The First Production Car To Use Twin-Turbocharging

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Thursday, 2 Jul 2026 22:30 0 2 autotech

The First Production Car To Use Twin-Turbocharging

There once was a time when having a turbo on your car meant something. This was the epitome of performance a few decades ago, and there would be a big badges everywhere on your car in case the fact had gone unnoticed by anyone. But these days, unless your car is electric or hybrid, it will probably be turbocharged. Enthusiasts even get excited when a naturally aspirated model is launched, such as a Mazda Miata or Ford Mustang. Even non-turbo electric cars are called Turbo these days. For Sports Cars, a twin-turbo setup is de rigueur too, which is often more efficient or effective than a single. But where did all this double turbocharger business come from? Turns out the origin is almost completely forgotten.

Table of Contents

Single Turbocharging Started In The ’60s

1963 Oldsmobile Jetfire Turbo V8 Front Three Quarter

Mecum

Twin Turbocharging Was Designed To Fix Forced Induction’s Problems

The BMW 2002 Turbo proved turbocharging’s potential, but also exposed its early flaws

Cars like the BMW 2002 Turbo showed that forced induction could be used to great effect when it arrived in 1973, but anyone driving one would be able to listen to the entire weather forecast on their AM radio while waiting for the turbo to kick in. The first Porsche 911 (930) Turbo launched in 1974. While it packed a three-liter, 260-horsepower flat-six and could hit 60 mph in 5.7 seconds, it too suffered from lag and gained the nickname “the widowmaker” partly from its unpredictable power delivery. Double turbo engines were created as an answer, and this application is what we see on most cars these days, including the BMW M3 and M4’s ultra-reliable S58 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six. But this tech wasn’t first seen on a Porsche, a BMW, an Audi, or even a Chevy — it was something much more obscure.

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The Maserati Biturbo Was The First Twin Turbo Production Car

Maserati is an Italian sports car brand that was founded in 1914, and by the ’60s and ’70s it was right up there with Ferrari and Lamborghini as a purveyor of delectable sports cars. The Merak, Bora, and Ghibli were all marketed as high-end, exquisite creations for the rich and famous — it’s just that not many people bought them. The Merak, for example, was a relatively big seller for Maserati, but just 1,830 units left the factory.

As the ’80s loomed on the horizon, the company’s owner, Alejandro De Tomaso, decided that it needed a radical shift to help sell more cars. Rather than concentrating on exotic supercars, he wanted an everyday model that would serve as a high-end alternative to a small two-door BMW 3-Series. That car would be the Biturbo of 1981, and, as the name suggested, it had not one, but two turbochargers under the hood.

The Engine Was Incredibly Forward Thinking

Think turbocharging and the early ’80s, and you’ll probably think of the original Ur Audi Quattro. But while Audi was bringing turbocharging to the masses, the Maserati Biturbo was one step ahead. Under the hood of this boxy two-door was a new, compact 90-degree V6 that was fed by two small turbochargers — a world first for a production car. The six-cylinder engine was just 2.0 liters to keep it within Italian government tax laws, with three valves per cylinder (two intake, one exhaust), and a single overhead camshaft.

The parallel twin-turbo system meant the turbos worked together, one for each cylinder bank. The benefit of dual turbos is that they can be smaller, meaning they spool up more quickly than one larger unit, thus reducing turbo lag. Other cars, such as the later Porsche 959, used a sequential twin turbocharged engine, with a smaller turbo working at lower revs before a larger kicks in.

The Biturbo Was Quicker Than Its Reputation Suggests

While the Maseratis of old were svelte and sporty, the Biturbo was boxy and bluff, suggesting that it wasn’t all that quick. But the Biturbo had a surprising turn of speed. The original V6 twin-turbo engine had 180 hp at 6,000 rpm, but with just 2,394 pounds to haul around, the car could hit 60 mph in as little as 6.1 seconds. A 1982 Audi Quattro needed 7.8 seconds to reach 60 mph, and that was four-wheel-drive.

1986 Maserati Biturbo 425 (automatic)

Engine	Twin-turbocharged 2.5-liter V6
Horsepower	205 hp
Torque	260 lb-ft
0-60 mph	7.9 seconds
Quarter Mile	16 seconds

In 1983, the more powerful Biturbo S arrived with twin intercoolers (distinguished by the two NACA air ducts on the hood), and in 1986 and 1987, both models received fuel injection. While the 2.0-liter remained a domestic market-only model, the export markets received 2.5- and 2.8-liter versions, right up to 275 hp. Maserati offered Spyder and four-door versions too. A 1986 Maserati Biturbo 425 with an automatic reached 60 mph in a fairly impressive 7.9 seconds.

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The Biturbo Was More Popular Than People Give It Credit For

The Maserati Biturbo has long been a cheap (more on that later) way to claim you own a desirable Italian exotic badge at dinner parties, but its reputation has also long been that of a car that dragged this illustrious name down. The company only really started to be revived as a serious sports car builder with the introduction of the game-changing 3200 GT in 1998. But the hate that the Biturbo gets sells this model short. In fact, it was a revelation, at least when it came to production and order books.

The Biturbo was sold right up until 1990 in the US, and more than 5,000 made it to these shores. In fact, more than 38,000 Biturbos were built for the worldwide market, says Hemmings, which wasn’t bad for a boutique Italian sports car manufacturer. The Biturbo even went out with a bang thanks to the wild Karifs and Shamals that were based on the model.

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The Biturbo Is An Exotic Bargain In 2026

Front 3/4 pic of a 1987 Maserati Biturbo Spyder

Thanks to the Biturbo’s ubiquity, and likely a bit of snobbery surrounding this boxy exotic, it is pretty cheap on the used market. Hagerty Valuation Tools put the good condition price for a 180-hp Biturbo coupe at just $4,900. A 1986 car with the 192-hp 2.5-liter mill will cost $10,000. Later Spyders cost a little more — but not much — with 1991 2.5-liter cars having a value of $13,800.

Before we grab the checkbook, however, it is worth noting that Biturbos, especially the earlier cars, are notoriously unreliable and expensive to fix if they go wrong. Hemmings says that owners have spent tens of thousands on cars worth $11,000, so it is worth finding an example that has already had all the necessary work carried out. But one thing you can’t argue with is that this forgotten Italian car was a bigger game changer than a lot of people give it credit for.