Maserati 422

Maserati
Maserati Biturbo 420 i
422 4.18
Production period:	1988-1992
Class :	Sports car
Body versions :	limousine
Engines:	Otto engine : 2.0 liters (162 kW)
Length:	4400 mm
Width:	1730 mm
Height:	1360 mm
Wheelbase :	2600 mm
Empty weight :	1275 kg
Previous model	Maserati Biturbo 420
successor	Maserati Quattroporte IV

The Maserati 422 is a four-door sedan from the Italian sports car manufacturer Maserati , which was in the range from 1988 to 1992. The model belongs to Maserati's biturbo family . It was based on the technology of the biturbo and was the four-door version of the Coupé 222 , which was also produced from 1988 . Contrary to what the model name suggests, the displacement of the 422 was not 2.2, but only 2.0 liters. A special version of the 422 was temporarily sold as the Maserati 4.18 v . The 422 and 4.18 v models, intended exclusively for the Italian market, complemented the Maserati 430which had a larger engine and was primarily exported.

History of origin

After Alejandro De Tomaso took over Maserati in 1975, he pursued the idea of ​​establishing the company, which had previously only produced high-quality, very expensive sports cars by hand, as a series manufacturer. For this, future models had to be significantly cheaper than the previous sports cars. De Tomaso's concept therefore envisaged a compact, automated vehicle that was powered by a comparatively small engine. With this, Maserati reacted to the Italian tax legislation, which imposed a sales tax of 38 percent instead of 19 percent on automobiles with a displacement of 2000 cc and more. On this basis, the Maserati Biturbo was born, which was presented to the public in December 1981 after three years of development. It had a nearly 2.0 liter six-cylinder engine that was equipped with two turbochargers to increase performance. However, from 1983 onwards, Maserati offered a version enlarged to 2.5 liters on export markets. The manufacturer developed both the export and the Italian version of the Biturbo step-by-step in the following years: In 1983 Maserati added a performance-enhanced S variant to both versions (Biturbo S for Italy, Biturbo ES for export); From 1986 an electronically controlled gasoline injection was installed instead of the outdated carburetor. The injection models were given the additional designation "i" (for iniezione ).

At the end of 1983, Maserati added a four-door sedan to the series that had previously only consisted of two-door coupés and used the - extended - floor assembly of the two-door coupé with its drive technology. The body was similar to that of the coupé, but had no identical parts. The four-door model initially appeared only as an export model, the Biturbo 425, with the 2.5-liter variant of the six-cylinder engine, because Maserati was of the opinion that the larger and slightly more powerful 2.5-liter engine was better suited to the higher weight of the sedan. It was not until 1985 that Maserati added a 2.0-liter version for the Italian market to the sedan range, which was sold as the Biturbo 420 and was initially available with carburettor and later with injection engines in two power variants (basic and S).

Positioning in the brand's program

At the end of the 1987 model year, Maserati ceased production of the Biturbo 420 i and Si as well as the Biturbo Coupés. The Coupé was replaced by the 222 model, which technically corresponded to the two-door Biturbo Si and had been slightly revised optically. The four-door Biturbo 420 was replaced by the Maserati 422, which externally corresponded to the previous 420 i and technically the 420 Si. Unlike the previous 420 model, Maserati only offered a basic model under the designation 422, but not a performance-enhanced version. In 1989, however, a 2.0-liter engine with a four-valve head (Tipo AM 475) appeared. It was offered as a 222 4v in the two-door model and as a 4.24 v in the sedan . The 4.24 v supplemented the regular 420 until it was discontinued in 1992; after that the 4.24 v was the only two-liter sedan in the biturbo range. The 422 and 4.24 v were at this time in addition to the larger motorized export versions 430 and 430 4v. on offer.

Model description

body

The body of the Maserati 422 corresponded to that of the larger motorized 430. Its shape was the work of the former Pininfarina designer Pierangelo Andreani . Stylistically and in terms of dimensions, the 422 was still similar to the four-door version of the contemporary 3-series BMW .

The 422 differed from its predecessor, the Biturbo 420, primarily in its modified, deeper bumpers and a flatter radiator grille with rounded edges. Even if the 422 took over the engine of the previous Biturbo 420 Si sports model, it did without its stylistic peculiarities, in particular the striking two-tone paintwork and the air vents in the bonnet.

In 1991, most of the models in the Biturbo family received a facelift, which included new headlights in the style of the Shamal sports coupé . While the sporty four-valve 4.24 v also made this change and became the 4.24 v II, the regular 422 retained its traditional front section, which dates back to the first biturbo coupé from 1981, until the end of its production time.

The interior of the 422 was less well equipped than that of the export models 430 and 430 4.

engine

In terms of drive technology, the 422 corresponded completely to the two-door 222.

The basic design of the engine was based on that of the original biturbo from 1981. It was a six-cylinder V-engine with a cylinder bank angle of 90 degrees. The displacement was 1996 cm³ (bore × stroke = 82 × 63 mm). Each row of cylinders had an overhead camshaft , and both camshafts were driven by a common toothed belt. Each cylinder had two intake valves and one exhaust valve. The 422 took over the technical specifications of the previous sports model 420 Si (internal designation of the engine: Tipo AM 471). It had an electronic gasoline injection from Magneti Marelli and two turbochargers from IHI , each with a water-air cooler . The compression ratio was 7.8: 1. As in the 420 Si, the engine developed 220 hp (162 kW) at 6350 revolutions per minute. The car was not available with a catalytic converter .

landing gear

The basic construction of the chassis of the 422 also corresponded to the other contemporary models of the Biturbo family. All bikes were hung individually . There were MacPherson struts and wishbones at the front, and semi- trailing arms at the rear . There were also telescopic shock absorbers at the front and rear. From 1991 a new limited-slip differential of the Ranger type was introduced.

production

As with all models in the Biturbo family, production of the 422 was spread across several companies. Maserati itself only made the engines. The body, on the other hand, was made at Innocenti in Lambrate near Milan , a company belonging to the De Tomaso Group. From 1988 to 1992 978 copies of the 422 were made. The larger motorized 430 achieved similar numbers.

Maserati 4.18 BC

A special model of the Maserati 422 was the 4.18v introduced in 1990, the designation of which did not refer to the displacement but to the total number of valves. The vehicle was technically and externally completely identical to the 422. The only special feature was the anti-lock braking system with which the 4.18 v, unlike the 422, was equipped as standard. The 4.18 v remained in the program like the 422 for the 1992 model year. 77 copies were made in two years. This makes it the rarest member of the Biturbo family and at the same time the only one that was only produced in double-digit numbers.

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 Biturbo Sedans  - 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. ^ Gianni Cancellieri: Maserati. All the cars. Giorgio Nada Editore, Vimodrone 2015, ISBN 978-88-7911-609-1 , p. 235.
3. ↑ ^{a b} Hans-Karl Lange: Maserati. The other Italian sports car. Zsolnay, Vienna 1993, ISBN 3-552-05102-3 , p. 66.
4. ↑ Brief portrait of Pierangelo Andreanis (accessed on September 15, 2017).
5. ^ Gianni Cancellieri: Maserati. All the cars. Giorgio Nada Editore, Vimodrone 2015, ISBN 978-88-7911-609-1 , p. 237.
6. ↑ Description of the Maserati Biturbo on the website www.maserati-alfieri.co.uk (accessed on August 27, 2017).
7. ^ Klaus Finkenburg: Maserati Biturbo model check . In: Motor Klassik Kaufratgeber Italienische Klassiker, 2017, p. 145.
8. ^ Gianni Cancellieri: Maserati. All the cars. Giorgio Nada Editore, Vimodrone 2015, ISBN 978-88-7911-609-1 , p. 247.
9. ↑ Hans-Karl Lange: Maserati. The other Italian sports car . Zsolnay, Vienna 1993, ISBN 3-552-05102-3 , p. 67.
10. ^ ^{A b} Gianni Cancellieri: Maserati. All the cars. Giorgio Nada Editore, Vimodrone 2015, ISBN 978-88-7911-609-1 , p. 238.