The 2024 Maserati Ghibli 334 Ultima Terminates Six Decades of the V-8

Sixty-four years is a long time for any manufacturer to do one thing right, and Maserati did that with their V-8 engines. The sound these eight cylinder machines made were unmistakable, starting with the 5000 GT Scia di Persia and on into the modern era. In celebration of this magnificent engine and that long history, Maserati is finalizing the last two V-8 powered vehicles with Ultima models: the Ghibli 334 Ultima and the Levante V8 Ultima.

The Maserati Ghibli debuted back in 1967, not a long time after that 5000 GT commissioned by the Shah of Persia. It came with a pair of V-8s—the 4.7 liter Tipo AM 115 V-8 and the 4.9 liter Tipo AM 115/49 V-8—backed with a five-speed manual transmission. Though, it could be ordered with a three-speed automatic, if you really wanted it to. The bigger 4.9 liter actually came later in the 1969 Ghibli SS pushing out 330 hp with a top speed of 174 mph, making it the fastest Maserati road car produced for its time.

Flash forward 54 years (and an extra pair of doors) and we are at the beginning of the end of the Maserati V-8 engine. To mark this occasion, a special Ghibli is being produced: the 334 Ultima. This 3.8 liter twin-turbo V-8 puts out 572 hp, 538 lb-ft of torque and powers its way to its namesake, a top speed of 334 kph—or 207.54 mph—a speed that Maserati claims make this the fastest ICE-powered sedan in the world. That’s not all, as the 0-62 mph time drops from 4.3 seconds to just 3.9 seconds. If you’re thinking that, wait, this sounds like the same engine as what’s in the Trofeo models, you’re not wrong. It’s not power that makes this Ghibli 334 Ultima faster: it’s “adding lightness,” as the saying goes.

The spoiler, bumper plates, door handles, mirror caps, B- and C-pillars are all made from carbon fiber, as the full carbon exterior kit is standard on this very special Ghibli. The 21-inch Orione wheels in matte dark graphite are wrapped in a special compound tire and the wheels feature aerodynamic features to help the 334 Ultima further slice through the air. The exterior also gets a unique color treatment with its Scia di Persia paintwork with Rubino accents, a painted “334” logo on the front fenders, and the brake calipers are painted in gloss black.

For the inside, you better expect the unique treatments and callback to the Shah of Persia’s 5000 GT to continue. The seats are wrapped in Pale Terracotta leather with vertical center “cannellonis” in black Alcantara. The Maserati trident and 334 logos are stitched in the front headrests and a “334” with “una di 103″—or “one of 103″—is found on the badge on the center console’s carbon trim.

As we mentioned in the opening, the Ghibli won’t be the only final V-8 powered Maserati joining in this celebration. The “Maserati of SUVs” is also helping close out the era with the Levante V8 Ultima. It, too, will be powered by the F154 AM and its 572 hp, 538 lb-ft of torque 3.8 liter twin-turbo V-8 engine. It also gets lightness from use of carbon fiber and the same Pale Terracotta leather seats with a “una di 103” badge, but it comes in two exterior colors: Nero Assoluto black and Blu Royale blue. It also gets the Orione wheels, but in a 22 inch version in glossy black while the “V-8 Ultima” logo is painted on its front fenders in Rubino red.

Both the Levante V-8 Ultima and Ghibli 334 Ultima ran up the Goodwood hill climb as part of the Goodwood Festival of Speed and were on display at the First Glance Paddock. No price or availability have been announced at this time, but don’t expect them to be anywhere near “cheap,” “affordable,” or “reasonable.”