One to Buy: 1st Owner for 39 years 1970 Maserati Ghibli SS
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Launched at the Turin Motor Show in October 1966, the Maserati Tipo 115 Ghibli was a rakish two-seat Coupe styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Ghia.
Under the skin it was very much in the traditional Maserati mould with a steel monocoque construction, double wishbone suspension up front, a live axle at the rear and disc brakes all round. In the engine bay was the latest iteration of Maserati’s legendary dual overhead camshaft all-alloy V8; for this application it initially displaced 4.7-litres was equipped with a new dry-sump lubrication system.
Peak output was 310bhp at 5000rpm and 290lb-ft at 4000rpm.
Thanks to Giugiaro’s avant-garde all-steel bodywork with its air-piercing nose and retractable headlights, the Ghibli made Pininfarina’s traditionally-styled Ferraris of the time looked positively old hat.
Towards the end of 1970, an even more powerful 4.9-litre Ghibli was introduced. Dubbed the SS, it produced an additional 25bhp for a peak output of 335bhp at 5500rpm. There was also a good deal more torque on offer: 354lb-ft instead of 290lb-ft at an identical 4000rpm.
Currently on offer at the Fantasy Junction showroom in Emeryville, California, is one of those extremely desirable SS variants.
Presented in its original colour scheme of Oro Metallizzato with beige upholstery, this 1970 European specification example was supplied to its first owner in Milan who subsequently exported it to the USA the following year.
Remarkably, the SS (chassis 1786) was retained by its first owner until 2009. Since that time it has gone through the hands of a further three owners and been subjected to some sympathetic restoration.
