In 1966, a project for a new GranTurismo sports car was born, in the finest tradition of the Maserati brand. Named after the fierce Egyptian desert wind, the Ghibli possessed a fantastic asset: a unique visual impact that would have allowed it to be easily sold on its looks alone. The unprecedented design was the brainchild of the young Giorgetto Giugiaro, then working for the Ghia studio in Turin. The Ghibli’s bodywork was perfect in every single detail and is still considered one of Giugiaro’s masterpieces. A thoroughbred GT, the car was originally conceived as a two-seater, despite being 4.69 meters long and having a 2.55-meter wheelbase. Production versions, however, were built with a 2+2 seat configuration. The V8 engine, derived from the Quattroporte/Mexico, used a dry-sump lubrication system that allowed it to fit under the Ghibli’s long, low hood. Starting in 1969, the Ghibli was also available with a 4.9-liter engine (identified as the Ghibli SS), and an open-top spider version was also added, of which only 125 were produced. The project was supervised by engineer Alfieri, and the car was presented to the public for the first time at the Turin Motor Show on the Ghia stand in late 1966. Deliveries began in March of the following year. The steel bodies (with aluminum hoods) were built by Vignale.
