Guide: Maserati Barchetta
Background
In December 1990, Maserati unveiled a stunning supercar concept called the Chubasco.
Equipped with gorgeous Marcello Gandini-designed bodywork, a 430bhp twin-turbocharged V8 engine and race-bred underpinnings, the Chubasco was expected to become the flagship model that had so obviously been lacking from Maserati’s Biturbo-based line-up.
When the Chubasco programme began in the late 1980s, the global supercar market was buoyant.
At the time, Maserati was wholly owned by Alessandro de Tomaso, who had acquired the firm in 1975 backed by considerable state aid from the Italian government. However, in January 1990, 50% of the heavily-indebted firm was acquired by Fiat and the new shareholders kiboshed the Chubasco soon after it was unveiled.
By this stage, the Chubasco programme was quite well advanced: it had a fully functional rolling chassis and Gandini’s bodywork appeared ready for production.
Unfortunately though, the early 1990s recession saw sales of expensive motor cars drop off a cliff and Maserati were hit particularly hard. The economic situation and high development costs were enough justification for Fiat to drop the Chubasco without a second thought.
Although this potentially great new model was dead in the water, some of the Chubasco’s running gear did see the light of day. Most significantly, the Chubasco’s race-bred rolling chassis was adapted into a car for one-make competition use.
The idea was to offer an alternative to the Ferrari Challenge and Porsche Supercup where identical machines were raced in a cost-effective series.
To this end, Maserati produced the Barchetta, a back-to-basics racing car eligible for the Grantrofeo Monomarca that ran between 1992 and 1993.
25 competition variants were expected to be built followed by a series of road-going Stradales.
However, only 15 Barchettas were ever completed, all of which were assembled at the De Tomaso factory in Modena.
Chassis
The chassis comprised a longitudinal beam made from a mixture of light alloy and composite materials.
The bulkheads were magnesium.
Suspension was attached via front and rear subframes with the engine rigidly mounted to the central beam. Rocker arms were used with pushrods at the front and pullrods at the back. The wide-angle double wishbone suspension featured inboard coil over shocks and fully adjustable ride height.
A non-servo assisted dual circuit brake system employed an adjustable balance bar with ventilated discs and four piston calipers.
The lightweight 18-inch Marchesini wheels measured 8 and 10.5-inches wide front to back respectively. They were originally shod with Michelin MXX3 road tyres.
Tucked away amid the tubes of the backbone chassis was a bag-type fuel tank made by Pirelli.
Engine / Gearbox
Maserati installed an uprated version of the second generation Ghibli’s twin turbocharged all-alloy 90° V6.
This mid-longitudinally mounted engine featured dual overhead camshafts for each bank of cylinders and four valve heads. It displaced 1996cc thanks to a bore and stroke of 82mm and 63mm respectively.
With electronic fuel-injection, two water-cooled IHI turbochargers and a compression ratio of 7.6:1, the engine produced a peak output of 315bhp at 7200rpm and 275lb-ft at 4250rpm.
Transmission was via a straight cut ZF six-speed gearbox, a twin-plate clutch and limited-slip differential.
Bodywork
This mouth-watering combination of parts was clothed with a body penned by Carlo Gaino’s new Synthesis Design agency.
Functional as opposed to elaborately styled, it comprised body panels fabricated from a mix of aluminium honeycomb, fibreglass and carbon composite.
The shell consisted of three main panels (plus the doors) with the front and rear clams being detachable.
Interior
The cockpit was free of any superfluous trim, sound insulation or carpet.
Fire-proof Recaro seats had tartan centres and Sabelt harnesses were provided.
The removable Momo three-spoke steering wheel had an alcantara rim. It fronted a lightweight dash with analogue instrumentation but no speedometer.
Weight / Performance
At just 775kg, the Barchetta was probably the fastest one-make racer of its time.
A top speed of nearly 190mph was quoted, but something around the low 170s was probably more accurate.
0-62mph required just 4.3 seconds.
Launch
The Barchetta was launched at a factory press conference on December 14th 1991.
Grantrofeo Monomarca Barchetta Maserati
For 1992, a six round championship known as the Grantrofeo Monomarca Barchetta Maserati was organised.
All six events were held on Italian soil and, despite fairly small grids, these cars provided entertaining and reliable racing.
A ten-race championship was then held in 1993, with eight rounds in Italy and two in Holland.
Barchetta Stradale
By the end of 1992, Maserati had bugun to actively promote a road-going Barchetta Stradale.
However, after the prototype was destroyed, only two further examples were completed by the factory. Both featured subtly different details from one another.
Little was changed in the transition to road car. The redline was reduced from 7200rpm to 6250rpm and output was downrated to 306bhp from 315bhp.
Other alterations included new headlights, auxiliary spot lamps, indicators and enlarged door mirrors.
The rollover bar and adjustable rear wing were removed.
Weight rose from 775kg to 905kg.
After the Stradale prototype was destroyed (chassis THB CMM LAC, a converted racecar), another competition version (chassis THB CMS LLH) was factory fitted with a Stradale front clam.
This otherwise race-spec. example complete with rollover bar and rear wing was lent to the Australian Maserati concessionaire for use in the 1994 Northern Territory Cannonball Run. The event comprised a return trip from Darwin to Ayers Rock and THB CMS LLH won outright.
The other factory built Stradale was chassis THB CNU LAE, which was built as a road car from new.
Equipped with many unique details to included covered Fiat Coupe headlights, special door mirrors and different wheels, this car languished at the factory for many years before going into the collection of Modena-based industrialist, Umberto Panini.
End of Production
15 Barchettas were ultimately sold, most of which went to Maserati dealers who enlisted guest drivers to race them.
After production ended, the Barchetta lived on as the De Tomaso Guara with a new body and interior.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Maserati - https://maserati.com
