Maserati Ghibli SS, 1973
Maserati Ghibli
Maserati Ghibli•
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Chassis No.: AM115492402
Auction: Monterey 2018
Auction date: August 25, 2018
Lot No.: S68
$121,000 | Sold
- Exterior: Yellow
- Interior: Tan
- 1 of 1,274 Ghiblis produced between 1967-1973
- Very rare and desirable late production SS variant
- 4.9/335 HP DOHC V-8 engine
- 4 Weber carburetors
- ZF 5-speed manual gearbox
- Independent front suspension with unequal-length wishbones, coil springs and anti-roll bar
- Salisbury live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, panhard rods, and anti-roll bar
- 4-wheel hydraulic disc brakes
- Fly Yellow with Tan interior
- Factory air conditioning
- Dual 50-liter fuel tanks
- Cosmetically refreshed including paint
- Wood-rimmed steering wheel
- Pushbutton radio
Conceived as a successor to the 6-cylinder Maserati Mistral, the Ghibli (named for the hot wind that blows from the south of France across the Mediterranean to North Africa) was designed to receive Maserati’s four-cam 4.7L V-8 engine, which had previously powered the massive Quattroporte sedan. Like the Quattroporte and the earlier Mexico, the Ghibli borrowed a shortened version of Maserati’s tubular frame, which included an independent front suspension with dual wishbones, coil springs and an anti-roll bar, with a live axle rear end suspended on semi-elliptic leaf springs and located by a single longitudinal torque arm.
But where the Ghibili radically departed from its brethren was in its styling. Penned by a young Giorgetto Giugiaro, while he was at Ghia, the Ghibli featured a long (184 inches) and low (46 inches) fastback design that marked a new, more modern design ethos for Maserati when the prototype made its debut at the 1966 Turin Motor Show. Production of the new Ghibli began in 1967, in both spider and 2+2 fastback coupé configurations.
Then, in 1969, Maserati began offering an upgraded version of the Ghibli, known as the SS, which featured a stroked version of the V-8 engine that now possessed 4930cc of displacement and, while wolfing down gas through four Weber 42 DCNF downdraft carburetors, was able to produce a whopping 330 HP at 5,500 RPM. This increased power output now enabled the Ghibli SS to rocket to a top speed of 174 MPH, making it the fastest road-going automobile Maserati had produced up to that point. In all, between 1967 and 1973, only 1,274 Ghiblis were produced, with 1,149 of those being coupes.
The example on offer—cosmetically refreshed in Fly Yellow with a tan interior—is a highly desirable 4.9 SS manufactured during the final year of Ghibli production.
