VIN: AM115S1103
Matching number 4.7 liter engine, ZF 5-speed gearbox, Borrani wire wheels, power steering, factory hard top, fitted luggage, tools and manuals
This is one of the factory Ghibli spyders of which only 128 were made, 83 had the 4.7 liter engine while 45 had the 4.9 liter engine. I purchased the car in 2010 with only 14,080 original miles and already have managed to clock in an additional 9,000 miles. Current mileage is 23,300. If you have driven a well sorted Ghibli spyder you would understand why ... they are great driving cars! Car has power steering, Borrani wire wheels, quad exhaust, tools, manuals, rare factory hard top and fitted luggage. Factory options listed on the build sheet also include a Becker Grand Prix radio with electric antenna, musical horns and fog lights.
The car was originally a rather bright gold color with a white interior. In 1971 factory information indicate there was an interior fire and the factory was involved in supplying replacement parts. The interior was changed to black and the xterior painted red. The car sat in a collection in Pennsylvania for many years getting little use. With only 14K miles on the odometer it was then sold in 2009 by a dealer in Fort Lauderdale to a cruise line executive that intended to take the car to Switzerland. Due to the many years of inactivity one of the head gaskets was leaking which eventually lead to a full mechanical restoration to the tune of $130,000. The work was carried out by Tropical Sportscar, a well known shop in Fort Lauderdale, and fully documented with receipts. Since the intention was to take the car to his native Switzerland everything was done to Euro standards, including ignition timing, elimination of side lamps, exhaust manifolds and even the front and tail lights are the euro version. The only thing left US was the speedometer. Luckily for me he decided to sell the car once the work was completed and before the car was exported.
Red is not my favorite color for a Ghibli spyder but this car was simply too nice to pass and in 2010 I jumped at the opportunity to buy it. In 2013 the car was taken apart and my good friend Randy Cox got all the lines perfect and painted the car black. It looks fantastic! You can use the doors as a mirror! I had located a factory hardtop which was fitted to the car before it was painted. In 2014 the Ghibli went to Amelia Island where it won the "Most Outstanding Italian Coachwork" award and later that year it was driven 1,700 in the Pebble Beach Motoring Classic, plus won best in class at the Maserati Club International show in Monterey.
In 2017 I decided to make the car even nicer and replaced the interior with "marrone' PAC 1386. This was one of the colors offered by Maserati on the Ghibli and looks very nice with the black exterior. The leather came from Maieli in Italy and much effort was spent to make sure we got the right grain, color and sheen. Fitted luggage, using original luggage as pattern, were created using matching leather.
This Ghibli drives like a dream! No fuss, no drama ... it just goes. The quad exhaust system (a factory option) gives it a nice deep rumble during acceleration.
This Ghibli has done quite well at the shows it has been entered. In 2011 it won an Amelia award at the prestigious Amelia Island Concours. The car was driven 8 hours (each way) to attend the show. In 2014 the Ghibli returned to Amelia Island as part of the Maserati Centennial celebrations. This time is went as a black car and received the great honor of being selected for the "Most Outstanding Italian Coachwork" trophy. This year it participated in the Pebble Beach Motoring Classic for the second time. This 1,600 mile drive starts in Seattle and ends in Monterey. After it arrived in Monterey the Ghibli won best Maserati at Concorso Italiano and best in class at the Maserati International Club show.
Some of the events and awards:
- 2010 Atlanta Italian Car day: Best Maserati (second place went to my Mistral spyder)
- 2010 EuroAuto Festival, Achievement award "Best of the Best:" class
- 2011 Amelia Island Concours, Amelia Award (second in class) - as a red car
- 2014 Amelia Island Concours: "Most Outstanding Italian Coachwork" trophy - as a black car
- 2014 Pebble Beach Motoring Classic and drove the Pebble Beach Tour D'Elegance; 1,700 miles total
- 2014 The Quail - Carmel, California
- 2014 Concorso Italiano Maserati Centennial - Best in Class
- 2015 Keeneland Concourse - Best in Class + Young judges choice
- 2015 Hilton Head Concours - Palmetto award
- 2016 Boca Raton Concours D'Elegance
- 2016 Atlanta Concours D'Elegance
- 2017 Pebble Beach Motoring Classic - 1,600 miles
- 2017 Maserati Club International - Best in Class
- 2017 Concorso Italiano - Best Maserati
- 2018 Amelia Island Concours D'Elegance
