During its long and turbulent history, Maserati made numerous gorgeous coupes, sedans, and successful race cars. Still, none of them better embodied the essence of this great company as Ghibli. Internally named AM115, Ghibli was the quintessential Italian Gran Turismo coupe, exclusive, elegant, and fast with classic styling that hasn’t lost anything of its original appeal. Even though the Maserati used the Ghibli name twice more (for the ‘90s coupe and for the current sedan), for true automotive connoisseurs, Ghibli will always be a sleek late ‘60s coupe with a thundering V8 and exquisite interior. Today, we will tell you more about this incredible car and why it is so valuable.
Looking at the history books, we will realize that Maserati (along with the Alfa Romeo) was the original Italian sports and race car brand established in 1914. In the first part of its history, Maserati concentrated only on race cars, but after World War II, the company entered the sports car market with numerous accomplished GT models. In the early ‘60s, Maserati decided to stop making race cars due to the fact that competition at that stage turned out to be an extremely expensive venture, and the company was never financially stable. Instead, they decided to concentrate only on-road car market and stunned the automotive world with the introduction of a luxury sedan, Quattroporte, in 1963. However, by the mid-60s, the situation in the market became more complicated, and Maserati was under attack from several competitors. Ferrari is the first name on that list. Still, we shouldn’t forget the newly-established Lamborghini with 350/400 GT and Miura, Iso Rivolta with fantastic Grifo coupe, Bizzarinni with 5300 Strada or De Tomaso which was getting ready to introduce the magnificent Mangusta. In those times, Maserati was the name with the most significant legacy, but it needed something new in order to keep its position in the market.
The solution was a brand new, thoroughly modern GT coupe that would show the world what the Maserati brand is really capable of. The initial engineering work started in 1964, and although the platform and the engine were already there, the design wasn’t, so the company contacted the Ghia design studio to provide the aesthetics. After a brief stint with Bertone, young and already legendary Giorgetto Giugiaro was working for Ghia and was assigned to design a new Maserati sports car. That was a match made in heaven since the lines it gave to Ghibli were some of his best work and made this car instantly recognizable among all other fantastic automobiles of the era. The wedge-shaped front end was very modern in the mid-60s, along with concealed headlights. The fastback roofline suggested speed and performance, which this car was undoubtedly capable of.
Interestingly, despite its low silhouette, Ghibli was a 2+2 coupe with a decent trunk in the back, making it a rather practical Grand Turismo model. The name was not given by chance, and this is the first Maserati to be named after winds. The Ghibli is the hot and dry wind that blows over the Libyan desert.
The official presentation took place in late 1966 at Torino Motor Show with a unanimously positive reaction from the audience and motoring journalists. The new Ghibli looks more modern than anything coming from Maranello and more comfortable and practical than any other Italian supercar of the moment. Under the long hood, a quad-cam V8 engine with 4.7-liters of displacement delivered 310 hp. The engine was directly connected with Maserati’s racing days since it was derived from a racing unit and retained a dry-sump lubrication system. The rest of the Ghibli’s drive train is pretty much standard with 5-speed ZF manual gearbox (3-speed automatic was an option) and live rear axle. Magnesium wheels were standard, and Borrani wire wheels were also offered. The official performance figures claimed 6.8 seconds to 60 mph and a top speed of 155 mph. Interestingly, the Ghibli had two 50 liters of the fuel tank due to the hefty fuel consumption rate.
The first deliveries were completed in mid-1967, and Ghibli was instantly the favorite transportation of the rich and famous. People like Jean-Paul Belmondo, Wilt Chamberlain, Sammy Davis Jr or Peter Sellers became the proud owners of the new Italian GT. The press praised its high-speed stability, comfort, and driving dynamics. The Ghibli was reasonably expensive but still significantly cheaper than Lamborghini Miura, for example. Owners were pleasantly surprised with the fact that due to conventional technology and proven components; it was pretty reliable and certainly more dependable than the average Italian sports car of the period. Even though all owners complained of enormous fuel consumption, extremely high even by the late ‘60s standards, that is why that two big fuel tanks come in handy.
In 1969, Maserati improved the Ghibli line with the addition of the SS version and factory convertible. The Ghibli SS was virtually identical from the outside but featured a larger 4.9-liter V8 engine with 330 hp and more torque. That helped shave a few tenths of a second from acceleration times but significantly improved the top speed to 174 mph, making it the fastest road-going Maserati ever made. To satisfy the request for an open-top version, Maserati also introduced the Spyder, which could be had with the optional removable hard top. The Ghibli Spyder was available with a standard 4.7-liter V8 or with an SS engine.
Even though the Ghibli had steady popularity and sold reasonably well, in 1973, Maserati decided to pull the plug and discontinued this fantastic model. In just six years, 1170 coupes and just 125 Spyders were produced, both in standard and SS form. Even though those figures don’t sound impressive today, it must be said that Ghibli managed to sell more than almost all of its rivals (Lamborghini Miura, Iso Grifo, De Tomaso Mangusta) and only Ferrari Daytona had similar production numbers. However, with its charms and everyday usability, Ghibli is a prime example of a well-executed, thoroughbred GT model designed to jump continents at high speeds. Its everlasting appeal, dependability, and power will always be incredibly sought-after by people who understand the essence of Gran Turismo culture.
