Maserati Ghibli
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The Maserati Ghibli is a sports car, produced by Italian manufacturer Maserati in two generations: first from 1966–73, and again as the Maserati Ghibli II from 1992–97.
[edit] Ghibli I
| Maserati Ghibli | |
|---|---|
 First-generation Maserati Ghibli Maserati Ghibli Spider |
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| Manufacturer | Maserati |
| Production | 1966-1973 |
| Successor | Maserati Khamsin |
| Body style(s) | Coupé Spider |
| Engine(s) | 4.7 and 4.9 litre V8 |
The original Maserati Ghibli is a two-door, two-seater coupé released by Maserati in 1967. The V8-powered Ghibli was the most popular Maserati vehicle since the automaker withdrew from racing in the 1950s, and it outsold its two biggest rivals, the Ferrari Daytona and the Lamborghini Miura. It debuted at the 1966 Turin Motor Show.
The Ghibli's steel body, renowned for its low, shark-shaped nose, was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro. Giugiaro, who today heads his own company ItalDesign, worked at coachbuilder Ghia when he designed the Ghibli.
The car was powered by a front-placed quad-cam 330 hp (250 kW) V8 engine. It had a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 6.8 seconds, had a top speed of 154 mph (248 km/h) and could be operated by either a five-speed manual or three-speed automatic transmission. Maserati fitted the car with two fuel tanks, which could be filled via flaps on either side of the roof pillars. The car also featured pop-up headlamps, leather sport seats and alloy wheels.
The convertible Ghibli Spyder went into production in 1969. The Spyders were relatively rare, and outnumbered by the coupés by almost ten to one. The slightly more powerful Ghibli SS (335 hp) was released in 1970. The Ghibli went out of production in 1973 and found a successor the following year with the Bertone-designed Khamsin.
In all, 1149 Coupes, 125 Spyders and 25 Spyder SS models were produced.
[edit] Ghibli II
| Maserati Ghibli II | |
|---|---|
 Second-generation Maserati Ghibli |
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| Manufacturer | Maserati |
| Parent company | Fiat Group (since 1993) |
| Production | 1992-1997 |
| Successor | Maserati 3200 GT |
| Body style(s) | Coupe |
| Engine(s) | 2.0 and 2.8 litre Biturbo V6 |
The Ghibli name was resurrected in 1992 with the release of the Maserati Ghibli II. It appeared with updated Maserati Biturbo engines: a 2.0 litre V6, with the highest output, for the Italian and European markets and a 2.8 litre V6 for other countries, operated via a six-speed manual transmission (early 2.8 cars have a 5 speed manual) or 4 speed automatic. The two-door, four-seater coupé was similar in appearance to Maserati Shamal, and did not sell as well as anticipated.
In 1994, the car was revised. A refreshed interior, new wheels, a fully adjustable electronic suspension and ABS brakes were added. Another round of improvements resulted in the Ghibli GT in 1996. It was fitted with spoked alloy 17" wheels, and had suspension and transmission modifications.
The coupe was built for luxury as well as performance. The car featured a Connolly Leather interior with burl elm trim.
The Ghibli II has a top speed of 155 mph (249 km/h) and a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 5.7 seconds.
The final year of production for the Ghibli II was 1997. It was replaced in the Maserati lineup by the 3200 GT the following year.
Several special edition models were produced by Maserati. The first was the Ghibli KS (Kit Sportivo), followed by the race version Ghibli Open Cup which featured improved power through roller-bearing turbos, a freer-flowing exhaust, and remapped fuel computers. The Cup also featured a toned-down carbon fiber-trimmed interior with aluminum pedals and a MOMO steering wheel, and the drivetrain included tweaked suspension and Brembo brakes. To celebrate the world speed record on water, Maserati made a further 35 special edition Ghiblis called the Ghibli Primatist, featuring bright blue paintwork and blue / turquoise leather.
At the time the Ghibli Cup had the highest ever per litre power output of any street legal car, surpassing the Bugatti EB110, Ferrari F40 and Jaguar XJ220, however there are numerous cars now available with higher power per litre outputs.
The racing version Ghibli Open Cup is highly sought after by collectors today. In 1996, the car received a modification upgrade, resulting in similar track times to those of the Ferrari 355 Challenge. After the end of the 1995 racing season, several of the original 23 cars were used in national GT events.
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| Ownership | Orsi family | Citroën | De Tomaso | Fiat S.p.A. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| GT | A6 | 3500 GT | Sebring | 228 | Ghibli II | 3200GT | Coupé | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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