Modern Classic Spotlight: '67-'73 Maserati Ghibli

The toast of the 1966 Turin Show was a low-slung, finely chiseled Maserati coupe by Carrozzeria Ghia. Named, like so many Maseratis, for a swirling desert wind, the stunning Ghibli (pronounced Gi/blee) was the work of young Giorgetto Guigiaro, and it would not be the last of his designs to achieve enduring fame.

Styling
Viewed from the side, the Ghibli's lovely roofline curved elegantly rearward, complemented by a gently arced side reveal that started above the grille, then flowed through the wheel arches to intersect rectangular taillights. The low, 45.6-inch high coupe was massive, but Guigiaro's fine lines made it appear quite lithe, and smaller than it really was. Planned as a replacement for the Mistral, the Ghibli's running gear was similar to the Quattroporte and the Mexico, but its wheelbase was 3.5-inches shorter than the Mexico's to better suit a two-seater. Upper and lower A-arm IFS with coil springs was paired with a dated, but cost-saving live rear axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs and radius rods.


Under the Ghibli's massive hood power bulge was a 4719-cc dry-sump version of Maserati's four-cam V-8. A quartet of Webers provided 330-bhp @ 5,500 rpm. At first, the only gearbox was a ZF 5-speed manual; in 1970 a 3-speed Borg-Warner automatic was offered. Braking for this nearly two-ton GT was handled by ventilated Girling discs with three pistons per caliper. Magnesium wheels were standard; chromed wires a desirable option. Although it was marginally slower than a Ferrari Daytona (6.6-seconds to 60-mph vs. 5.4 seconds) the Ghibli's torque-y V-8 bellowed through paired exhausts, pulled like a train in any gear, and the rear stayed firmly planted. Passing maneuvers were quick and exhilirating. Some contemporary reports claimed the Ghibli's front end had a tendency to lift at high speeds, but Road & Track's Peter Coltrin reported on a 150-mph ride with factory tester Guerrino Bertocchi and never mentioned it.


East coast buyers see-sawed from Bob Grossman's Maserati showroom in Nyack, New York, to Luigi Chinetti's Ferrari store in Greenwich, Connecticut, comparing then-similarly-priced Ghiblis and Daytonas. Somewhat more civilized, the Ghibli was often the one chosen. Later Ghibli developments included a spider version (1969) and the following year, a 4.9-liter SS model was offered. Power rose 5-bhp to 335-bhp, and torque from 290 lb.-ft. @ 4000 to 354 at the same rpm. Maserati built 1149 Ghibli coupes and 125 spiders (about 25 were SSs). When production ended in 1973, in favor of the peculiar-looking Bertone-designed Khamsin, Car and Driver sadly lamented the death of "the world's most perfectly styled automobile." You can find Ghibli coupes today for as low as $25,000. A perfect example is $35,000-plus. Forget Spiders; they're $75,000-plus; SS models even higher. Watch for rust, especially in the front of the hood. Electric maladies are prevalent; engine repairs are expensive, and sheet metal is hard to find. That said, try to find a better-looking, long-legged Italian GT at this price.