Recently, there seems to be an uptick in gray market Maserati and Alfa Romeo products popping up on my local Marketplace page. This isn’t a particularly scientific observation, but it could be due to dealers or casual flippers with a connection at the port looking for new options and/or markets for importable vehicles. The car shown here is a tasty specimen, known for being an Italian alternative to the BMW M3 back in the day, but never imported stateside. This 1996 Maserati Ghibli listed here on Facebook Marketplace has a lusty twin-turbo V6 and was imported via the Japanese market which is known for being gentle with its cars.

The seller is my spirit animal at the moment as I look at his disclaimer for the Marketplace ad; like him, I am suffering Marketplace fatigue from the number of “buyers” who message about a car and then disappear. That being said, this is a highly specialized vehicle that not everyone is going to have the appetite for, performance credentials notwithstanding. Maseratis are maintenance-hungry machines, even well-preserved ones, so you best have a network for spare parts and/or a mechanic who is comfortable servicing such a machine. All that said, however, these later Ghiblis are supposed to be phenomenal driver’s cars and the juice is likely worth the squeeze.

While the manual gearbox is the preferred transmission, it’s hardly a surprise to see an automatic here. First of all, cars from the Japanese market, even high-performance models, are almost always equipped with two pedals. Manuals are exceedingly rare, regardless of make and model. The good news is these lightly-used Japanese-market vehicles were likely driven around at low RPMs and rarely abused, which means not nearly as much wear-and-tear as the same car from other markets. Look at the interior – it’s absolutely mint. If there was one thing Maserati was good at, it was loading up the cockpit with leather and wood trim, and while those seats are deeply bolstered, they are also likely supremely comfortable.

Engine-wise, the seller’s car is equipped with a  2.8 litre Biturbo V6 delivering a beefy 285 horsepower to the rear wheels, with a top speed of around 160 miles per hour. The Ghibli was a true performance car, one that even led to the creation of a dedicated racing series. The air intakes in the lower front bumper suck in cool air to feed the air intake and intercoolers. While it may look like a luxury car reminiscent of the horrible Biturbos of the 1980s, this was a much different machine. The seller confirms it comes with an extensive service history, including a recent major that encompassed belt replacement and other upkeep. You’ll be the only one on your block for certain with a Ghibli like this.