Having mastered unreliable and complicated rebuilds of BMW M cars, YouTuber M539 Restorations needed a new challenge. A 187,000 mile Maserati Quattroporte GTS that arrived with misfires and a flashing check engine light should suffice. Will this be the car that breaks the happy-go-lucky character of M539’s Sreten Milisavljevic? It’s certainly possible.
The Quattroporte GTS is a neat car, however. It’s the last of the V-8 Maseratis, with a twin-turbo V-8 that makes 530 horsepower and sounds wonderful. And this one looks great in dark blue on blue and beige leather. But that doesn’t change the fact that some alarming codes appear when Milisavljevic plugs in a scan tool.
On the lift, the car looks good except for some badly worn brake rotors, a grimy differential cover, and a few leaks from the engine and transmission. But digging deeper reveals that the engine is overfilled with oil and, more worryingly, it appears that the engine has skipped timing and the pistons and valves have met at some point. Strangely, the V-8’s driver’s side cylinders showed too high readings during compression tests. Further testing showed that the oil pressure was good, but the engine is still awaiting at least a partial rebuild.
So it’s going to be a project. But the M539 has already conquered many complex engines, so this Maserati V-8 may not be impossible. Whatever happens, we know we’ll be entertained watching things unfold.
