Wheeler Dealer Electric Conversion: 1985 Maserati BiTurbo
The Maserati BiTurbo was one of the first twin turbo engines produced for mass consumption and could put out a respectable 150 horsepower/liter, which was enough to blow the engine up after a few months. It was a case of Maserati engineers getting overly optimistic with the amount of boost that cheap Sicilian pig iron could withstand and the result was an engine block better suited for using as cement shoes. Today’s BiTurbo was converted to electric and then further restored by everyone’s favorite TV show car flippers – Mike Brewer and Edd China of Wheeler Dealers a few years ago. In fact, we featured this car in 2016 at the request of a Wheeler Dealers producer when it was offered for a big pile of money. Today it looks ready to shred some tires and maybe burn to the ground in an uncontrolled lipo fire – who knows what adventure awaits when you drive a Maserati. Just always remember to wear fireproof shoes that are good for walking. Find this 1985 Maserati BiTurbo offered for $18,000 in Oceanside, CA via craigslist.
From the seller:
1985 Maserati Biturbo
drive: rwd
fuel: electric
odometer: 39877
paint color: red
title status: salvage
transmission: manual
Completely unique and completely rust free fully electric 1985 Maserati Biturbo EV with a 5-speed manual transmission.As seen on Wheeler Dealers!
Car has driven 10-15k miles since these motors and batteries were installed. This car is quicker now than it was with the twin turbo V6 and the seats are more comfortable than your home sofa. Bodywork and interior were restored a few years ago but it was not a ground-up restoration and the car is a daily driver so there are a couple of body dings. Leather seats were refreshed by oiling and conditioning, but there are a few worn spots around the interior. This car has an incredible sound system, the best I’ve heard in any car I’ve been in.
Salvage title is because the car sat for > 20 years without being registered; it went through a DMV and California CHP inspection before it was re-registered at the time of the EV conversion
The Technical:
Electric drive system with modern lithium batteries, AC brushless induction motors, Curtis motor controllers, regenerative braking. Car gets 100-125 miles on a charge depending on how you drive
Motors: HPEVS Dual AC34
Controllers: Curtis 650A (x2)
Batteries: Tesla Smart Lithium Ion Battery module (x12) (2s6p) (36kWh total)
Car will come with a charge cable and a high quality car cover.
Disclaimer:
If you are serious about owning this car it is important you have a good working knowledge of electric car conversions and how to look after a battery pack in this configuration. If it is mismanaged or badly neglected, a battery pack in this configuration can become dangerous.Glad to discuss this unique car if you’re interested in becoming it’s next owner.
Priced too high? Make me an offer!
See a better way to drive a red Maserati? tips@dailyturismo.com
Lovely car and without turbos, engine and instrumentation failures almost useful. But why the transmission? Remove that lump, add another 30KW and drive! Oh yeah, set it up for 240v charging so it doesn’t take days to drive again.
Lovely car, always liked that one when they were new. It has a lovely clean engine bay, but don’t show where the batteries are and if it has AC? I would like to know how to dispose of the batteries once they are no longer charging?
I managed to talk my folks into one of these in 1992ish. They let me pay $3500 for it and got what I paid for for sure. I got to drive it a little bit before the fuse box melted then engine spun a bearing about 5000 miles total. It seemed about as fast as a mustang 5.0. When the turbo kicked in it made it very squirrelly being an inexperienced driver at the time. Thankfully, it was legally “stolen” from me by my ex’s family which was probably for the best even though we had it mostly back together.
This thing is oddly tempting, especially the desperation in the seller’s voice when he/she says, “Priced too high? Make me an offer!”
One of my favorite body designs of all time with most of the terrifying Maser reliability issues eliminated. I’m intrigued!