Maserati 430

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Maserati
Maserati 430 1989 NB.jpg
430
Production period: 1987-1992
Class : Sports car
Body versions : limousine
Engines: Petrol engine :
2.8 liters
(165-184 kW)
Length: 4400 mm
Width: 1730 mm
Height: 1360 mm
Wheelbase : 2600 mm
Empty weight : 1180-1247 kg
Previous model Maserati Biturbo 425
successor Maserati 430 4v

The Maserati 430 is a four-door sedan from the Italian sports car manufacturer Maserati , which belongs to the Biturbo family and was offered from 1987 to 1992. The 430 was the successor to the Biturbo 425 . He was the four-door version of the coupe 222 E . Both models were primarily intended for sale in non-Italian markets. In 1991 a more powerful variant with four valves per cylinder appeared, which was sold as the Maserati 430 4v until 1994.

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. In the same year, the Biturbo 425, the first four-door version of the model appeared. It was initially only sold with the 2.5-liter engine, which was equipped with intake manifold injection instead of the previous register carburetor from 1986 and was then called the Biturbo 425 i. At the same time, there was a version called the Biturbo 420 for the Italian market since 1985 .

In 1987 Maserati replaced the Biturbo 425 i with the 430, which outwardly corresponded completely to its predecessor, but was now equipped with the more powerful engine of the Coupé 228 i . Contrary to what the new model name suggests, the engine's displacement was not 3.0 liters, but only 2.8 liters. Maserati offered the 430 with and without a catalytic converter. From 1988 the two-door export coupé, now called the 222 E, also took over the 2.8-liter engine.

Positioning in the brand's program

The 430 was the four-door version of the identically motorized 222 E. Outwardly it corresponded to the smaller motorized models 422 and Maserati 4.18 v , which were offered on the Italian market.

Model description

platform

Like its predecessor, the Maserati 430 used the platform of the Biturbo Coupé presented in 1981, the wheelbase of which had been extended by 85 mm to 2600 mm. There were no technical changes compared to the Biturbo 425.

body

Shamal look front: Maserati 430 New Look (1991)

The body of the Maserati 430 initially corresponded to that of the Biturbo 425. Its shape was the work of the former Pininfarina designer Pierangelo Andreani . Stylistically and in terms of dimensions, the 430 was similar to the four-door version of the contemporary 3-series BMW .

In 1991 the exterior of the 430 was redesigned. In the course of this facelift, the sedan was given a front section reminiscent of that of the Shamal sports coupé . This included a combination of square and round front light units, a radiator grille painted in the vehicle color and a wind deflector above the front windshield wipers. The revised sedan was marketed as the 430 New Look .

engine

Like all models in the Biturbo family, the 430 was powered by a six-cylinder V-engine with an aluminum engine block and a 90 degree cylinder bank angle. The 430 was a further development of the original design known as the Tipo AM473 . The displacement was 2790 cm³. For each cylinder row there was a camshaft that was driven by a toothed belt. Each cylinder had two inlet valves and one outlet valve that were operated by bucket tappets . The two intake valves of each cylinder had a common tappet. At first there were no four-valve versions. The cylinders had pressed-in liners . To increase performance, the engines were fitted with two exhaust gas turbochargers from IHI ; there were intercoolers as standard . The mixture preparation was done by an electronic manifold injection from Magneti Marelli .

The 430 was available with and without a catalytic converter from the factory. In the cleaned version, the engine produced 225 hp (165 kW) according to the factory specifications, which occurred at 5500 revolutions per minute, without a catalyst the output was 250 hp (184 kW) at 5600 revolutions per minute.

Power transmission

All biturbo models were fitted with a manual five-speed transmission as standard, which was obtained from ZF in the first few years . For the 430 New Look introduced in 1991, Maserati switched to a manual five-speed gearbox from Getrag . An automatic three-speed transmission from BorgWarner was optionally available, and from 1991 a four-speed automatic transmission. The rear wheels were driven by a split cardan shaft .

landing gear

The front and rear wheels were suspended individually . There were subframes on both axles. Front and rear coil springs and hydraulic, adjustable telescopic shock absorbers from Koni were used, front as MacPherson struts and rear together with trailing arms . There were stabilizers on both axles . The chassis geometry has been revised for the 430. The delay was achieved with servo-assisted disc brakes from ATE. The rack and pinion steering was standard with power assistance provided. As with all biturbo models produced since 1985, Maserati also used a Sensitork limited-slip differential on the 430 .

inner space

The interior was perceived as luxurious. The seats were covered with leather as standard, the steering wheel rim, the gear stick and the inlays in the dashboard and the side panels were made of real wood.

production

The Maserati 430 was introduced in December 1987. Its production ended in 1992, according to other sources not until 1993. In total, Maserati produced 995 copies of the 430 and 430 New Look.

The Maserati 430 on the German market

In Germany, the 430 with standard equipment cost 89,900 DM in the summer of 1990. It was therefore at the same price level as a Mercedes-Benz 500 SE , whose eight-cylinder engine was almost twice as large. The 430 New Look cost 109,000 DM the following year.

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

Remarks

  1. ↑ The first four-door model with four valves per cylinder was the Maserati 4.24 v, which was sold on the Italian market from 1989. A four-valve version of the 2.8-liter engine was not released for the export markets until 1991, and was used in the Coupé 222 4v and the sedan 430 4v.

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. ↑ Brief portrait of Pierangelo Andreanis (accessed on September 15, 2017).
  4. ↑ Hans-Karl Lange: Maserati. The other Italian sports car. Zsolnay, Vienna 1993, ISBN 3-552-05102-3 , p. 66.
  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. ^ A b Martin Buckley: Maserati. Italian luxury and flair. Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2012. ISBN 978-3-86852-633-2 , p. 139.
  9. ↑ a b Technical data in the sales brochure of the Maserati 430 New Look (1991) (accessed on September 15, 2017).
  10. ↑ Hans-Karl Lange: Maserati. The other Italian sports car. Zsolnay, Vienna 1993, ISBN 3-552-05102-3 , p. 63.
  11. ↑ a b c d Hans-Karl Lange: Maserati. The other Italian sports car. Zsolnay, Vienna 1993, ISBN 3-552-05102-3 , p. 67.
  12. ^ Martin Buckley: Maserati. Italian luxury and flair . Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2012. ISBN 978-3-86852-633-2 , p. 136.
  13. ^ Klaus Finkenburg: Maserati Biturbo model check . In: Motor Klassik Kaufratgeber Italienische Klassiker, 2017, p. 147.
  14. ^ Gianni Cancellieri: Maserati. All the cars. Giorgio Nada Editore, Vimodrone 2015, ISBN 978-88-7911-609-1 , p. 244.
  15. ↑ Auto Catalog No. 34 (1990/91), p. 205.