lbs/ft @ 5,510rpm Maximum rear wheel horsepower 309rwhp @ 6,017rpm 0-100kph acceleration under 5 seconds (4.8 second estimate) Top speed Unknown (due to change in top-end power delivery) PLEASE NOTE that a conservative 11% flywheel figure is used. Maserati's claimed power is directly taken from the engine. If the flywheel figure was as high as 25%, as some claim, then the car would be actually making 386bhp and the power improvements shown above would be vastly increased, beating standard from 4,500rpm onwards. Based on the 11% flywheel calculation and Maserati's power claims, which I've never seen verified by actual owner's dyno print-outs, my car begins to surpass the standard power delivery at 4,700rpm and drops back below standard power delivery after 6,600rpm, peaking at around 35hp more at 6,000rpm. Considering that most acceleration is performed between 5,000rpm and 6,750rpm, the performance increase over standard is not insignificant. Also, the figures do not reflect the amazingly fast spool-up of the turbos on my car. Driving around town the drop in low-rev torque is pretty much compensated for by the speed of turbo spool-up, although maybe an owner of a standard Ghibli Cup would notice a slight difference? If any owner of a standard Ghibli Cup has ever had it put on a rolling road, then I'd love to hear how much rear-wheel horsepower your car is actually making.



5b. Motec Final Adjustment
Four weeks have passed since the Motec was fitted, and during that period I was busy preparing for the final set-up. Firstly, I really wanted to believe Maserati's torque claims for the car, despite several experts feeling that a standard Cup exhaust was not likely to provide 275lbs/ft by 4,000rpm. I went back to Stax Engineering and, for an amazingly low £60 inclusive of parts, they made me exchangeable exhaust sections that slotted in behind the cats. The replacement sections were 2-inch diameter pipes (fractionally smaller than standard Cup piping) and both of the sections ran for 17 inches to provide extra back-pressure in the system. The original sections were carefully cut out of the exhaust and had connectors welded to them so that within 5 minutes any mechanic could replace the 2 inch sections with the 2.5 inch sections. It rained constantly on the day the exhaust changes were made, and virtually every day after, so exact comparisons when driving were difficult. However, I felt there might be a little more torque at very low revs, but it also seemed that acceleration was weaker with the near-standard diameter exhaust sections fitted. The car did seem to feel more relaxed when pulling off in first gear, not requiring quite so many revs. The first dry day was when I drove back to Owen Developments in Oxford to have the final adjustments made to my Motec settings (with my big-bore exhaust sections in the boot). From my driving experiences of the previous four weeks my brief to Mark at Owen Developments was this: 1. With the standard-sized exhaust sections fitted, see if the 275lbs/ft torque can be achieved by 4,000rpm without any significant loss of top-end power. 2. If the standard exhaust sections prove to be a disaster then re-attach the previous big-bore exhaust sections. 3. Try to optimise low-rev torque whilst achieving and maintaining high power levels for as long as possible (with 330hp still available at 7,000rpm). 4. Address minor misfire problem where turbos are over-boosting when accelerating hard in high gears. 5. Re-connect odometer and lumber support on driver's seat!!! 6. Fix broken headlight. On my two-hour journey to Oxford I realised that the car was performing weakly. Now that the roads were dry I could accelerate hard without fears of traction loss and I was not happy with the response. The standard size exhaust sections were clearly preventing the turbos from spooling up as impressively as they had upon the Motec first being fitted. Traction was now better than previously because, due to a serious puncture a week earlier, my car had two new Bridgestone S03 Pole Position tyres fitted to the rear wheels. The old S02 tyres had been fairly worn, so I could be confident that the car was now gripping the road better. The first thing Mark did was to put the car on the rolling-road with the newly fitted standard-size exhaust sections, after first lecturing me on the fact that turbo cars generally get more power and torque from big exhaust systems. In fact, some of the most powerful two-litre rally cars he has worked on (around 450hp) had something approaching a 5-inch diameter exhaust system to optimise power delivery. He was proved correct. The car could only make around 294rwhp (326hp flywheel) with the standard exhaust section, and the low-rev torque was virtually unchanged. It started to seem unlikely that Maserati's claimed 275lbs/ft torque at 4,000rpm was actually achievable with the engine fitted to the car. I think it is also fair to question whether the standard car can really make 330hp at the flywheel, since even with a Motec and performance cats the best we could get was 326hp (based on 11% calculation). However, for all I know the Ghibli Cup might lose as much as 25% at the flywheel, which would mean a standard Ghibli Cup was only ever intended to make 264rwhp (which would only equate to 293hp at the flywheel based on the 11% calculation Owen Development use). Just to make it clear that there were absolutely no faults on my car I should point out that Owen Developments put my car in their state-of-the-art fault diagnostic centre for two hours and wired up every component of the engine. This included: 1. Checking turbo boost 2. Checking cat efficiency 3. Checking cylinder compression 4. Checking spark plugs 5. Fuel mapping diagnostics 6. Etc. etc. Despite my car's fairly high mileage everything was working perfectly, so the car should have been capable of easily achieving what Maserati claim it could achieve. The car was not even suffering from any cylinder compression leakage at high boost. With my findings, I feel I must ask the following: IF ANYONE HAS EVER HAD A GHIBLI CUP (OR OPEN CUP) ROLLING ROAD TESTED THEN PLEASE SEND A COPY OF THE DYNO PRINT-OUT TO ENRICO SO THAT WE CAN ASCERTAIN IF MASERATI'S CLAIMED FIGURES ARE REALLY ACHIEVABLE. ADDITIONALLY, IF ANYONE KNOWS THE INTENDED RWHP OF A GHIBLI CUP THEN LET ENRICO KNOW. My concern that power was not smoothly dropping off just before 7,000rpm resulted in Mark connecting his laptop to my Motec and coming out in the car with me for a road test. I took the revs to 7,000rpm a number of times and the laptop computer stored readings from all of the numerous sensor devices that feed the Motec. The laptop showed that power was being maintained perfectly, with smooth readings from the injectors and the turbos. Any drop-off before 7,000rpm was therefore due to inaccuracies from the rolling road read-out (which may have been worsened by my previously worn tyres and low tyre pressure). Mark had previously done the rolling-road diagnostics in 4th gear, believing my 2-litre car had only a five-speed gearbox since most the cars he works on tend to be 5-speed. From sitting next to me he realised that the car actually had a six-speed gearbox and he felt that a 5th gear rolling road session might provide more accurate results. Again, he was proved correct. The 5th-gear rolling road test, with the big-bore exhaust sections refitted, showed the car achieving 345hp (over 310rwhp) by just over 6,000rpm and maintaining over 343hp until beyond 7,000rpm. This was with no changes to the Motec configuration, just running with a reduced rate of acceleration to enable more accurate readings to be achieved. In 5th gear the rolling road read-out is much smoother and Mark believes the 5th gear read-out to be more accurate for my car, so from this point forward I will use the 5th gear rolling road data rather than the 4th gear data used previously. The misfire problem I'd experienced had been caused by the Motec ECU getting the turbos to full boost in high gears too quickly, and was easily rectified. Strangely, the misfire had never happened with the standard-size exhaust sections, since the turbos need the big-bore system to be able to spool up very fast. You can easily notice the improvement in acceleration when the entire exhaust system is 2.5-inch diameter and has performance cats. The standard turbo spool-up seems rather pathetic after you have experienced just what the IHI turbos are really capable of doing. The odometer was reconnected, as was the driver's lumber support (which had been accidentally disconnected when one of the original ECUs had been removed). Finally, Mark revised the power cut-off to provide maximum engine protection. The new cut-off system would work as follows: At 6,500rpm the “CHECK ENGINE” warning light would come on to advise the driver to change gear. Obviously, there was not really a problem with the engine! By 6,750rpm the boost would be noticeably reduced. By 7,000rpm a controlled power cut-off would have occurred. I'm guessing that the car's top speed will not have increased, since the high-rev power drop-off should prevent speeds in excess of 170mph from being achievable. However, the “CHECK ENGINE” gear-change system is wonderful. If I wish to accelerate hard I just floor the accelerator pedal, knowing that the car will provide maximum boost until I notice the “CHECK ENGINE” light appear. I then change gear and acceleration is optimised without any significant power-loss. The standard Ghibli system of immediately losing power at 6,800rpm was not very good and tended to sometimes restrict rapid acceleration through the gears. Now, if I accidentally allow the car to rev too high then there is a gentle controlled power drop-off, rather than the original “sudden death”. The final rolling-road tuning resulted in 350.3hp by 6,038rpm (315rwhp) and, as previously stated, measured in 5th gear instead of 4th. The final Motec printout showed minor power and torque improvements everywhere, apart from after 6,500rpm when the controlled power cut-off system begins to activate. At 4,000 rpm I still only recorded 213lbs/ft torque in 4th gear, but in 5th gear this figure was shown as a more impressive 250lbs/ft. This makes me wonder if it would have been even higher in 6th gear? - Maybe the 275lbs/ft claimed by Maserati? I also found that I had 300hp being achieved by around 4,850rpm in 5th gear and maintained until about 6,750rpm. Basically, my car now has the following attributes that have been verified several times to confirm this is accurate: 1. Maximum rear-wheel horsepower of 315 by just after 6,000rpm 2. Maximum flywheel horsepower of 350.3 using the 11% calculation (or 362hp using 15%; 378hp using 20%; or even as high as 394hp using 25% flywheel calculation). Real flywheel horsepower can not be determined without knowing how much power is lost between the flywheel and rear driving wheels. Many tuning centres use figures of around 15% or 20% when calculating horsepower using a rolling road. 3. Maximum torque of 327.7lbs/ft (443nm) @ 5,079rpm, with 275lbs/ft reached by 4,200rpm. 4. Amazing turbo spool-up. Anyone with a standard Ghibli Cup could not imagine just how quickly and eagerly the turbos can provide boost. With good engine management and a sufficiently free-flowing exhaust system the acceleration on a Ghibli Cup can be vastly quicker than the standard car. I have been able to prove this by using both standard sized exhaust sections and big-bore exhaust sections on the car, with no other differences, and note the performance differences. I would guess the car now has a 0-60 time of between 4.6 and 4.8 seconds. Not too sure what the quarter-mile time would be, but I might one-day take it to a track and have it timed. The car is fairly unimpressive below 4,000rpm (190hp), although many might consider 190hp by 4,000rpm to be fairly acceptable. Despite my best efforts it has proved impossible to get decent response/performance at low revs. However, after 4,000rpm the car responds like a rocket has been attached to it. The power-curve from 4,000rpm is very steep, reflecting the unrestricted turbo boost, providing amazing acceleration. From its 190hp at 4,000rpm it jumps to almost 310hp by 5,000rpm (120hp increase in 1,000rpm!) and then to around 350hp by 6,000rpm (all conservatively calculated at 11%). The car maintains over 330hp between 5,250rpm and 6,500rpm (down from 6,600rpm previously due to power drop-off being initiated). A fairly responsive 280hp is available by 4,700rpm and maintained through to around 6,850rpm. THIS CAR HAS NO ENGINE MODIFICATIONS AND RUNS MANUFACTURER RECOMMENDED BOOST LEVELS. The injectors and injector rails are standard; the turbos are standard and not boosted beyond recommended levels; the intercoolers are standard; the cylinder heads are standard; the crankshaft, cams & pulleys are standard. The only modifications are: Motec ECU for more efficient engine management and improved mapping. More efficient exhaust system to allow the turbos to operate without restriction. Replacement stronger blow-off valves since originals tended to crack. Iridium sparkplugs to ensure good spark under boost. Unfortunately, at time of writing this article the headlight is still cracked, but hopefully will be replaced soon. This was due to being let down by a well-known Maserati specialist who failed to process the order, rather than a problem caused by Owen Developments. My advice to anyone owning a Ghibli Cup is this: only use a Maserati specialist for servicing, but for maintaining performance and diagnosing faults go to someone with proven specialist knowledge. Since going to Stax Engineering for an exhaust system and Owen Developments for proper engine management my car has become a totally different beast to drive. Maybe nowhere near as rapid as a 500hp Supra, or even an FQ 400, but much more fun than standard. My final tip: Whenever considering the power of a car only ever look at the rear-wheel horsepower figure (rwhp). Many people make excessive horsepower claims about their cars, but these are often using high (25% or more) calculations when determining flywheel horsepower (which is the figure you are normally offered since it is higher than rwhp). For example, someone claiming 360hp using a 25% calculation would only be making 288rwhp, which equates to only 320hp when using the conservative 11% flywheel calculation. A car's performance is determined by power at the driving wheels, not by power at the flywheel. If anyone claims to have a modified Ghibli providing lots of power, then ask for a dyno print-out and check that it makes over 300rwhp by at least 500rpm before the rev cut-off occurs. If not, then it probably wont noticeably perform any better than a standard Ghibli Cup and it might perform worse! Here is a table summarising the rolling road data comparisons… * In the above table the Motec 5th gear figures (11% flywheel) are considered to provide the most accurate power and torque representation for the car and provide the best comparison against Maserati claimed figures. Other figures supplied include the 4th gear statistics and the power figures for a 20% flywheel-to-rear-wheels power loss.



6. Future envisaged expenditure Things that still need to be done, or that could possibly be done in the future include: Cosmetically, the car is about how I want it. I believe the coloured wheels and the rear-wing enhance the appearance of the car and give it a sportier look. However, I don't feel that any additional cosmetic modifications would be sensible. I don't want it ending up looking like an Open Cup with its less-than-attractive body kit. More modern dual bearing turbos with water-cooled intercoolers could, potentially, take the car beyond 400bhp without reducing low-rev torque. Whether I will ever consider replacing the turbos is something I am not sure about, but I know that I will never wish to increase horsepower at the expense of low-rev torque. I see no point in owning a Maserati if it doesn't drive like one would expect a Maserati to drive. Ongoing problems with central locking and climate control are frustrating, and future expenditure in these areas will be a necessity. My KPH speedometer is a problem that I just can't seem to resolve. I have been informed that two UK cars slipped through the net with the wrong speedometer fitted, and I am unfortunate enough to own one of them. My best hope is that someone scraps a UK Cup and I can salvage the speedo, since I have yet to find anyone able of supplying me with (and fitting) a UK speedo. Rust would seem to be a problem that will re-occur from time to time. Despite having rust treated, it will come back in the future.



7. My recommendation to anyone, after reading the above, considering buying a Ghibli Cup If you can, acquire one from a Maserati dealer and get a comprehensive warranty that will protect you against most of the problems I encountered. It is worth paying more for the car to know that you will not have to spend a lot of money fixing problems. Consider how far the car is from requiring a major service. Replacement of the rear chains requires removal of the engine and can be expensive. If a major service is due soon then you should ensure that the forthcoming expense is reflected in the asking price. Try to persuade the seller to allow you to pay for the car to be put on a rolling road prior to agreeing to purchase it. Comparing the boost and torque curves against the Maserati claimed figures would give you a good indication if the car will perform as expected. This should only cost around £40.00. Also, during rolling road test check the boost gauge reaches and stays at the 3 o'clock position (from around 3,500 rpm up to 6,750 rpm). If you buy privately then take the time to check everything is working and look all over the car, including the exhaust system, for signs of rust. Make sure you take it for a good test drive, ideally including motorway driving and test the brakes (which should impress if doing their job properly). In addition, paying for an inspection by a Maserati specialist would be money well spent.



Note from Dennis "Hi, I lust like to say I really enjoyed reading about your engine development and it served as an inspiration for my own development. I own an Alfa Romeo 156 which is being developed with a supercharger/Motec Managment ECU. Interesting to note that you used owen developments who I was going to use but decided not to as I needed someone to also port my heads. Basicaly I wanted to have all work done in one place. I could identify with your search for the correct exhaust type for your car as I experienced the same challenges. Once again thanks for takeing the time to document your experience. Dennis."