BUYING GUIDE

Maserati Biturbo 1981-1995

For Italian flair with performance to match, you could have a Modenese supercar for £5000 (US$7,130).

Classic Cars, Spring 2001
Words: Richard Dredge
Photos: Tom Wood/National Motor Museum

Getting what you've paid for is as much as you can expect or so we're frequently told. But what if you want a glamorous badge along with comfort and performance in spades, but you've got just five grand to splash out? Its trademark trident may not be universally recognized, but the Maserati name certainly is. Buy a Biturbo and there's performance and comfort aplenty although handling is less than pin sharp and fuel consumption is far from miserly. Maybe you do get what you pay for after all.

Lurching from one crisis to another, the Seventies were pretty lean for Maserati. Sold by Citroen in 1975 to Alejandro de Tomaso, an injection of cash was desperately needed. An attempt at mass-production was the strategy, resulting in the Biturbo.

But the Biturbo is largely forgotten - perhaps it's because the cars had a reputation for fragility when they were new, and with a price tag of £26,000 (US$37,076) people opted for a 944 or M3 instead. The performance per pound figure was pretty much unbeatable - when Car magazine tested a 228 in 1987 they achieved a top speed of 146mph with a 0-62 time of just under six seconds. But that was in a straight line; when a Biturbo reached a bend things didn't look quite so good.

Because the cars were so difficult to shift they were regularly registered years after they were built, so don't look at the number plate and assume you know when it left the factory. Out of a total production run of around 30,000 cars just 700 or so were sold in the UK; original sales predictions ran at what was claimed to be a conservative 400 a year! Of the ones that made it here many have been terminally crunched or broken for spares.

Thanks to the Maserati Club and a few specialists, the Biturbo won't be consigned to the history books. Andy Heywood runs Bill McGrath Maserati and Dave Smith is administrator of the Maserati Club - they've been an invaluable source of help in compiling this guide. Dave runs a 1989 430 while Andy has owned seven different examples of the Biturbo.

BODY AND CHASSIS

Contrary to some reports, the Biturbo's body wasn't galvanized so rust will be lurking. The areas most affected are the bottoms of the doors, the tail edge of the bootlid and the leading edge of the bonnet and front wings, which are vulnerable to stone chips. The sills and wheelarches are also susceptible to tinworm, although the Spyder's sills were made of thicker steel to compensate for the lost stiffness in removing the roof. As a result they are less rot-prone.

If you're looking at an early left-hand drive car Andy recommends you scrutinize the floorpan - many cars are likely to have been reduced to breaker status by corrosion here. By the time the cars were officially imported into the UK they were much better rustproofed.

Biturbos are notoriously tail happy, and over the years many have done some off roading. Poor accident repairs are common, so watch out for panel fit - which should be excellent. A worthwhile check is to inspect the base of the A-post, looking for a ripple in the front wing.

Also check the front valance/ spoiler is intact - the low ride height doesn't do it any favors. The worst culprit is the Spyder.

ENGINE

The Biturbo's V6 engine is pretty much bulletproof with correct service intervals. Says Dave Smith: "Make sure the car has a Maserati service history and its service book shows an oil change every 6,000 miles along with a timing belt replacement every 24,000 miles. A new belt will cost around £300 (US$432). Also make sure the car has had synthetic oil - anything else isn't up to the job of protecting the engine."

There's some debate about whether the engine will run on unleaded fuel without modification, but says Andy: "I've never had any cars brought to me with problems resulting from using unleaded fuel. American cars had to run on it because of the catalytic converters fitted, and the engines fitted to those cars are the same as European ones."

Rebuilding or replacing the Biturbo's twin-turbo V6 is an expensive proposition, so get an expert to check its health. Whether fuelled by carburetor or injection, the costs are much the same. A rebuild will set you back £5000 (US$7,130) and a secondhand engine £1000-2000 (US$1,426 - 2,852).

The two IHI turbochargers aren't prone to failure and don't usually give problems. Post-1984 cars have water-cooled turbos which are generally the longer-lasting of the two. They've been known to need replacement after 14,000 miles, although with regular oil changes they can last up to 130,000 miles. Andy comments: "Check their health -- replacing them will cost £1500-2000 (US$2,139 - 2,852)-- and that's if you opt for reconditioned units. New ones are an eye-watering £3500 (US$4,991). Once up to temperature idle the engine for ten minutes, watching for any blue smoke from the exhaust -- any trace and the turbos are worn."

If the car is left-hand drive, make sure it's not an American import with power-sapping emissions equipment. If you're looking at a carburetted car and the engine isn't running properly, suspect the Weber is doing its worst. Access is difficult, so setting it up is tricky, but once set up it should stay in tune.

Check for oil leaks, as gaskets fail. The most likely place is the gasket between each cam carrier and cylinder head. Check between the engine and bulkhead - it'll be obvious if it's wet with oil. Reckon on spending £160 (US$228)to fix each side.

With the car so close to the ground there's a danger of the sump grounding. The sump is unlikely to split open, but the aluminum cooling fins will look the worse for wear and there may be oil leaks. There's also a sensor on the crankshaft that can take a pounding if the sump's grounded - hit hard enough, the engine will grind to a halt.

Exhausts rot through quickly so check that a stainless system has been fitted. Designs vary between the carb-fed and fuel-injected cars, but expect to pay around £550 (US$784)for the former and £765 (US$1,091) for the latter models.

TRANSMISSION

Biturbos had a five-speed manual ZF gearbox throughout production. From 1985 there was a three-speed Borg-Warner auto available which was upgraded to a four-speed ZF auto with the introduction of the 2.8-litre models. Andy has a warning for potential buyers of 2.5-liter models fitted with the Borg-Warner 'box: "Drive it before buying. The 'box really isn't suited to the engine and you're better of with a manual."

A Sensitork limited-slip diff' helped put the power down, but is the car's Achilles heel. With no breather system, the diff' tended to overheat when the oil seals were blown out under pressure. When new, the cars had news diffs' fitted under warranty, so Bill McGrath developed a breather system to alleviate the problem.

Warns Andy: "If you're looking at a car with a noisy diff' bear in mind that rebuilding it will cost £940 (US$1,340). Check for oil leaks where the propshaft goes in and where the driveshafts come out. If the axle is noisy you could be better off walking away." The propshaft can also cause problems. This feeds into the diff' via torque tube, in which the splines wear. Check for clonks when taking up drive. If the splines aren't worn it can be fixed for £200 (US$285), if they are it'll cost £600-700 (US$856 - 998).

STEERING & SUSPENSION

Power assisted steering was fitted to all UK cars, although early imports may not have it fitted. Check for leaks from the pinion seal in the power steering -- the seal can be found on the rack itself. Carburetor cars have the steering rack mounted on rubber bushes, which rot if the engine leaks oil onto them. This will cause the rack to move on its mounts; it's mounted on the subframe. This gives the impression of a worn rack, but really it's the mounting bushes that need replacing -- expect to pay around £100 (US$143). Fuel-injected cars used solid rack mounts so weren't prone to this.

Carburetor cars have a pair of track rod ends, which are durable, but fuel-injected models were fitted with six track rod ends, four of which wear quickly. It's not unusual for a set to need replacing after 20,000 miles. If there's play in the steering they may be due for renewal, at a cost of £250 (US$360).

The suspension is very reliable, being a straightforward design and the worst that's likely from a car that has not been abused is a leaking damper or two. The car's wayward handling may mean the rear suspension has had a heavy knock, so check the angle of the back wheels and make sure they're not out of kilter.

continued. . .