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Maserati 3200 Series: Giugiaro Styling Intertwined With Twin-Turbo V8 Muscle

Due to financial difficulties, the Orsi family was ultimately forced to sell Maserati to French automaker Citroen in ‘68. Following the oil crisis attributable to the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries in response to the Yom Kippur War, the automaker was acquired by Alejandro de Tomaso and state-owned holding company GEPI.
Maserati 3200 15 photos
Photo: Maserati
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The first order of business for de Tomaso was the dismissal of Giulio Alfieri, a talented engineer who had joined Maserati back in ‘53, when Adolfo Orsi was calling the shots. He was instrumental in the development of the 3500 series, the first mass-produced car from the House of the Trident. Other notable projects include the Birdcage, as well as a handful of six- and eight-cylinder engines. Still, why did de Tomaso fire Alfieri on the spot?

As it happens, the Argentinian industrialist failed to get his hands on Maserati in 1968 due to Alfieri’s resistance to the deal. Given what happened to the Italian automaker under de Tomaso’s leadership, Alfieri was right in his reluctance. The Kyalami was nothing more than a restyled De Tomaso Longchamp with Maserati V8 muscle rather than Ford’s 5.8-liter Cleveland. Penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Italdesign, the Quattroporte III is twinned with the Ford-powered De Tomaso Deauville.

Alejandro’s most noteworthy contribution was the Biturbo series, which ran from 1981 to 1994. Designed to be more affordable than Orsi- and Citroen-era Maseratis, the Biturbo and its derivates originally sold pretty well. The commercial success eventually turned into a dumpster fire over extremely poor quality and reliability. As a result, Alejandro didn’t have a choice but to let Fiat grab a piece of the pie. The Argentinian businessman and former racing driver ultimately sold his 51-percent stake in the company in 1993.

One year later, the Biturbo-based Quattroporte IV was introduced at the Turin Motor Show with a twin-turbocharged V6 underhood. A twin-turbocharged V8 followed suit in 1995 at the Bologna Motor Show for the 1996 model year, a torquey but unreliable powertrain shared with the Biturbo-based Shamal. The 3.2-liter eighter would be improved one last time for the last Maserati with de Tomaso-era influences, the 3200 series.

Maserati 3200 GT
Photo: Maserati
The 3200 can be rightfully considered a confluence of sorts. It marked the end of all things de Tomaso and the beginning of a fruitful relationship with the Prancing Horse of Maranello. Internally referred to as Tipo 338, the 3200 GT is named this way after the 3,217-cc engine and the vehicle’s ability to cover plenty of kilometers at relatively high speed in comfort. As long as the inherited reliability issues don’t rear their ugly heads, that is.

Codenamed AM 585, the force-fed eight is widely known for issues with the throttle body, movement in the end float bearing caused by the pull clutch, worn suspension bushes that compromise the suspension arms, a loose nut on the tail shaft of the optional automatic transmission, Lambda sensors that may clog up with soot, and manual transmissions equipped with relatively fragile clutches that wear out in 40,000 kilometers (25k miles).

The Shamal’s replacement was penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Italdesign, whereas the interior is credited to Enrico Fumia at Centro Stile Lancia. Tipping the scales at 1,500 kilograms (3,307 pounds) without fluids and the driver, the 3200 was presented in September 1998 to the motoring press. The public debut followed suit a month later, at the Paris Motor Show, where the 3200 understandably wowed everyone with its elegant styling.

As opposed to 2,400 millimeters (94.5 inches) for the Shamal, the 3200 features a wheelbase that measures 2,660 millimeters (104.7 inches) fore to aft. Bumper to bumper, it’s much longer than its predecessor as well, at 4,510 millimeters (177.6 inches) compared to 4,100 millimeters (161.4 inches). The steel unibody incorporates tubular subframes equipped with double wishbones, coaxial dampers, and coil springs at all four corners.

Maserati 3200 GT
Photo: Maserati
Brembo cross-drilled and ventilated rotors also need to be mentioned, plus four-piston calipers, Bosch-supplied traction control, four-channel ABS, a set of 18- by 8- and 9.5-inch alloys, and Michelin rubber boots. Anti-roll bars for both ends are featured as well, and the AM 585 gets high-octane dinosaur juice from a 90-liter fuel tank out back. Converted to 'Merican and Imperial gallons, make that nearly 23.8 in the US and 19.8 in the UK.

Equipped with boomerang-style taillights, the first series-production car equipped with LED taillights cranks out 370 ps (365 horsepower) at 6,250 revolutions per minute and 490 Nm (362 pound-feet) of torque at 4,500 revolutions per minute. The 3200 GT, as in the manual-equipped version, is capable of 280 kilometers per hour (174 miles per hour). The 3200 GTA, which employs a four-speed automatic transmission, is a tad slower at 270 kilometers per hour (168 miles per hour), as per the official spec sheet.

As unbelievable as it may sound, the Kamm-tailed 2+2 is quicker around Fiorano than the V12-engined Ferrari 550 Maranello. The Modenese automaker operated a few improvements in September 2000 for the 2001 model year, including an updated engine management system for less turbo lag and better gearing for the steering rack. March 2001 saw the introduction of the Assetto Corsa handling package, available with either transmission in three body colors: Grigio Touring, Nero Carbonario, and Rosso Mondiale. In addition to upgraded suspension componentry, the handling pack includes stickier Pirellis instead of the standard-issue Michelins.

Maserati originally announced that 250 examples would be produced, although 259 had been completed, of which three were special orders. The 3200 series would be discontinued in early 2002, after 4,795 units were finished, most of them equipped with the manual. The subsequent 4200, codenamed Tipo M138 and marketed under the Coupe moniker, can be considered more than a facelift given that it dropped the de Tomaso-era V8 in favor of a Ferrari-developed V8 of the naturally-aspirated variety. The Coupe was offered alongside the Spyder and GranSport until 2007.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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