"Ghibli... a hot dust bearing wind of the North African desert".
Tipo 336B204P
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In the past, the sportier motorist was exclusively concerned with his car's performance. Today, without sacrificing driving satisfaction, the enthusiast wants comfort, safety, reliability and style, the Ghibli II was designed by the internal Centro Stile with the consultation of Marcello Gandini, as well as pure performance. The legend of Maserati is synonymous with performance and class. The Maserati Ghibli coupé is the response to the demanding needs of today's sports car buyer.
This two door coupe can carry four adults in style and comfort, whilst delivering not only blistering performance but excellent roadholding and a refined elegant interior. Everything about the Ghibli says performance and style. This appreciation stems from a rich array of fittings; dash in leather and burr elm; seats in Connolly leather; automatic ventilation and air conditioning system; height adjustable steering wheel; electric wing mirrors; central door locking; 3-point safety belts with pretensioner; rear 3-point safety belts with automatic rewind plus central lap belt; height & position adjustable seats with adjustable lumbar support and adjustable front head-rests.
The line of the Ghibli is bold but at the same time soft such as to anticipate the car's sporting intent even from rest. The curvilinear movement of the wings visibly interprets all the "muscle" to be found beneath the engine cover. The form is a happy marriage of style and aerodynamics. The low front is rounded and slops upwards to the windscreen were a splitter directs the air over the vehicle. The markedly wedged flank is characterised by the imposing rear which interprets the considerable power that is being transmitted to the rear axle.
In attaining the expected high level of performance and manoeuvrability, the Ghibli has a 1990cc (2790cc), V6 engine delivering 306bhp at 6250rpm (284bhp at 6000rpm), with maximum torque of 275 lb-ft at 4250rpm (305 lb-ft at 3500rpm). The engine has 4 valves per cylinder and 4 overhead camshafts, light-alloy crankcase and cylinder heads, electronic injection and ignition. Performance is enhanced by twin water-cooled turbochargers combined with dual air-to-air intercoolers. The Ghibli engine allows the car to attain a maximum speed of over 155 mph (250 kph) with acceleration from rest to 62.5 mph (100 kph) in 5.7 seconds. Excellent roadholding, however, is the other half of the story. And for this you need a firm body shell, and suspension aware of the demands imposed by a broad performance spectrum. One of the outstanding features of the Ghibli , is its extraordinarily rigid floor pan which is a feature of the construction that maximises safety and makes driving a sheer pleasure.
The suspension is fully independent with 4-position electronic adjustment. The front consists of McPherson-type struts, anti-roll bar, coil springs with dual rate pressurised telescopic dampers. The rear suspension has camber adjustable trailing arms, with welded tubular structure with dual rate pressurised telescopic dampers. The Ghibli steering is hydraulic rack and pinion with double gearing servo. With such power and manoeuvrability, the Ghibli also offers excellent braking provided by dual independent hydraulic circuits with servo, ABS operating on 307mm diameter ventilated disc brakes on the front and 316mm diameter ventilated disc brakes on the rear.
The Ghibli offers safety features including a 3-channel, 4-sensor ABS, driver's airbag (later models), front seat belts with pre-tensioner, side impact cross bars; progressive energy-absorbing front and rear boxes; high-rigidity body shell and floor pan; shielded fuel tank, inertia fuel cut-off; excellent night and high-speed visibility; outside thermometer with warning LED indicating the risk of ice on the road. The Maserati Ghibli is a true high performance luxury sports car which holds it head high among the very elite of luxury and performance vehicles and if like me you own one you'll know what I mean!
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