Maserati 222 E.

Maserati
Maserati 222 E.
222 E.
Production period:	1988-1993
Class :	Sports car
Body versions :	Coupe
Engines:	Gasoline engine : 2.8 liters (165–182 kW)
Length:	4043 mm
Width:	1714 mm
Height:	1305 mm
Wheelbase :	2514 mm
Empty weight :	1172 kg
Previous model	Maserati Biturbo iE

The Maserati 222 E and its further developments 222 SE and 222 SR are two-door notchback coupés by the Italian car manufacturer Maserati , which were produced from 1988 to 1993. They belong to the so-called biturbo family . The 222 E was the export version of the Coupé 222, also presented in 1988, and as such replaced the Biturbo iE. It had a larger engine: Maserati combined the body of the 222 with the six-cylinder engine of the larger Coupé 228 . The SE and SR models were technically the same, but had a different look.

History of origin

With the Maserati Biturbo presented in 1981, the Argentinian entrepreneur Alejandro De Tomaso , who has owned the company since 1975, wanted to establish the traditional sports car manufacturer in the field of series production. Until then, among other things, the Italian tax legislation had opposed a wider spread of the Maserati models, which taxed automobiles with a cubic capacity of 2000 cc and more with a sales tax of 38 percent, while vehicles with a smaller cubic capacity were only taxed at 19 percent. With the Biturbo, Maserati circumvented this problem by adding a nearly 2.0 liter six-cylinder engine that was equipped with two turbochargers to increase performance. In the original version, this engine developed 132 kW (180 hp). The biturbo was largely automated and could be offered more cheaply than the previous Maserati models. He opened up new customer groups for the company: from 1982 Maserati regularly achieved four-digit annual production figures. From the original Biturbo, the company developed a number of other models, including the sports version S. For the markets outside Italy, where vehicles with larger displacement were less taxed, Maserati developed an export version with a 2.5 liter variant of the six-cylinder engine. It wasn't more powerful than the Italian 2.0 liter version, but it had higher torque and was easier to drive. The export version was called Biturbo E. It went through all the development steps of the smaller engine, including the introduction of gasoline injection in 1986, whereupon the export version was named Biturbo iE.

In the first few years in particular, the biturbo, which was immature when it was launched, suffered from numerous, sometimes serious, defects that impaired the car's reputation. When Maserati made minor stylistic changes for the 1988 model year, the company decided to drop the Biturbo name for all future models. The successor to the Biturbo i was given the number code 222, the meaning of which has not been clarified beyond doubt. The export version, which in turn received a larger engine, adopted this code and was given the suffix "E".

Positioning in the brand's program

With its introduction, the 222 E assumed the role of the base model in Maserati's export program. Unlike the first series of the Biturbo, Maserati initially did not offer any more powerful versions for export. So from 1988 there was no longer a direct successor to the Biturbo ES. That did not change until 1991. That year a more powerful version of the export model with a four-valve engine appeared, which was sold as the 222 4v . Then there were the models 222 SE and 222 SR. They had the sporty body of the 222 4v and the conventional three-valve engine of the 222 E.

Right from the start, the 222 E could optionally be equipped with a vehicle catalytic converter. Production of the 222 E without a catalytic converter ended in 1990. The version with a catalytic converter, like the 222 SR, remained in the program until 1993.

The four-door counterpart to the 222 E was sold on international markets under the name Maserati 430 .

Model description

body

With wing on the tailgate as standard: Maserati 222 E, SE and SR

The body of the Maserati 222 E corresponded completely to that of the basic version 222. It was self-supporting and took up the lines of the biturbo coupé presented in 1981, which Pierangelo Andreani had designed by Giorgio Giugiaro with reference to a concept vehicle called Medici . The structure was only revised in a few details. As with the regular 222, the front section was now a little rounder and the radiator grille was smaller than on the predecessor. A rear wing was standard on the trunk lid . The modifications were made by Marcello Gandini . In its first version the engine was still equipped with a register carburetor; From autumn 1986, however, petrol injection was part of the standard equipment.

engine

Maserati's 2.8 liter six cylinder engine

The particular innovation of the 222 E was the engine, which bore the internal designation Tipo AM 473. While the previous export versions of the biturbo had the 2.5 liter version of the six-cylinder V engine, the 222 E now had an engine that was enlarged to 2.8 liters. This construction appeared in 1986. At the time, it was used exclusively in the large Gran Turismo 228, a two-door model that was based on the extended platform of the biturbo sedans and wanted to compete with the Maserati with BMW and Daimler-Benz, who also offered coupés in this segment, such as the 6-series Series from BMW ( E 24 ) and the Coupés from Mercedes.

For the 222 E, Maserati took over the injection engine from the 228 unchanged. It was a six cylinder V engine with a cylinder bank angle of 90 degrees. The displacement was 2789 cm³ (bore × stroke = 94 × 67 mm). Like the 2.0-liter basic version, the 2.8-liter engine also had three valves per cylinder, namely two exhaust valves and one intake valve. Each bank of cylinders had an overhead camshaft that was driven by a common toothed belt. Four-valve technology did not initially exist. A newly designed cylinder head with four valves did not appear until 1991 with the model 222 4v. The engine had two IHI turbochargers which were intercooled . The compression ratio was 7.8: 1. The mixture was prepared by an electronically controlled injection system from Magneti Marelli . The engine developed a maximum of 182 kW (248 hp). The 222 E surpassed the 2.0-liter engine, which was sold in Italy by 21 kW (28 hp). In models that were equipped with a catalytic converter , however, the output of 165 kW (225 hp) was almost the same as the 222.

landing gear

The basic construction of the chassis of the 222 also corresponded to that of the original biturbo. All bikes were hung individually . At the front there were MacPherson struts and wishbones , at the rear there was a semi- trailing arm axle with coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers.

Special versions

Maserati 222 SE

The Maserati 222 SE appeared in the 1990 model year. Outwardly, it was based on the Maserati 2.24 v , which appeared in 1988 and was powered by a more powerful four-valve version of the 2.0-liter engine. Technically, however, the 222 SE retained the 2.8 liter three-valve engine of the 222 E. The 222 SE was only offered for one year.

Maserati 222 SR

Maserati 222 SR (1991)

In the 1991 model year, the 222 SR replaced the 222 SE. The concept remained the same: Maserati combined the conventional drive technology of the 222 E, now equipped with a catalytic converter as standard and with an output of 165 kW (225 hp), with the sporty body of the four-valve models. The main difference to the 222 SE was the newly designed front section. The 222 SR had the same light units as the Maserati Shamal , i.e. a combination of square and round headlights. There was also a wind deflector below the windshield above the windscreen wipers. Maserati had also introduced this design feature for the Shamal. The 222 SR remained in the program until 1993. 210 copies of the model were made in two years.

literature

• Martin Buckley: Maserati. Italian luxury and flair . Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2012. ISBN 978-3-86852-633-2 .
• Gianni Cancellieri: Maserati. All the cars. Giorgio Nada Editore, Vimodrone 2015, ISBN 978-88-7911-609-1
• Hans-Karl Lange: Maserati. The other Italian sports car. Zsolnay, Vienna 1993, ISBN 3-552-05102-3 .
• Anthony Pritchard: Maserati. The history of racing , Delius Klasing, Bielefeld, 1st edition 2003, ISBN 978-3-7688-2513-9
• David Sparrow, Iain Ayre: Maserati Heritage . Osprey Classic Marques. Auckland 1995. ISBN 1-85532-441-5 .

Web links

Commons : Maserati 222  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Hans-Karl Lange: Maserati. The other Italian sports car. Zsolnay, Vienna 1993, ISBN 3-552-05102-3 , p. 60.
2. ^ ^{A b} Gianni Cancellieri: Maserati. All the cars. Giorgio Nada Editore, Vimodrone 2015, ISBN 978-88-7911-609-1 , p. 235.
3. ↑ Hans-Karl Lange: Maserati. The other Italian sports car . Zsolnay, Vienna 1993, ISBN 3-552-05102-3 , p. 63.
4. ↑ Description of the Maserati Biturbo on the website www.maserati-alfieri.co.uk (accessed on August 31, 2017).
5. ^ ^{A b c} Gianni Cancellieri: Maserati. All the cars. Giorgio Nada Editore, Vimodrone 2015, ISBN 978-88-7911-609-1 , p. 243.