Maybe the Colorado man who offered his 1985 Maserati Biturbo to the “Clunkers For Cash” program in order to purchase a used Subaru Impreza knew exactly what he was doing.
While the 25-year Italian sports car can be categorized as rare, it’s certainly not in high demand.
In fact, the 1984 Maserati Bitiurbo has a dubious distinction. It’s listed as No. 37 on the Time Magazine list of Worst Cars in History. The same Maserati is also made the dubious list called “Crap Cars” compiled by the BBC. It’s also cited on some lists as the worst car made in 1984.
The 1985 Maserati Biturbo is, however, unique. Among the thousands of old largely American pick-up trucks and SUVs turned in across the country in the “Cash For Clunkers” program, it currently rests majestically in a Colorado car dealership lot graveyard waiting for its demise.
The man who turned in the Maserati Biturbo (with only 18,480 miles on the odometer) received $3,500 in federally funded money and then used it to purchase his new used Subaru.
It its description of the 1984 Maserati Biturbo, Time Magazine said in part:
“Biturbo, of course, is Italian for ‘expensive junk.’ At least, it is now, after Maserati tried to pass off this bitter heartbreak-on-wheels as a proper grand touring sedan. The Biturbo was the product of a desperate, under-funded company circling the drain of bankruptcy, and it shows. Everything that could leak, burn, snap or rupture did so with the regularity of the Anvil Chorus.”
Article Last Updated: August 14, 2009.
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A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida.
An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.
