Expensive taste

Those who purchased a Maserati Ghibli between 1967 and 1973 demonstrated not only excellent taste, but also that they were in good financial health: the pretty Italian coupé was priced on a par with the Lamborghini Miura and Ferrari Daytona. The Ghibli offered everything a discerning driver could want from a Gran Turismo at the time: purposeful yet elegant lines, luxury furnishings and – thanks to the 450S-derived V8 – plenty of power. Fitted with four Weber carbs, the 4.7-litre, dry-sumped engine produced 330bhp. When it was enlarged to 4.9 litres for the SS version in 1970, power increased a little, but more significant was that top speed was supposedly nudged beyond 170mph. A heady figure at the start of the Seventies, even if it was only believed by the marketing department.

More to come?

Despite this, the Maserati Ghibli Tipo AM115 doesn’t yet enjoy the widespread appreciation of its contemporaries. Yes, prices have risen since our last market report – good SS coupés now command in excess of €150,000 – but values remain more modest than those of the Miura and Daytona, both of which it outsold in period. The super-rare Spiders (125 of which were built) have operated in their own stratosphere for some time.

Boasting just enough creature comforts to make it an effective, comfortable, modern-day cruiser, the kamm-backed Italian queen can only enjoy heightened desirability in the future.

Photos: Mathieu Bonnevie