Description
Available: fantastic Maserati Spider BITURBO ZAGATO - 2. 0 i V6 224 bhp - Rosso Corsa.
Leather/ Alcantara interior.
Owned by an enthusiast.
Service carried out in July 2025
Financing available. Characterised by a classic and elegant three-volume coupé silhouette (the design provenance lies with Maserati’s in-house Chief Stylist Pierangelo Andreani, though influenced by Giugiaro, designer of the 1979 Quattroporte which the Biturbo draws inspiration from[1]) and by a traditional technical layout (front longitudinal engine, rear-wheel drive, independent front suspension, rear axle with semi‑elliptic arms and braking system with discs on both axles), the "Biturbo" was launched in 1982.
The engine, a twin-cam V6 fed by carburettors, derived from the Merak’s, differing in valve count (3 per cylinder rather than 2) and in the turbocharging system consisting of 2 turbochargers, one for each bank (hence the name Biturbo).
Engine of a 1985 Maserati Biturbo 2. 5-litre with 18 valves and IHI bi-turbo[2]. It was one of the first road cars to use a multi-turbo system[3]
To meet the planned production of 35 units per day, only the engine and suspension were assembled at Maserati in Modena; the rest of the car was produced at Innocenti in Milan’s Lambrate.
In 1984 the Biturbo S was presented, of which 1, 038 units were built until 1986, with a 2-litre engine boosted by the intercooler that allowed the turbo pressure to rise to 205 bhp, 4 brake discs, interiors with Missoni fabric for the seats, varying instrumentation and a sportier livery with a black honeycomb grille, glazed window surrounds, cast wheels, NACA-type air intakes on the bonnet (to cool the intercoolers), rear spoiler, and black bumpers and side skirts.
In addition, in the same year a turbo management system called M. A. B. C. (Maserati Automatic Boost Control) was introduced across all versions to limit turbo over-boost.
A Maserati Biturbo 420i from 1986
In 1985 the Biturbo 425 and Biturbo Spyder were also introduced. The former was the four-door sedan variant based on the stretched coupé platform, while the latter was a two-door spider based on the shortened platform, created by Zagato.[4] Both were powered by a 2. 5‑litre twin-turbo V6 producing 192 bhp. A few months later, the Biturbo 420 and Biturbo Spyder 2. 0 were made available, only for Italy, with the V6 displacement reduced to 1996 cm³ and power of 180 bhp.
In 1986 the Biturbo 420 S was introduced, with styling variants similar to the S coupé and a 205 bhp engine. Only 2810 units of the 420 and 254 of the 420 S were produced before the new engines were introduced.
In 1987 all engines adopted multipoint electronic fuel injection, giving smoother operation and a small power gain, but losing the characteristic rasp of carburetted engines: 187 bhp for the Biturbo 2. 0i (coupe and Spider)[5] and Biturbo 420i, 220 bhp for the Biturbo 2. 0 Si and Biturbo 420 Si which also adopted thicker rims of the same diameter (7x14) and 196 bhp for the Biturbo 2. 5i (coupe and Spider) and Biturbo 425i.
In 1988 a restyling by designer Marcello Gandini[6] revolutionised the range. All versions adopted a softer front end, new bumpers, different wheels, new interiors with updates to the dash, seats, door panels and finishes significantly improved. The engines were revised or new: the base was the 1996 cm³ three-valve-per-cylinder fuel-injected V6 delivering 223 bhp, powering the Biturbo 222 (coupe), Biturbo 422 (sedan) and the Spider 2. 0i.
