Maserati. The very name conjures up the image of roaring through the Riviera, playing blackjack in Monte Carlo and retracing the route of the legendary Targa Floria. Oh, and handing over £950 to a bloke in Slough.
That’s right, this is Maserati, shed-style, and what a car it is. It harks back to the glory days of when Masers were Masers, or rather they were a strange mix of E30 BMW and Ford Cortina. Styled by set square, and seemingly devoid of any design flair, the Biturbo will be missed by few. That’s why, for less than a grand, you could by cruising your local boulevards in this lovely red example. That is assuming of course you can work out where the bits of engine in the boot fit under the bonnet. I’m not going to pretend this car is without fault, or even has anything that actually works, but if you did spend a few years restoring it to pristine condition you could be looking at five grand, if you’re really lucky.
The Biturbo first appeared at the beginning of the eighties and was the main-stay of the company for quite a few years. It started off with a 2-litre, twin-turbocharged V6 lump, which increased to 2.5-litres and then 2.8. The 2.0-litre was based on the Merak engine and is said to have been an offshoot of early V8 Formula 1 engines.
To say the Biturbo is ugly is perhaps a bit cruel, it’s a bit boring maybe but it certainly has eighties charm. In fact in its long life it spawned one of the all-time great Maseratis, the Shamal. All this wasn’t enough to stop the poor old Biturbo from making number 28 in the book ‘Crap Cars’. After the Biturbo left, things started looking up for Maserati and now the company’s future is looking rosy, with ‘proper’ cars like the Granturismo and Quattroporte.
So a sad relic from a sad time for Maserati, this 1987 2.5-litre we found on eBay is now languishing in Langley, near Slough, with half the engine in the boot. Apparently this was once used as a hire car by the Classic Car Club (?) but suffered a blown head gasket. It slowly went down hill and as the seller says ‘some of the panel need attention’. It’s a non-runner so you’ll need a trailer, but hey this car probably spent most of its life on a trailer even when it was running. One day people will look back fondly at the days when Masers were a bit rubbish and didn’t actually work, then this car will be in high demand (maybe). So come on, a Maser for less than a grand, what have you got to lose?
Ad reads: 'This auction is for a 1987 Maserati Biturbo. I bought it as a non-runner last year as a project car due to no time to start the project and being with the 2nd baby that has just been born i need to sell the car.
'I bought the car from Classic Car Club as they were used as hire car, and I have been told it could be the head gasket need to be changed apart from that whcih I dont know as I am not a mechanic and i have not took the car to local garage to inspect.
'As you can see from the pictures, some of the panel need attention as it start to rust, some of the parts have been taken out from the engine by the pervious owner have put in the boot.
'The car has got V5 document and its a non-runner hence you will need a trailer to take it away.
'Veiwing is highly recommended, sold as seen. £950 ono.'