Ghibli Cup vs Deltagrale vs SZ

[dickyb]

Interesting, given that I used the last factory headlight, bonnet and rear light on a Ghibli GT and a Cup a few years ago, and interested parties such as Emblem, Dicky Grace and Meridien all confirmed they are NLA only a week ago when I enquired with regards to a potential new project. I used the last metal rear panel also (the part that the rear number plate attaches to, below the boot lid).

But yes, maybe some GRP copies are available, and I remember some lexan light covers being made in Holland a while ago. Not ideal, but better than nothing I guess.

Bottom line, if you have a major repair/refresh to undertake on a a Ghibli these days, much has to remade or sourced second hand. Not easy, so best not to crash!

The fibreglass bonnets and bootlid are obviously not genuine Maserati parts but you can at least obtain them. The lexan light lenses are indeed from Holland and the same company also have genuine Maserati light lenses which seem to be made in batches by Maserati very occasionally. They also have a few new old stock headlamps including one set for RHD. As you say, everything else is nla. It is possible to go Japanese spec and to fit Ferrari 355/F40/Mondial T headlamps which are still readily available and are fairly cheap if you don’t buy them in Ferrari boxes. I suspect the various brackets for these are nla but should be easy to fabricate, and the surrounds should be 3D printable. Whilst they’re not identical in appearance, you can fit late Biturbo (Such as 4.24v/2.24v) rear lights to a Ghibli

 

[Cyclone1]

Looking forward to reading the article later today.

It’s amazing how preferences change over the years. All three of these cars pull at the heart strings and did from early on. The Alfa is the one that was just outrageous at the time it was introduced, design wise it had a massive impact, not necessarily on other car designs, but more so on being uniquely striking and bold. I can remember being a little obsessed by it at the time and was so impressed Alfa made it available. It worked though and then there was the engine.

The Integrale didn’t have the same impact initially, albeit I loved it from the early HF iterations. For me it got better as it got older and the body design got outrageous (I know slot of people prefer the earlier models). The amount of times I could and should have bought one is heart breaking lol! I still hanker after one and they are still right up there on the desirability ladder, but the cost to buy is huge.

The Ghibli Cup is the “wine” in the background that is getting better with age. I remember the biturbo being introduced and then the early Ghibli II’s hitting the market. I loved the design but they were so under the radar due to Maseratis social status. When the GT and Cup arrived I marked them down as a future “want” and regularly scoured the ads waiting for a “good” one to appear. Design wise the Ghibli is a strike against the norm of its era, for me it worked well then, but works well right now…..

Three great cars for very different reasons. Two of them more well known and initially more revered. But for me it’s the Ghibli Cup that has crept up and pulls at the heart strings more, it’s just got that something. Maybe a combination of rarity, maturity and design? So whilst all three are cars I would have, right now it’s the Cup I would pick.

For the record I’ve never driven a Ghibli Cup nor Alfa SZ……

 

[Ewan]

There's a nice light blue Cup for sale currently at a tad under £40k (which is about right, in my book). And at that price I can't imagine anyone would ever lose money on it.
It's at the Cotswold Car Broker.

 

[Cyclone1]

There's a nice light blue Cup for sale currently at a tad under £40k (which is about right, in my book). And at that price I can't imagine anyone would ever lose money on it.
It's at the Cotswold Car Broker.

True, but would require a through inspection and cosmetically may need some TLC to get it close to perfect (parts allowing if needed). So would be nearer £50k I would imagine, alternatively may need to be a bit cheaper. At that I’d rather wait for a mint lower mileage GT for or LHD Cup as LHD/RHD doesn’t bother me. Saying that “nice” condition low mileage GT’s are fetching €25-€40k in Europe so maybe I’ve missed the boat…….

 

[Ewan]

I was chatting with Dicky the other day. Apart from the green GT just sold by the Cotswold Car Broker last week, neither of us can remember a single manual Ghibli GT coming on the UK market in the last 10 years! Let alone a low mile mint one!!! (BTW, that green one needs work.) A really good UK manual GT would command £30k here.
My last Cup (which is mint) was for sale a short while ago at around £60k, and the last time I saw the light blue one it was in similarly good condition. I very much doubt it now needs £10k spending on it. But of course, an inspection would be imperative.

 

[Cyclone1]

Appreciate your insights.

I totally agree on Ghibli GT’s being rare, especially manual rhd versions, but that wouldn’t be essential for me. I’d happily consider a top condition LHD or auto, as condition for me trumps nice to haves on rare cars like these. The Quattroporte 3.2 Evo that appeared a few weeks ago was another prime example, I thought it was incredibly well priced (obviously would have need viewing) so was very tempting despite it not ticking all my boxes.

I wasn’t keen on the Green GT (loved the colour) that was also for sale at Cotswolds, after doing a bit of reasearch I felt to get it to an excellent standard would need quite a bit of expense over and above the asking price (parts, mechanicals, full respray, corrosion “could” all need doing pending a good inspection just to get it to a top standard). All totally manageable but you just never know what else will crop up with some cars, so it’s best to go with instinct. It may prove to be a missed opportunity but I’ll never know.

 

[Nayf]

Some better pictures from the day. It’s available direct via https://auto-italia.co.uk/ and there’s a digital option for those with horrendous postage costs.

 

[Maser73]

Interesting, given that I used the last factory headlight, bonnet and rear light on a Ghibli GT and a Cup a few years ago, and interested parties such as Emblem, Dicky Grace and Meridien all confirmed they are NLA only a week ago when I enquired with regards to a potential new project. I used the last metal rear panel also (the part that the rear number plate attaches to, below the boot lid).

But yes, maybe some GRP copies are available, and I remember some lexan light covers being made in Holland a while ago. Not ideal, but better than nothing I guess.

Bottom line, if you have a major repair/refresh to undertake on a a Ghibli these days, much has to remade or sourced second hand. Not easy, so best not to crash!

Yes, getting certain parts for the Ghib is not easy and many already long time OOS. I have been in contact with the Maserati Classiche department and it looks now they are going to step it up. They focus first on MOT required parts to preserve and keep the cars on the street which makes sense. For the Ghibli this would be i.e the headlight glass. As Carello is not existing anymore after an acquisition the factory is working with another company and a mould is prepared and instead of Carello the Maserati name will be embossed. So far the theory, let’s hope it gets some momentum now towards production stage. This avoids ridicilious pricing for the rare ones offered on Ebay (just bought a set front and rear with lots of luck) or having to go with the plastic front reproductions which don’t look bad but still not the ‘real thing’ (but to pass MOT when you have a cracked version a good substitute)

 

[Ewan]

Appreciate your insights.

I totally agree on Ghibli GT’s being rare, especially manual rhd versions, but that wouldn’t be essential for me. I’d happily consider a top condition LHD or auto, as condition for me trumps nice to haves on rare cars like these. The Quattroporte 3.2 Evo that appeared a few weeks ago was another prime example, I thought it was incredibly well priced (obviously would have need viewing) so was very tempting despite it not ticking all my boxes.

I wasn’t keen on the Green GT (loved the colour) that was also for sale at Cotswolds, after doing a bit of reasearch I felt to get it to an excellent standard would need quite a bit of expense over and above the asking price (parts, mechanicals, full respray, corrosion “could” all need doing pending a good inspection just to get it to a top standard). All totally manageable but you just never know what else will crop up with some cars, so it’s best to go with instinct. It may prove to be a missed opportunity but I’ll never know.

How about the very dark green GT auto (UK RHD car) that has just come on the market? It’s overpriced currently, but maybe there’s a deal to be done if you chat to the owner. It’s on Pistonheads (or maybe Autotrader).

 

[Ewan]

On a related topic, how much do we think a manual GT is worth compared to a similar condition/mileage Cup? The market seems to say about £20k less. But I’m not so sure. As far as I can tell, there are less RHD, UK manual GTs than there are RHD UK Cups (of which there are about 23 left), and I prefer the more subtle look of the GT.

 

[Cyclone1]

How about the very dark green GT auto (UK RHD car) that has just come on the market? It’s overpriced currently, but maybe there’s a deal to be done if you chat to the owner. It’s on Pistonheads (or maybe Autotrader).

It’s on PH but not for me. It’s covered in another thread on here and I pretty much agree with the comments. At the right price, with items corrected to bring up to a top standard it could still be a £25k / 72k mile car, which in the current climate may not be too bad. There is reference to rust, corrective work and now more recently bubbling, so a sign of more to come or do it all properly.

 

[Ewan]

Looks like he did the wing repairs on the cheap, hence the need to redo it now. Not too big a deal though.
If it was a manual I’d be on the phone and negotiating with him. But as an auto, it’s not for me.

 

[Cyclone1]

Looks like he did the wing repairs on the cheap, hence the need to redo it now. Not too big a deal though.
If it was a manual I’d be on the phone and negotiating with him. But as an auto, it’s not for me.

Agree. But for me it’s a warning sign of more to come, so to be thorough it would all have to be done. Then it begs the question what else to check, hence factoring a decent amount in to get it spot on.

Fair comment about the auto / manual. Im not fussed either way so it keeps the options open as and when (if) a decent example appears lol!

 

[del mar 2]

True, but would require a through inspection and cosmetically may need some TLC to get it close to perfect (parts allowing if needed). So would be nearer £50k I would imagine, alternatively may need to be a bit cheaper. At that I’d rather wait for a mint lower mileage GT for or LHD Cup as LHD/RHD doesn’t bother me. Saying that “nice” condition low mileage GT’s are fetching €25-€40k in Europe so maybe I’ve missed the boat…….

How have you managed to take a £40k car and add £10k worth of repairs to it, what are you basing the £10k on ?

I doubt you could buy many 24 year old cars that were actually perfect, and perfect would mean it never gets used, or it would quickly become imperfect. The moment you drive it there is the risk of a stone chip to the front end, would you then deem that as imperfect ?
You could have the best in Italy rebuild the car, and somebody would still produce a list of recommendations, that is their job.

 

[del mar 2]

I reckon i had worked out the headlight issue on the old forum.

I don't believe it is the bonnet release lever.

I have had both lights out before and found when you replace the driver's side it goes straight back, when you refit the passenger light it goes straight back and then suddenly tilts up slightly. This lifts the glass up slightly bringing it too close to the bonnet.

The bracket welded to the chassis is in the wrong place. I removed the corresponding bracket on the headlight and moved it about 10mm. When you slide the headlight in now it doesn't rotate upwards anymore and the glass doesn't come into contact with the bonnet.

 

[del mar 2]

Yes, getting certain parts for the Ghib is not easy and many already long time OOS. I have been in contact with the Maserati Classiche department and it looks now they are going to step it up. They focus first on MOT required parts to preserve and keep the cars on the street which makes sense. For the Ghibli this would be i.e the headlight glass. As Carello is not existing anymore after an acquisition the factory is working with another company and a mould is prepared and instead of Carello the Maserati name will be embossed. So far the theory, let’s hope it gets some momentum now towards production stage. This avoids ridicilious pricing for the rare ones offered on Ebay (just bought a set front and rear with lots of luck) or having to go with the plastic front reproductions which don’t look bad but still not the ‘real thing’ (but to pass MOT when you have a cracked version a good substitute)

I have nothing against somebody making a living, but those that sell spares, the supposed "Friends of the Community" take the p*** £4000 for a set of headlights !!

That is out right profiteering.

 

[Nayf]

The moment you drive it there is the risk of a stone chip to the front end, would you then deem that as imperfect ?

Can't comment on the rest of the post but I remember borrowing a car for a photoshoot that had just had a new windscreen that week.

You can guess what happened.


Skinflint publisher refused to cough up, leaving me in the tricky position where I got shouted at by everyone.

 

[CatmanV2]

Can't comment on the rest of the post but I remember borrowing a car for a photoshoot that had just had a new windscreen that week.

You can guess what happened.


Skinflint publisher refused to cough up, leaving me in the tricky position where I got shouted at by everyone.

On what basis did they refuse? Genuinely curious

C

 

[Nayf]

On what basis did they refuse? Genuinely curious

C

Well, it generally works like this.

A: If a journalist prangs your car, the publisher or the publisher’s insurance pays.

B: If the car detonates itself, the publisher doesn’t because that could happen at any time. There are exceptions to this rule sometimes.


A stonechip is a bit of a grey area - I wasn’t at fault, so there’s no fault claim to put through the publisher’s insurance company. However, I personally think as an act of good faith the company could have stumped up for the windscreen, because of the exceptions they make to B (usually dealers they want to keep happy).

I’m not going to lie, being a motoring journalist is a great thing to be some of the time. But it is often only great in small slivers of time, a lot of the time can be underpaid misery traversing artistic egos and ruthless beancounting. It’s better now I’m freelance, but I’d advise anyone to make writing about cars their hobby, rather than their profession. Otherwise it can poison your passion for it all…

 

[CatmanV2]

Well, it generally works like this.

A: If a journalist prangs your car, the publisher or the publisher’s insurance pays.

B: If the car detonates itself, the publisher doesn’t because that could happen at any time. There are exceptions to this rule sometimes.


A stonechip is a bit of a grey area - I wasn’t at fault, so there’s no fault claim to put through the publisher’s insurance company. However, I personally think as an act of good faith the company could have stumped up for the windscreen, because of the exceptions they make to B (usually dealers they want to keep happy).

I’m not going to lie, being a motoring journalist is a great thing to be some of the time. But it is often only great in small slivers of time, a lot of the time can be underpaid misery traversing artistic egos and ruthless beancounting. It’s better now I’m freelance, but I’d advise anyone to make writing about cars their hobby, rather than their profession. Otherwise it can poison your passion for it all…

Thanks. If I were to lend out my prized car, I'd expect it to be pretty much fully insured but.....

C