Editing Maserati (section)

====The Biturbo====
[[File:1985 Maserati Biturbo E, front left (US).jpg|thumb|left|A 1985 [[Maserati Biturbo]]]]

The 1980s saw the company largely abandoning the mid-engine sports car in favour of a compact [[Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout|front-engine]], [[rear-wheel drive|rear-drive]] coupé, the [[Maserati Biturbo|Biturbo]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.archiviolastampa.it/component/option,com_lastampa/task,search/mod,libera/action,viewer/Itemid,3/page,9/articleid,1057_01_1981_0293_0009_15280463/ |title=Maserati, due turbo nel motore |first=Valerio |last=Sabatini |date=15 December 1981 |newspaper=[[La Stampa]] |language=it |access-date=8 February 2015}}</ref>
Of fairly conventional construction, the Biturbo's highlight was its [[twin-turbocharged]] [[V6 engine]], the [[List of automotive superlatives|first for a production car]]. This engine, descending from the 90° V6 engineered by Giulio Alfieri, was fitted in a large number of models, all sharing key components; every new Maserati launched up to the 1990s would be based on the Biturbo's platform.
The Biturbo family was extremely successful at exploiting the [[Aspirational brand|aspirational image]] of the ''Maserati'' name—selling 40,000 units.

In 1983 and 1984, the range was extended to include [[Sedan (car)|saloons]] (the 425 and 420) and a [[cabriolet]] (the [[Zagato]]-bodied Spyder), respectively on a long and short wheelbase of the Biturbo platform.

During 1984, [[Chrysler]] bought a 5% share in Maserati. Following an agreement between De Tomaso's friend and Chrysler head [[Lee Iacocca]], a [[joint venture]] was signed. Maserati would go on to produce a car for export to the American market, the [[Chrysler TC by Maserati]], with Chrysler-sourced engines. In July of that same year, a [[merger]] between Maserati and Nuova Innocenti was decided; it was carried out in 1985.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/1985/06/16/de-tomaso-perfeziona-la-fusione-tra-maserati.html |title=De Tomaso perfeziona la fusione tra Maserati e Nuova Innocenti |first=Giorgio |last=Lonardi |date=16 June 1985 |newspaper=[[La Repubblica]] |language=it |access-date=5 February 2015}}</ref> Chrysler upped its stake to 15.6% by underwriting three quarters of a 75 billion [[Italian Lira|Lire]] capital raise in 1986.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/1986/05/29/chrysler-sbarca-in-italia.html |title=Chrysler sbarca in Italia |first=Giorgio |last=Lonardi |date=29 May 1986 |newspaper=[[La Repubblica]] |language=it |access-date=5 February 2015}}</ref>

New Biturbo-based cars and model evolutions were launched year after year. In 1984, it was the 228, a large coupé built on the long wheelbase saloon chassis, with a new 2.8-litre version of the twin-turbocharged V6. [[Weber carburetors|Weber]] [[Fuel injection]] was phased in starting in 1986, bringing improved reliability and a host of new model variants. The same year, the ageing Quattroporte III was updated and marketed as the luxurious [[Maserati Quattroporte#Maserati Royale|Royale]], built to order in an handful of examples a year; its discontinuation in 1990 marked the disappearance of Maserati's four-cam V8 engine, a design that could trace its roots back to the 450S racer and the legendary 5000 GT. In 1987, the 2.8-litre 430 topped the saloon range. 1988 brought the [[Maserati Karif|Karif]], a two-seater, based on the short wheelbase Spyder chassis. Meanwhile, the Biturbo name was dropped altogether, as updated coupés and saloons were updated and became the 222 and 422. 1989 marked the reintroduction of an eight-cylinder grand tourer: the [[Maserati Shamal|Shamal]], built on a modified short wheelbase Biturbo chassis, clad in new muscular bodywork styled by [[Marcello Gandini]]. It was powered by an all-new twin-turbocharged 32-valve V8 engine paired to a 6-speed gearbox. 2.0-litre, 24-valve V6 engines were also added to the Shamal range.