A rare Maserati Ghibli II prepared for competition: its 400 hp V6 makes a lot of noise!

In hillclimb racing, Italian cars are a dime a dozen. We recently reported on the700 hp Alfa Romeo 4C or theAlfa Romeo 155 DTM and the410 hp Alfa Romeo 75 Turbo. The Fiat 500, too, has a lot to offer, not to mention the Lancia Delta Intégrale. The presence of a Maserati is more surprising, since we're used to seeing Trident cars on the racetrack. However, a Ghibli from the '90s is currently being raced in Italy.

A prepared Maserati Youngtimer

Between 1992 and 1997, 2,303 Maserati Ghibli II were produced. It followed in the footsteps of the Biturbo coupé, and was available with 2 engines, a 2-liter and a 2.8-liter. Each engine had its own personality: the 2.0-liter was the most powerful, delivering over 300 hp at higher revs, while the 2.8-liter delivered 287 hp, albeit with greater torque at lower revs. Be that as it may, the Ghibli remained a car not to be put into every hand, brutal and luxurious at the same time, intoxicating but trapping, especially in the wet.

Modifications

Bruno Piantoni has been racing a Maserati Ghibli II in hillclimbs for over ten years. It is equipped with the engine and rear axle (differential and trailing arms) of a Ghibli Open Cup, a version of which 25 were produced for the single-brand championship held between 1995 and 1998. In this Open Cup variant, power from the twin-turbocharged 2.0-liter V6 is increased to 320 hp at 6,500 rpm, then 330 hp in 1996. The Ghibli Hillclimb is also equipped with Maserati 3200GT front shock absorbers and suspension arms with Ferrari brakes.

The engine has undergone modifications, with more powerful turbochargers, titanium exhaust manifolds and an EFI EURO 6 ECU with map management, traction control, anti-lag system and launch control. In the end, the 2-liter Twin Turbo V6 is rated at 400 hp, with a total weight of just 1100 kilos, thanks to a fiberglass body (an impressive reduction, given that the standard Ghibli was flirting with 1400 kilos).

A Ghibli not easy to tame !

So far, the results have not been fantastic, but the Ghibli is impressive and makes a nice noise. It remains sharp and tricky to drive, as can be seen on numerous videos where we see the lack of stability under braking. However, compared with E2SH class cars, which are sometimes genuine prototypes far removed from the basic models, this Ghibli remains fairly close to the original despite its many modifications, and has retained its engine! A rare find!