| |
 |
| Many of our newer members will not have had the opportunity of reading any past editions of our Club Newsletter, and unfortunately back issues are unavailable for sale. The following interesting article first appeared in issue No 55 (May/June 2001). |
|
Only The Lonely ... stand the test of time.
By Carl Alleyne |
|
Somewhere in the realms of oblivion lie the lonely Maserati 430 Biturbo Supercars. Maserati seem to have conveniently forgotten and are somewhat ashamed of this wonderful example of what family luxury motoring can be like for the adventurous few.
No one enquires with such glee about your 'run of the mill' Ford Mondeo or BMW 3/5 series as when you arrive in a Maserati
430, polished or not polished. Sure, they can be expensive to maintain but what car isn't? The cost of motoring is as individual as your personal choice of car is in the first place.
What is it about the Maserati 430 that inspires the imagination? We never seem to read about it in the many articles written about the Marque. If the truth were known and made known, we would all know that it was this very concept the Biturbo that saved Maserati from the brink of collapse and re-ignited the driver back behind the wheel.
|
 |
Photo by Dave Smith |
Car Magazine once wrote in the summary column of 'The Good; The Bad; and The Ugly:' what they thought of the 430 4v, they
said it was 'exciting in every sense'. These few words remain with me years later. I now know what they mean. The
breathtaking performance, accurate handling, luxury interior that you would only expect to find in a Rolls Royce or Aston Martin, even Ferrari doesn't have the same charisma as the Maserati. Now don't get me wrong, I love Ferrari, I want a Ferrari, but even if I had a Ferrari, I would still want a Maserati. Owning a Maserati I have little need for a Ferrari (until I win the lottery, then I'll have both).
I first fell in love with Maserati back in 1988, with the launch of the 228, at £51,000 I could only dream, I knew nothing of the marque then. The car's interior demonstrated what could be achieved with a little imagination, a few cows and some very selective wood, beautiful. But, I had to settle for a classic 1975 Audi 100s Coupe, a poor man's Aston Martin.
My relationship with Maserati, love at first sight, was to grow with the 430. It was the 430 4v that I really loved, but my endless search finally concluded with the purchase of a pristine 430SE, red with Cream leather, 'mmm' and a full service history from 6300 miles ( important on these cars).
The marriage was complete. It was now time to get her into the Club, the Maserati Club that is. Anyone who owns or is thinking of owning a Maserati should seriously consider joining the Maserati owners Club, it makes owning such a car so more special.
I've had the car now for about 20 months, and use the car every day for work and pleasure, in this time I've spent a fair amount on restoring it to almost brand new condition. The car had been laid up for about five months by the previous owner, so running it again did cause some hic-cups.
The first thing that went wrong with the car was it kept cutting out, this was down to a faulty fuel pump relay. Next was the differential, coming back from a day out to Windsor, fixed for £400. Several other minor ailments, turbo boost valve £205, but the unit itself only cost £54, I got done on this one. Air con feed pipe corrosion £200, there are still some other bits and pieces need doing which will get sorted eventually.
After a while, some signs of the dreaded rust began to appear, the ungalvanised bodies are vulnerable especially around the
wheel arches, door sills, and front wings. I knew that at some point in the near future the car would need some surgery, but just as Christmas was arriving a lorry tore a rather nasty gouge along the left side of the car.
As the car had to be repaired anyway I decided to have the whole car resprayed treating the rust as well. A mere £2,500 saw the car emerge as new from the garage Gonnella Brothers of Catford, they had done a fantastic job, cutting out all the rust
welding in new bits, not just filling in with fibreglass, stripping the car of all its fittings except front and rear glass before spraying, rust proofed and ready to go.
Servicing costs haven't been too expensive, these cars are easy to maintain, but it is vital to carry out the recommended service intervals, 6,000 miles oil and filter change, about £50; 24,000 miles new cam belts, sparks and fluids etc. about £350.
Brakes and tyres are about average cost and its important to choose your tyres carefully, such powerful cars and only several mm of rubber to hold you still, too soft you'll be forever changing them, too hard and you'll spin the rear wheels too often, Michelin Pilots are about the best but so are Goodyear Eagle F1, long lasting and very good grip wet or dry. For added control I've fitted 7x16 205/45 to the front, and 8x16 225/45 to the rear.
In today's automarket the Supercar has been replaced with the Micro-Car, fast nippy little blighters that seem to keep pace with you wherever you go. Check again and you'll soon discover that it's not the same car you left at the lights two minutes ago there's someone else at the helm. They're everywhere, they're the same, it's just the drivers that are different. (or are they?). Maserati should revisit the 430 range, Subaru's Impreza, Lancia's Evo V; Lexus' IS 200 and Alfa's 156 are the only cars filling this gap in the market at the moment, with Subaru and Lancia being the only true supercars of the bunch.
But take a look at the 430 again, a car produced in the late eighties is still as modern now as it was back then, perhaps too modern. Could this have been the Trident's mistake? A car well ahead of its time, it merely waited for its customers to catch up without evolving with them.
When you've stumbled onto a winner, refine it, develop it, tweak it, but don't bin it, there's always someone else to take your place. Sad to say that this is the same fate that awaits the current gorgeous Quattroporte IV, (my next Maserati incidentally). |
|
Maserati enthusiasts and collectors who may be interested in acquiring back issues of this highly collectable magazine may do so by contacting Adam Painter of the Maserati Club at
adamkpainter@uk2.net
BACK TO ARTICLES
|
|
|
