Photo: Artmark
Sir Elton John is one of the greatest singers of all time, but he's also an avid car collector. His garage is known to include an impressive number of Rolls-Royces and Bentleys, as well as a few Ferraris from the 1980s. But at some point, he also owned a Maserati Biturbo Spyder. And it's now up for grabs.
Built from 1981 to 1994 as a front-engined successor to the Merak, the Biturbo isn't the hottest Maserati out there. It was developed under De Tomaso's ownership as a more affordable sports car that would take Maserati to a wider audience. The compact was offered with V6 engines only, with displacement ranging from 2.0 to 2.8 liters.
The base model came with 180 PS (178 horsepower) on tap, but the lineup eventually included variants with up to 285 PS (281 horsepower). The Biturbo range expanded to include coupe, convertible (Spyder), and sedan models. It was a sales success at the time, with 40,000 units delivered.
Elton John's Biturbo Spyder model is a 2500 version, fitted with a 2.5-liter V6. Maserati offered two 2500 variants in 1988, one with a carburetor and one with a fuel injection system. This one features the carbureted V6, so it packs 192 PS (190 horsepower). It can hit a top speed of 215 kph (134 mph).
Some 1,050 of these carbureted Spyder models were built from 1984 to 1988, making it the most popular variant of the convertible Biturbo. The fuel-injected version, on the other hand, was the rarest, with just 122 delivered.
Does it have any special features? Apparently, Sir Elton John requested a stereo equipment upgrade which at the time cost £4,000. It also comes with factory options such as white leather seats with red stitching and split rim wheels.
But the most important about this particular car is that it has been serviced by Maserati specialist Bill McGrath, who rebuilt the carburetor and reset all timing and tuning. However, this happened back in 2019, before this car was auctioned off in the United Kingdom.
Is there any proof that this car was actually delivered to Sir Elton John? Well, it comes with delivery documentation that says it was delivered to his management company, William A Bong Ltd. That doesn't necessarily mean that he used it on a regular basis, but there's a big chance he took it for a spin.
Given that Elton John had taken delivery of a Ferrari Testarossa, Ferrari 412, and an Aston Martin V8 Vantage in the mid-1980s, it's hard to believe that he spent a lot of time in an underpowered Maserati.
Anyway, this Italian roadster is going under the hammer via Artmark on March 25. The bidding starts at only €8,000 (about $9,500 at the current exchange rates). Given that this Maserati was auctioned off for £9,563 (around $13,160) back in 2019, it could be a relatively affordable buy this time around too. Biturbos aren't particularly expensive, but low-mileage models usually fetch more than £15,000 ($20,650) and sometimes even go beyond the £25,000 ($34,400) mark.
The base model came with 180 PS (178 horsepower) on tap, but the lineup eventually included variants with up to 285 PS (281 horsepower). The Biturbo range expanded to include coupe, convertible (Spyder), and sedan models. It was a sales success at the time, with 40,000 units delivered.
Elton John's Biturbo Spyder model is a 2500 version, fitted with a 2.5-liter V6. Maserati offered two 2500 variants in 1988, one with a carburetor and one with a fuel injection system. This one features the carbureted V6, so it packs 192 PS (190 horsepower). It can hit a top speed of 215 kph (134 mph).
Some 1,050 of these carbureted Spyder models were built from 1984 to 1988, making it the most popular variant of the convertible Biturbo. The fuel-injected version, on the other hand, was the rarest, with just 122 delivered.
Does it have any special features? Apparently, Sir Elton John requested a stereo equipment upgrade which at the time cost £4,000. It also comes with factory options such as white leather seats with red stitching and split rim wheels.
But the most important about this particular car is that it has been serviced by Maserati specialist Bill McGrath, who rebuilt the carburetor and reset all timing and tuning. However, this happened back in 2019, before this car was auctioned off in the United Kingdom.
Is there any proof that this car was actually delivered to Sir Elton John? Well, it comes with delivery documentation that says it was delivered to his management company, William A Bong Ltd. That doesn't necessarily mean that he used it on a regular basis, but there's a big chance he took it for a spin.
Given that Elton John had taken delivery of a Ferrari Testarossa, Ferrari 412, and an Aston Martin V8 Vantage in the mid-1980s, it's hard to believe that he spent a lot of time in an underpowered Maserati.
Anyway, this Italian roadster is going under the hammer via Artmark on March 25. The bidding starts at only €8,000 (about $9,500 at the current exchange rates). Given that this Maserati was auctioned off for £9,563 (around $13,160) back in 2019, it could be a relatively affordable buy this time around too. Biturbos aren't particularly expensive, but low-mileage models usually fetch more than £15,000 ($20,650) and sometimes even go beyond the £25,000 ($34,400) mark.
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