A few months ago, I had the privilege to view a collection of 2+2 Italian sports cars from the 1960s and 70s. I had never spent much time with cars from this era in and in that configuration, and I was immediately smitten with the idea of a sports car with a backseat – but I like the unconventional. Most collectors ignore cars with four doors or any doors and a backseat. The car shown here is from that same era of Italian GTs I viewed but its two-seater configuration ensures its universal desirability among seasoned Italian GT collectors. This 1972 Maserati Ghibli is the desirable SS spec and is listed here on Broadarrow Auctions with a sale estimate of $225,000 – $250,000.
The styling of this era coming out of Italy was, in my opinion, at its peak with cars like the Ghibli. The same goes for the Lamborghini Uracco and the LP400 Countach; the Ferrari BB 512 and Daytona; the Maserati Mistral and Kyalami; and many others. While we tend to get mesmerized by the open-top competition cars from the 50s and 60s and the wild styling of 80s models like the Countach 25th Anniversary and Ferrari F40, models from this era of Italian sports cars and exotics were just achingly beautiful. From this angle, the proportions of the Ghibli look absolutely perfect.
The Ghibli SS shown here came with some significant upgrades to earn it the “SS” moniker. Powered by a 355-horsepower 4.9 L V8 equipped with four Weber carburetors, the Ghibli was a formidable opponent to exotic foes both in Europe and overseas. The SS is one of 425 cars to leave the factory with the quad-cam V8, paired to a ZF five-speed manual transmission. The engine bay presents as being highly original and the low mileage works to further validate its clean, unrestored condition. The seller reports that mileage was just 61,666 at the time of cataloging and that the Maserati has just three owners from new.
It’s clear this car hasn’t been restored, as the door panels and seats show gentle signs of wear and usage. I’m totally fine with this, as it looks like a vintage sports car should. It has a rough edge or two but is still in better condition than most cars of this vintage that haven’t been stripped down and put back together via a six-figure restoration. Of course, the MO of many owners who buy a car at this point in its lifestyle is to tear it down and restore it back to new, but I hope that the next caretaker of this survivor Ghibli is the exception to the rule. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Araknid78 for the find.
Certainly agree with your Comments about the Italian designed cars of the era. We had the fortune to have customers with Daytonas and Espadas that they let us work on. Lots of standing and looking at them was going on. Had one ’80 Ferrari customer who had a shovel fall off a city maintenance truck and stick in the aluminum engine cover right behind the passenger seat. Fun thing about that customer is after taking him back to his office after dropping off his car he tried to buy my VW Thing from me. Pestered me about it the whole time we had the car in the shop. He didn’t get it… too much fun to have.
WOW … otherwise speechless.
These tend to be very solid cars, well built and finished. What the photos do not show is how really big this design is. It is closer to a Camaro or Mustang in size the a Corvette which it is often compared to. It is telling that the first two were sold to a basket ball hero and Henry Ford the Second. Both very big people but in different dimensions. The focus of this car is high speed touring and it excels at that. Not nearly as good for around town but if you want to make an entrance in the day this was about as good as you could get.
The companion car the INDY was a true 4 seater and had a very similar wheel base and a somewhat higher green house to ease things for those in the back seats. It was also a hatch back like the Ghibli. If there is a single flaw in this machine it is the solid rear suspension. Ferrari’s, Jag’s and Corvettes all had independent rear suspensions at this time so that is where it had a bit of a let down.
However the air conditioning worked well as did the heater and most of the necessities we consider to be important were there and they all worked.
NOW this is IMPORTANT do not fiddle with the WEBBERS unless you know what you are doing. When I was 17 I had a chance to buy a spyder version where the previous owner had been playing with the webbers and caused it to backfire and burned up the engine compartment. The salvage yard wanted $1,700 dollars for the car. The engine was fine but it needed a new set of Webbers and a near total restoration. I an a friend who was 17 as I was tried to get our respective fathers to let us purchase it and both of us were denied. At the time we both worked for a restoration shop. We had access to all the tools necessary including English Wheels (look it up) and we had already worked on cars that make it to the most famous classic car shows at the time. We could have done it but that was not to be. I went to college and he became an Airframe and Power Plant FAA Certified aircraft restorer and won the best restoration at Oshkosh FAA meet with what may be the most perfect AT-6 TEXAN ever made. Look it up. Together (Mainly HIM) we have worked on P-38, Mustangs, Wildcats and others including some YAKS and MIG’s from the Great Patriotic War. Just helping was great fun.
I enjoyed reading your write up. You probably know him, but I had a friend in Las Vegas who restored all his own antique airplanes. He also had a Chang Jiang CJ-6. I restore Chang Jiangs, but the 3 wheeled variety so we hit it off. Despite all his beautifully restored planes his favorite for just tooling around was the CJ-6. He sadly passed away several years ago.
Webers.
Look it up.
stunning !!!
What a sweet ride, not big on all black.
My God, the Italians sure can make some beautiful things.
A real barn find!
I loved tuning Webers on hotrod VW’s,I always wanted to try a V8 with them on it.What were they, IDA’s or IDF’s?
Stunning Italian car.
probably DOCE, no?
Bruce may have had ‘my teen’n 20something experience” but w/more $. Never got the ferrari or other exotic from Goldie’s (in Quincy) but dozen fiat, alfa, lancias (@ 1/3 that $) to restore’n drive. I liked the late 50s/all 60s (learned to wrench then) and could make into something I could not outright purchase. Would drive till the nxt jewel caught my eye, usually an upgrade too as they sold above my purchase price. Basically a free car high skol & pre college (“adult attender”). Just getting back to it now 50 yrs later.
My original 1962 997 Cooper was rolled by a family member, on a freshly gravelled sideroad. The back of the roof was so badly bent that the top of the rear window opening was touching the parcel shelf, and all 4 wheels were bent, and pointed in different directions. Bought it back from the insurance co, and, lacking funds, drove it 35 miles, to a well-known bodyshop, at 20 MPH, with 4-ways flashing. Previously, the back end had been hopping sideways, at speed, on bumpy sideroads. Body repaired and painted, drove it to the local BMC dealer for a full alignment, and, thenceforth, it handled like it was on rails, at any speed. With just a windshield and the door windows, everything loose removed, I terrorized more than a few of the local hotrodders, until I came up against a Mercury Comet which was built by Ford for the dragstrip, with everything you could think of made of aluminum. He dusted me, bigtime! The narrow Mini wheels, on this car, may have been part of the problem, or the owner may have read the factory manual, as did I, that specified 18 psi for tire pressure. Upon finalization of the purchase, I set everything to factory spec (HA), and almost rolled the car within a half mile, on a big curve, at 75 MPH. The Mini engines came in Green, not Red, and the upholstery in Coopers for Canada were two-tone, gray with red/green/blue/black inserts. I think a good bodyshop should be able to straighten this body, but one has to be careful to see if the body has been twisted, such that the floorpan at the front is not in the same plane as the floorpan in the rear. British cars were known to have pretty accurate speedometers, and a 1275 S could wind it up pretty close to the end. FUN !
I’d buy it, if I didn’t suffer from too many years, and the attendant wear & tear.
My apologies to all: I got my Mini Cooper S and 1972 Maserati windows mixed, and wound up cross-posting. Sorry, all.
1972 Maserati Ghibli SS 4.9 Coupe
Lot 113 | The Amelia Auction Sold Price: $162,400