Presented at Modena
on December 14, 1981 the anniversary date of the founding of Maserati in
1914, the Biturbo was the product of the De Tomaso group design
centre. Whilst there were apparent similarities with the Merak V6,
the engine was a new design supercharged with two turbo-compressors and
with three valves per cylinder. Whilst released as a 2 litre in
domestic markets, for tax purposes, the car was powered by a 2.5 litre
version, the same that would be used on the 425, in foreign markets.
In 1983 the range was extended with the Biturbo S which provided another
25 bhp and an increase in top speed.