The 90-degree 3,217cc V8 of the Maserati 3200 GT uses two IHI turbochargers with air-to-air intercoolers. Along with Magneti Marelli fuel injection, this development of the Quattroporte IV's engine offered 370hp at 6,250rpm and 376lb ft of torque at 4,500rpm. This put the 3200 GT firmly in contention with its contemporaries from Jaguar and Porsche.
Each the V8's cylinder banks has double overhead camshafts, and each cylinder has four valves: two for inlet and two for exhaust. Compression ratio was a relatively low 8.0:1, which means the mechanical heart of this Maserati's engine is strong and robust.
Twin-turbo V8 provides plenty of go
One of the traits of the 3200 GT is its on/off throttle response, with many owners describing as being like 'a hair trigger'. Be sure you can live with this before committing to buying a GT as it appeals to some and not others.
There are plenty of other pitfalls to look out for with the 3200 GT. First point to look at is the cambelt, which has service replacement intervals of 68,000 miles or five years. It's a £1,000 job at a specialist, or more at a Maserati dealer, so has to be factored in to any car approaching the next replacement. Careful owners tend to swap the cambelt at 30,000-mile/three-year intervals for peace of mind.
While checking the engine, listen out for any erratic idling, difficult starting or stalling. This is a clear sign the throttle body is failing and a new part from Maserati is £1,800. Contrary to some thoughts, the throttle body doesn't fail due to under-bonnet temperatures; it just seems to be a weak link in the GT's powertrain. The good news is specialist Bill McGrath has developed a modified throttle body that is much more resistant to failure and it costs £550. Some owners also report they have easily reset the fly-by-wire throttle by holding the throttle pedal to the floor for 10 seconds, though this seems to be a temporary fix.
When starting a 3200 GT, check the ignition light goes out as soon as the engine is running. If it doesn't, the Lambda sensors are the most likely culprits as they can become clogged with soot. Fixing this is a simple job, but diagnosing it needs an older-style fitment to go into the car's ECU, whereas post-2001 cars have a standardised OBD II-compliant plug for the ECU.
A much easier fault to spot with the human eye is a loose or worn bottom radiator hose. Also look for cracks around the exit of the lower pipe from the aluminium radiator. The radiator itself can also become blocked with debris, so a change of coolant and engine flush is a wise precautionary move on any car you're considering buying. It's also essential to check the levels of all fluids, for the engine, gearbox and differential, and make sure the engine has always been filled with the correct grade of oil as the engine is sensitive to poor or sloppy servicing regimes.
The only major fault with the engine itself, rather than the ancillaries, is the pull clutch causes slop in the end float bearing. This allows the crankshaft to move back and forth and damage the engine. It's a problem that seems to affect earlier cars with manual gearboxes more than other 3200 GT versions, but there are instances of this happening to cars with automatic 'boxes too.
Starter motors also give gyp as they become worn due to heat sink or leaks from coolant pipes. Look for slow starting when the car is fully warmed up or the ambient temperature is chilly. A new start motor is around £150 from Maserati. While poking underneath the GT, also check the condition of the exhaust back boxes as they tend to rust through in a couple of years, so any car with a stainless steel exhaust from a reputable supplier such as Tubi, Larini or Bill McGrath is worth having.
As for the gearboxes, both the manual and auto have excellent reputations for being very strong and long lived. Leaky automatic 'boxes are most likely suffering from a loose nut on the tail shaft that needs to be tightened, though this is a longer job than it sounds as the exhaust has to be dropped for access. Clutches wear out on manual cars quite quickly, so expect 25,000 miles on average or less than 20,000 miles if you drive the car in town mostly. A new clutch is around £550 plus labour to replace.
Owner's view
All in all, the worst part about this car is not really the reliability and maintenance cost, which you can expect when you have this monster engine. It's more the incompetence of some main dealers. Six visits to sort the air conditioning just seems wrong.
Loic Lefur