Maserati is synonymous with spicy - blooded Italian automobiles , and the sports cars featured in the page that follow are some of the good of the breed . But first , let ’s get started with a piffling history .
Maserati is the syndicate name of six brothers from Bologna , a car - construction clan that gained renowned when their Tipo 26 make first in class in the 1926 Targo Florio , the need Sicilian route backwash .
Throughout the thirties , the cable car and locomotive built by the Maseratis were among the fastest , most technically advanced , and most beautiful sporting machine of their geezerhood . Their production - based simple machine pull ahead the biggest European road races , and one of their single - seater even won the Indianapolis 500 in 1939 and 1940 .
Postwar financial pressure push the brothers to betray out to deeper air pocket ; they went on to form Officine Specializate Costruzione Automobili ( OSCA ) in 1947 and to work up racecars into the 1960s .
The Maserati marque , meanwhile , authorize through a succession of owner , the name remaining associated with competition halo on such luminary as the F1 - chamption 250F and the Birdcage sports racer . A small number of route cars weary the Maserati trident after World War II , but the discovery was the3500GTof 1957 , an elegant coupe power by a slipstream - suitable inline - six .
The Sebring coupe and convertible and the striking Giugiaro - styled Ghibli were among the succeeding Maseratis to accompany this formula before the next breakthroughs , the midengine V-8Boraof 1971 and V-6Merakof 1972 .
lead by the Biturbo series , Maserati classify his sporting inherent aptitude to coupes and convertibles through most of the 1980s and 1990s . possession by now was under the giant Fiat group , and for a fourth dimension , Maserati was partly controlled by another Fiat holding , none other than its previous rival , Ferrari .
We ’ll get protrude in the next discussion section with the Maserati A6/1500 .
To learn more about Maserati and other sports cars, see:
Maserati A6/1500
Maserati in Italy built only competition cars in its early geezerhood ( the Twenties and Thirties ) , albeit with great winner . But there was a change of vehemence before long after the Maserati family sold out to the Orsi grouping in 1938 . After World War II , Maserati set about a more serious effort to bring forth not just race cars but road cars too . Thus , the first roadgoing Maserati , style A6/1500 , was formally announced in 1947 ( after two were built the late year ) .
Maserati was still a small-scale concern shin to recover from wartime devastation , so this was a just engineered auto . As you might guess from the identification , baron was supplied by a six - piston chamber engine of approximately 1500 - millilitre translation .
It was , in fact , condescend from the supercharged 6CM twincam racing building block of 1936 . ( Which had n’t been forgotten , just place aside for still - clean car to hail . ) It was considerably less potent though . With normal aspiration and a unmarried overhead camshaft operating opposed valves through rocker weapon system , it render a simple 65 horsepower compare to its parent ’s 175 bhp . One intellect : tune for postwar Italy ’s limited amount of humiliated - grade fuel . The gearbox was a freshly design 4 - swiftness unit from another of the Orsis ’ many businesses .
Like other specialist cable car of these years , the A6/1500 had a ceremonious disjoined chassis , with tubular side - rail and cross - phallus . Front interruption was autonomous via volute springs and wishing bone ; a bouncy axle located by trailing arms rode on ringlet at the rear .
A6/1500 design work had begun as early as 1943 , when Ernesto Maserati lay out the engine , but the war geographical zone crept steadily nigher to Modena , so engine bench - examination did n’t set out until 1945 . The original image had a crude , minute body with separate Allard - comparable cycle fenders , but was afterward rebodied by Pinin Farina , whosecarrozzeriesupplied identically style shells for the entire production run of just 61 unit .
Predictably , all these Maseratis were effectively handbuilt car . After the two 1946 examples , the house complete three in ’ 47 , nine the following year , 25 in 1949 , and 22 the class after that . Included in the totals is a handful of Farina spiders and one Zagato - bodied coupe .
As for performance , the A6/1500 was claimed to do 95 miles per hour all out , though it probably could n’t go that fast . But its chassis was a salutary one , and would serve up well with more powerful 2.0 - liter and twincam engine to come . The A6 even made one or two competition coming into court , though on a private basis .
menial it may have been , but the A6/1500 was at least a beginning for roadgoing Maseratis . By the Sixties , they ’d have engines three times as large producing 500 percent more HP – and price tag to match – but from such flyspeck acorns do mighty oaks rise .
Maserati A6G & A6G/2000
Although still more interested in and need with race cars , Maserati was sufficiently encouraged by the succeeder of its first “ output ” model , the A6/1500 , to design a heir . In retrospect , the new A6 G serial was a foresightful way from Maserati ’s first supercar , the 3500 , but was decidedly a stone’s throw in the right direction .
Actually , there were two Maserati A6 G series in 1951 - 57 . Both used an evolution of the A6 shape , a elementary , robust tubular assemblage spanning a 102 - column inch wheelbase . They also had six - cylinder engine . The conflict is that the later Maserati A6G/2000 had a very unlike twincam locomotive .
It was more often than not check , even within the Orsi crime syndicate , that any A6 renewal would want best treatment and more power , if only to keep yard with Ferrari . Accordingly , the Maserati A6 G receive a modified rear suspension with leaf alternatively of coil springs ( it was good enough for Enzo ) , and a larger 1954 - milliliter engine with 100 horsepower versus the previous 65 . The latter retained the old opposed valve and single overhead camshaft . Body choices were greatly expanded to include cabriolets by Pietro Frua and coupes by Frua , Pinin Farina , Alfredo Vignale , and the occasional Ghia and Bertone one - off .
Despite all this , buyers waited still more . At a time when twincam Masers were competing successfully against Ferraris on the track , the unmarried - cam Maserati A6 G had nowhere near the performance of Ferrari ’s roadgoing V-12s . Thus , after a mere 16 A6Gs , Maserati hustle out the improved A6G54 or A6G/2000 .
The “ 54 ” in the factory designation stand for introduction year , but the substantial significance was in the “ 2000 ” title , for it signalled that Maserati ’s first roadgoing twincam engine was ready at last . This was n’t a return key to the Thirties 6CM unit or even a twincam spiritual rebirth of the exist single - cam six . Rather , it was nothing less than a detuned interpretation of Maserati ’s already famous Formula 2 powerplant . Its bore/ fortuity dimension were unlike from the sohc engine ’s , sacrifice accurate capacitance of 1985 cc . At a rated 150 bhp even in “ abject - output ” shape , it was a far cry from the 65 - bhp locomotive engine of just a few yr earlier . The basic Maserati A6 chassis was retained , and though it had to get by with two - and - half times the power in the 2000 , it was well up to the Book of Job .
The Maserati AG6/2000 bowed at the 1954 Paris Salon , with first delivery of what was in spades a 120 - mph roadgoing Maserati begin in the spring of 1955 . Considering its high price and Maserati ’s still - crude fabrication facilities , the firm did well to sell 61 of these car in three age .
Here , too , coachwork was raise out to variouscarrozzeria(again , it was just enough for Enzo ) . A skim through factory records shows that all 2000s built were two - seat coupes and spider . Among participate coachbuilders were Frua , Zagato , and Allemano but not Farina , at least on this function .
Sad to say , time quickly enamor up with the prompt roadgoing Maserati to day of the month . By 1957 , the firm ’s racing program had produce much - modified and much more powerful 3.5 - liter twincams , while a new V-12 and V-8 were on the direction .
But so was a new grand touring Maserati , one that unfeignedly deserved those oft - abused GT initial . With the 3500 , Maserati would move to the front ranks of gamey - performance Italian road cars .
Maserati 3500GT
The Maserati 3500GT shook up the human race of sport car . By the belated 1950s , everyone knew a sports car looked like a Jaguar XK 140 or an MGA . But there was another species , one less evidently racy , more scarce , very costly , and quite ego - assured : the Maserati 3500GT .
The Maserati brothers get going building racing car in the 1920s , and for four 10 their trident was a strength from the Grands Prix of Europe to the brick of Indianapolis . In 1957 , Juan Manuel Fangio won his fifth Formula 1 Championship in a Maserati . The brothers had by then sold out to cryptic pockets ( and continued racing by found OSCA ) , but Maserati ’s newfangled owners developed money job of their own and sought a cure through “ volume ” production of sporting road cars .
The 3500GT was in reality the third Maserati streetmachine ; about 140 others had trickled out since World War II . But it was the first to match the benchmark Ferrari in prestige and performance , and it did so with little fanfare and no want of confidence . Motor Life’sWayne Thoms gain a raw perspective driving a 3500GT coupe around Beverly Hillsin 1961 . “ The Maser personify the secret of a modern classic , a plan so fine-looking , so simple , that it blends unobtrusively with whatever surrounding is at hired man , ” he indite . “ [ I]t was a pleasant matter , driving an extremely expensive , extremely rare , highly sporting machine without feeling obligated to win two or three blockade light source drags every statute mile . ”
Aside from the engine, little about the car was extraordinary, but the blend worked exceptionally well and was wrapped in elegant coach-work. Buyers could choose a 2+2 coupe from Touring of Milan or a convertible by Vignale of Turin on a two-inch shorter wheelbase. Both used a chassis of steel tubes and panels that was unadventuresome but sturdy. There were coil springs in front, a live axle and leaf springs in back. Front disc brakes and a limited-slip differential were options after 1958, but rack-and-pinion steering never arrived.
Underhood was the existent dainty : a detuned Maserati sport - racing engine . The all - aluminum twincam inline - six had hemispherical combustion chambers and duplicate spark plugs . It beat back through a four - fastness ZF gearbox , with a five speed optional from 1960 and standard from ’ 61 . The trio of Webers eventually was supplanted by Lucas mechanically skillful fuel shot , bringing another 15 hp and a GTI badge . The 3500GT was followed by a long seam of Maserati GTs , but none approached its understated self - authority .
Maserati Sebring
The Maserati Sebring attempted to build up on the sucess of early models . Having earned its stripes in the 1950s as a GT power to be reckoned with , Maserati entered the 1960s intent on expanding this success . With two newfangled models , it would do just that . First to arrive , and our subject here , was the Maserati Sebring , precede at Geneva in 1962 .
It combined all the salutary , new train element of the 3500GTI with more comprehensive equipment and stylish new 2 + 2 bodywork shaped and supplied by Vignale .
room decorator Giovanni Michelotti was still associated with Vignale in those days , so it was n’t surprising that this new notchback coupe looked much like his TR3A - based Triumph Italia being build at the same prison term . highlight included quad headlamp , a rectangular mesh lattice bearing the famed Maserati trident , a pair of functional air vents behind the front wheelarches just above the rockers , and a square - through fenderline linking headlamp fuel pod and taillight clump . B - pillars were graze to match A - column angle , spyglass arena was generous , the bottom neatly pasture .
Options proliferated , mainly with the American food market in thinker . gentle wind conditioning and reflexive transmission were new – and unheard - of – in a Maserati . Special blusher , telegram wheels , and tuner were also offer .
Beneath this comparative sumptuousness was an improved version of the 3500GTI wanderer chassis with a shorter , 98.4 - inch wheelbase . It was more strict than before , but only an Italian car maker would have bothered with such a British Labour Party - intensive design comprise multiple subway system , pressings , stiffener , and brackets .
A totality of 444 Sebrings , all with the same Vignale bodywork , were produced in two serial between 1962 and ’ 66 . Series I model used the GTI ’s 235 - H.P. twincam six . Most Series II examples , all of which were built in 1965 - 66 , carried a 245 - bhp , 3694 - ml enlargement , though a few had an even larger 4.0 - l , 255 - bhp extension . Both these engines were also used in the contemporary Mistral ( see entrance ) .
In its most potent form , the Sebring could touch 150 mph bland out . Alas , that was n’t enough to keep pace with Ferrari ’s young - generation V-12s and new V-8 models from Maserati itself . But the GTI weapons platform was n’t finished yet : the Mistral had blown in , and it was no inauspicious wind .
Maserati Mistral
Named for the famous Mediterranean jazz , Mistral was the second of Maserati ’s new six - cylinder 1960s mannikin . Previewed at the ’ 63 Turin show , it aped the Sebring in using an improved edition of the Maserati 3500GTI chassis but with an even shorter wheelbase . This aided torsional rigorousness , as did newfangled folded members along the rocker panel , reinforcements over the rearward wheelarches , and more sheetmetal around the backside .
The Maserati Mistral was offered in coupe and convertible models , the latter introduced at Geneva in 1964 . Both were two - seaters , unlike the 2 + 2 Sebring . Styling , by Pietro Frua , was unlike too , more rounded and flowing , with a lower beltline and an airier greenhouse with more markedly curved crank .
The coupe featured a large lift - up hatching windowpane somewhat reminiscent of the tardy Porsche 924/944 intervention . In retrospect , overall appearance forecast the Frua - designed AC 428 of 1968 ( even some control board were apparently shared ) . doorway , hood , and rearward deck ( crosshatch on the coupe , trunklid on the convertible ) were aluminum ; the relief of the shell was brand . Maggiora of Turin supplied both bodies under contract .
While a few other models carried the familiar 3.5 - liter Maserati twincam six , most Mistrals had the more potent 3.7- or 4.0 - l variation . Peak power outputs were the same as the Sebring ’s and allowed Maserati to boast about beating the “ 1 hp per cu in . ” figure so magical to Americans in those heady days .
The Maserati Mistral proved quite pop . Most of the entire 948 units were build in 1964 - 68 ( though the last model , a 4.0 - cubic decimetre wanderer , was n’t completed until 1970 ) . As ever , coupes way outsell the convertibles , which accounted for just 120 units .
Nevertheless , Maserati was move on to boastful and better things , so the Mistral would be the last of the traditional front - engine consecutive - six Masers on which the caller had built its dandy postwar success . begin in 1967 , the time to come belonged to the new V-8 Mexico and Ghibli .
Maserati Mexico
The road that run to the Maserati Mexico was tenacious and twisty . In 1965 , Maserati could wait back on two decades of steady betterment and steadily increasing success in route railway car . While more tremendous tourer thanpur sangsports motorcar , they were still Maseratis , and thus exciting , entertaining , and eminently desirable .
But it was fourth dimension to move on in ’ 65 . Maserati ’s twincam six had done beefeater inspection and repair , but was at the end of its maturation life . Then too , more potent Modern V-12 model from Ferrari and parvenu Lamborghini represent a competitive challenge that Maserati ’s pride could not allow to go unanswered .
As with the six , the solvent again came from competition . Nine years before , Maserati had field a monumental and bestially powerful 90 - degree twincam V-8 for the 450S sports - race driver , then went on to use it to the equally famous Type 165 and Type 65 two - seaters of the former Sixties . A detuned version of this 5.0 - liter engine had also power a small run of roadgoing 5000 GTs ( 31 built ) in 1959 - 64 .
Chief engineer Giulio Alfieri place about “ productionizing ” the V-8 for Maserati ’s new - generation route cable car of the late Sixties and beyond ( changing , for example , the cam drive from a string of gears to a childlike chain ) . Its first roadgoing software was Maserati ’s first sedan , the aptly nominate Quattroporte ( four - room access ) of 1963 .
With a 3.5 - inch shorter wheelbase , the QP chassis help as the introduction for a new close - coupled four - tail end coupe , unveiled at the 1965 Turin show as the Maserati Mexico . Much more complex than any late Maserati design , its shape retained the Graeco-Roman front - engine / prat - driving force layout and still shoot much of its strength from large - diameter tubelike member , but was further tighten with several boxed and fabricate steel sections .
In its first two year , the Quattroporte had used a De Dion rear suspension , then reverted to an Russian Orthodox alive axle on semi - elliptic leaf give . The latter was retained for the Mexico , along with Maserati ’s usual coil - and - wishbone front suspension , recirculating - Lucille Ball power guidance , and all - platter brakes .
The V-8 was magnanimous and beefy enough to accommodate displacements of 4.2 to 4.9 cubic decimetre . In initial Maserati Mexico guise it was sized at 4.7 liters and delivered 290 horsepower , good for a top speeding of over 155 miles per hour . Together with a solid chassis and capable road manners , it made the Mexico one very tight and very suitable GT .
Alas , you would n’t screw it from the Vignale styling , which was obviously Italian but rather bland . Overall , the Maserati Mexico resembled a somewhat with child Sebring with most of the quality removed .
Which excuse why it was overshadow for gauze-like smasher and sex appeal by other flow supercars , including Maserati ’s own Ghibli ( see entry ) – which in bit perhaps explains why it did n’t betray as well as Maserati hoped . Historians tell us that most Mexicos went to France and Switzerland . A few landed in Italy , few still in the U.S. Certainly none went to Mexico !
In fact , the Maserati Mexico virtually vanish after its erstwhile replacement , the shapely Vignale - plan Indy , came along , but remained in the catalog all the way through 1973 , though production was minuscule after 1968 . A 4.1 - litre choice with “ only ” 260 bhp was instituted the undermentioned year , mainly to position the car downmarket from the Indy and Ghibli .
As with most “ fact ” occupy Italian specialty marques , it ’s wise to be cautious about yield figures . Several respected sources lay claim the amount was 250 units , while another list 468 . Is the latter more nearly correct ?
Maserati Ghibli
Has there ever been a car more beautiful than the Maserati Ghibli ? Even acknowledging the subjectivity of the question , few peers occur to mind . There ’s for certain no disputing its tremendous impact . By any banner , the Ghibli was the most memorable Maserati yet . More than two X after its late-1966 debut , there are those who say it still is .
Like the Mistral and the later Khamsin , the Maserati Ghibli was named for a famous European wind ( reflecting Maserati ’s preference for such name at the meter ) . And indeed , as road exam presently present , it was a real stormer . But for many , it was enough to simply gaze upon the wolf , conceived in 1965 - 66 by Giorgio Giugiaro , then headman house decorator at Ghia . No wonder the humans motoring imperativeness sit up and took real placard of this remarkably endow young Italian .
Turning to more mundane matters , the Maserati Ghibli divvy up canonical chassis and run geared wheel with the Quattroporte sedan chair and Mexico coupe ( see entry ) , no surprisal come from a humble car maker . Wheelbase , however , was deoxidize 3.5 column inch from the Maserati Mexico ’s for this strict two - seater GT .
The Maserati Ghibli thus had the same cannular chassis stiffen by pressing , folding , and fabrications , and had to make do with a simple lively rear axle on semi - elliptic foliage springs . Like the Maserati Mexico , it had disk brake system all - round . If none of this seemed very exciting next to obvious rival like the Ferrari 275 GTB and Lamborghini 400 GT , nobody seemed to bear in mind , and it did n’t suffer performance or readability one turn .
suitably for the prettiest Maserati to day of the month , the Ghibli get in with the 4.7 - l version of the firm ’s excellent twincam V-8 in its most brawny form to particular date : 330 horsepower . A 5 - fastness ZF gearbox was standard ; Borg - Warmer 3 - speed automatic became optional in 1969 .
The styling , of course , turn every top dog . Long , low , and wide , the MAserati Ghibli crouched on the road like no previous Maserati – which was no illusion . Overall height was only 46 inches , so inner dynamic headroom was rather limited , though that did n’t dissuade basketball ace Wilt “ The Stilt ” Chamberlain from Ghibli possession . At 180 inch long overall , this was also one of the lengthy European two - seaters ever built , but the foresightful - hood / light - deck proportion were flawless .
The Maserati Ghibli ’s dandy , low , hidden - headlamp nozzle with broad bifurcated grille would show up again on the Giugiaro - designed Bora and Merak mid - engine Maseratis of the Seventies . Some say the Aston Martin DBS of 1967 borrowed some Ghibli item ( check the side - windowpane shape and see if you agree ) , but for sure no one except Giugiaro could have produced such an artful yet aggressive car , long on personality if short on practicality .
Some of this apply only to the original fastback coupe , which in 1969 was joined by a wanderer fellow traveller that , if anything , was even lovelier . It was a full convertible , of course , blessedly free of “ targa bars ” and other excrescences . Its textile ceiling stowed completely out of sight beneath a hinged covering fire behind the cockpit ; a detachable hardtop was optionally available for winter drive . At the same sentence , interiors were spruced up and the dashboard redesigned .
The Maserati Ghibli became even more desirable in 1970 , when Maserati substituted its ultimate 4.9 - cubic decimetre V-8 with 335 bhp in European passementerie . This was mainly a concession to emissions ascendance for the American market , where output was somewhat abject . spider so equip were tagged SS ( which must have irked Chevrolet ) .
Alas , all good thing must come to an closing . The Maserati Ghibli ’s came in 1973 with the introduction of its direct successor , the Khamsin . Though more technically advanced , it was n’t nearly as inspiring to appear at . Which mean that the 1274 Maserati Ghiblis build still are n’t enough to go around .
Maserati Indy
The Maserati Indy was part of a change of focussing for this Greco-Roman automaker . Maserati was positively booming by 1969 , and ready to terminate overhauling its entire batting order . Straight - six models were being phased out , while their V-8 replacements – the two - seat Maserati Ghibli and four - seat Maserati Mexico coupe and Quattroporte sedan – were look after their respective grocery store . All that stay was a new 2 + 2 . It look in ’ 69 as the Maserati Indy .
conceive in 1968 , the Maserati Indy was first displayed as a Vignale prototype at that year ’s Turin show , though it was so obviously a production design that no one was surprised when it seem in Maserati showroom . It was charge as let unit structure , which meant that the Vignale - built body was now welded to the physique rather of bolted on .
cautiously sized between Maserati ’s Quattroporte and Ghibli , the Indy ride a 102.4 - column inch wheelbase but stride wider cart track than either of its stable companion , signalling that Maserati , like most other carmakers , was moving toward wider , roomy bodies . Suspension , steerage , and brakes were the usual transportation , but the Indy used somewhat simpler chassis construction than other Masers . As announce , it carried the Mexico ’s humble 4.1 - liter 260 - HP locomotive , mating to standard ZF 5 - speed gearbox or optional 3 - speed Borg - Warner automatonlike .
Despite a certain visual law of similarity with the Maserati Ghibli , the Maserati Indy had nothing in common with it and only a few partake in element , namely hidden headlight , a richly - tailed fastback roofline , and flowing lower - trunk contour line . Aside from standing five inches improbable , it differed in having token “ + 2 ” seating ( assuming small and/or limber back seaters ) , more salient Bel - office , longer rear fourth part window , and a lift - up rearward hatching for cargo - hold access .
It also neither face as tight nor was as fast as the exceptional Ghibli . But it was a very worthy Maserati . And , of path , a more mod 2 + 2 than the Sebring and Mexico it efficaciously replace .
Changes during the Maserati Indy ’s relatively brief , five - twelvemonth life consisted in the main of upgrade V-8s thatwereborrowed from the Ghibli : the 290 - bhp 4.7 , offered begin in 1970 , and the 335 - bhp 4.9 from 1973 . Some might call this flurry the government issue , but Maserati belike viewed it as offering its client the wide potential alternative .
A total of 1136 Indys were produced between 1969 and ’ 74 . At one point , the factory was turning out four Maserati Ghiblis and five Maserati Indys a week . Among the latter was a specially sew U.S. adaptation , predictably called Indy America .
Alas , meter and context precluded a unmediated Indy successor , at least from Maserati . Alejandro de Tomaso was in mastery by 1976 , and he ushered in a reengineered version of his Mercedes SL - lookalike Longchamps as Maserati ’s “ new ” Kyalami .
Maserati Bora
The Maserati Bora represented was Maserati ’s attempt to join the brigade of mid - engine sports cars . After the well - engender 3500 , Maserati introduced a serial of extremist - conventional GTs that , except for the Giugiaro - styled Ghibli in 1966 , neglect to wake much cacoethes . By 1970 , the hot exoticars were mid - engined , a move Maserati finally connect in 1971 .
This was another Giugiaro work , oneRoad & Trackcalled “ strikingly bounteous , fair and slightly brutal - looking . ” It employ an all - steel unibody and a longitudinal drivetrain jump on to a bolted on subframe . separate from the two - seat cabin by double - pane rear glass and an upholstered cover was another tame Maserati racing locomotive : a 310 - hp quad - River Cam 4.7 - liter V-8 . It drive the rear rack through a five - speed ZF transaxle as used in Ford ’s GT40 survival racers . In 1975 , Maserati substituted its 4.9 - cubic decimeter 320 - hp V-8 to pay for index exit on emissions - regulate American fashion model . This engine was standardized for Europe in 1976 .
hiatus was independent scroll all - circular , steering was manual rack - and - pinion . Citroën had taken over Maserati in the mid-1960s and its presence showed in Bora ’s all - bicycle disc - brake organization , which was trigger off by the French company ’s alone high - pressing hydraulics .
The Bora used a conventional bracken pedal rather than Citroën ’s mushroom cloud - shaped button , but enjoyed the same “ no - travel ” action . All foot pedal were adjustable for scope – a first for any production car – and with the standard tilt / scope steering wheel , breeze conditioning , and baron window , Bora was more accommodating than most Latin supercars .
Around townsfolk it could palpate heavy and the engine , spitting and hack at low revolutions per minute , did n’t seem to promise much , what with the modest 5500 - revolutions per minute redline . But the Bora fare alive in the work force of a bright , debauched driver . Third paraphernalia was good for 118 mph and the communicatory steering and well - sorted reprieve made it , inR&T ’s sentiment , “ one of the best - handle car money can buy . ”
From 1972 through ’ 83 , Maserati sold a version of this car called the Merak with
a V-6 engine that allowed for +2 rear seats. After Citroën sold out to Alejandro deTomaso in the mid-1970s, deTomaso kept both cars alive, but no improved versions were developed, leaving the Bora as the pinnacle of Maserati’s roadgoing performance.
Maserati Merak
When Maserati started working on its first mid - engine road car in 1968 , it had two versions in mind . One was a V-8 model , which materialized as the Maserati Bora . The other would be a less expensive V-6 car with more components borrowed from new proprietor Citroën . The result arrive a year behind the big - engine middie as the Merak , which looked back to the bang-up six - cylinder Maseratis of the Fifties and Sixties and ahead to the brave new Seventies world of mid - engine in high spirits performance .
The Maserati Merak shared the Bora ’s chassis , pause , steering , high - force per unit area hydraulic brakes , basic styling , and advancing structure ahead of the vitamin B complex - pillar . The principal differences picture up in and behind the cockpit , and were sufficient to give the Merak its own unique character .
Starting outside , the Maserati Bora ’s hard rearward hatching and triangular side window were replace by a flat engine cover version flanked by spyglass - less , unstressed , strictly decorative “ vanish buttressing , ” thus keeping a fastback visibility . Beneath the pack of cards , in longitudinal midships position , was the new 3.0 - liter twincam V-6 Maserati had design for Citroën ’s front - drive SM sport coupe , situated to turn the rear wheels through a modify version of the same 5 - speed transaxle .
The V-6 was shorter than the Bora ’s V-8 , and combined with a fuel tank re - sited to the nose to liberate a small more cockpit space . This was return over to a pair of bantam “ + 2 ” seats lacking in the Bora , hard up against the rear bulkhead . They were frankly useless except for carrying luggage , as the cushion were almost on the floor and the back bolt - just .
A more startling difference – and a monitor of the Citroën / Maserati “ marriage ” – was the Maserati Merak instrument panel , lifted intact from the samarium along with its steering bike . This generated by all odds mixed reaction , and would be abandoned ( after Citroën and Maserati “ divorced ” ) in party favor of a four - speak wheel and new Italianate dash with right stave ( versus oval ) official document .
Unfortunately , sharing so much with the Bora result the Merak scantily 150 Egyptian pound lighter . And with just 190 HP on tap , it was decidedly slow ( and dissatisfactory , even , to some critics ) . On the other script , it was cheaper by some $ 5000 , still quite a hunk of modification in the former Seventies , and its operation was n’t allthatbad : about 9.5 endorsement 0 - 60 mph and 135 mph categorical out .
In fact , many people were felicitous to finalize for a Maserati Merak , which look as good as a Bora , handled and stopped as well , and had the same sort of exoticar prestige . The burly Bora was okay for Europe , but the Merak made more sentiency and provide good note value for speed - restrict Americans .
The Maserati Merak interpret little variety through the conclusion of 1975 , then give way to the much - modified Merak SS . This was prompted by the aforementioned “ divorce ” and Maserati ’s subsequent takeover by De Tomaso , which quickly typeset about rid itself of inherited Citroën applied science influence . Thus , the Bora ’s ZF transaxle and formal brakes were replace along with the new dash , and the body contract bridge shifted from Padane to Osi .
Workmanship did n’t improve much , but handling did , thanks to wider wheels and tires ; a small chin coddler was added for better high - speed stability . Performance improved too , in Europe , with a V-6 tuned to 220 bhp . Alas , U.S. models remained at about 180 bhp ( SAE net ) . Shortly afterwards , De Tomaso come forth a detrimmed 2.0 - litre “ taxation break ” special for Italian buyers only .
Though the Maserati Bora disappeared in 1980 , the Maserati Merak carried on through 1983 . Still , it was not a handsome winner bulk - wise . Maserati ’s sporadic presence in the U.S. market after 1975 , where the car could have sold much better than it did , hardly help . The 2.0 - liter ( drop in ’ 79 ) see only 133 copies , while 3.0 - liter output totalled just 1699 . Thus ended another one of those full self-propelled idea robbed of a just opportunity by a combination of unforeseen circumstance and inauspicious timing .
Maserati Khamsin
The Maserati Khamsin , name after the live violent wind of the Egyptian desert , bowed at the 1972 Turin show and again at Paris ’ 73 , but did n’t go on sale until 1974 . Maserati ’s traditional front - engine GT needed freshening again by the other 1970s . The result was a new model efficaciously replacing both the Maserati Indy and , in fact if not spirit up , the Maserati Ghibli .
The Khamsin was as much a divergence for Maserati as the mid - locomotive Bora and Merak . First , it was a cross between the two - seat Maserati Ghibli and 2 + 2 Maserati Indy , a sort of “ 2 + 1 ” if you will . Second , it was the first Maserati mould by Bertone , with Marcello Gandini of Lamborghini fame doing the honors . Last but not least , it was the first front - engine Maserati to carry the unique engineering stamp of Citroën , which then controlled the Italian concern .
Visually , it owed more to the Maserati Ghibli than the Maserati Indy , with the same sort of squashed fastback roof and lengthy exhaust hood , though the precipitously indicate nose and snappy contouring were quite unique . As he had on Lamborghini ’s Espada , Gandini pencil in a glass board between the taillamps , and it was just as utilitarian in this low - passenger .
Under the hood and mount somewhat back in the bod was the late interlingual rendition of the familiar twincam V-8 . Unlike old Maseratis , though , all Khamsins carried the same 4.9 - cubic decimeter unit with a literal 320 H.P. for Europe , 315 bhp in emission - legal U.S. trim . Transmission option still comprised the omnipresent 5 - velocity manual ( preferred by more sporting buyers ) or optional Borg - Warner 3 - speed automatic .
The Maserati Khamsin was apparently just as slippery as previous Maseratis , for top amphetamine ranged from 140 to 160 miles per hour depending on transmission and locomotive engine tune . But less than flat out , it was a curious compounding of the traditional and futuristic . The latter was exemplified by the hydraulically powered guidance and brakes , both of which take a lot of practice session for smooth driving .
As on Citroën ’s SM , the direction would self - pith even with the automobile at rest , was fingertip lite , and lightning quick at a mere 2.0 turns lock - to - curl . The brake were just as thin-skinned , wanton to lock up with a refinement too much pedal pressure . Handling , by contrast , was comfortable to get used to , and very balanced thanks to the near even fore / aft weight distribution .
Inside , the driving posture was pure Italian supercar , but ergonomics were far from state - of - the - art and the canonic clime organization was just that . The ride was harsh , rear - bum accommodation the usual item gesture .
With all this , the Khamsin was not a successful crusade even by Maserati standards . Had it not appeared on the evening of the first Energy Crisis , which precipitated Citroën ’s sudden pullout and several baffling years for Maserati , it might have sold better . As it was , only 421 were call for over eight years of production . The summit year was the first , 1974 , when a grand 96 were built .
Maserati Kyalami
It was the first – and so far only – ” badge - engineer ” supercar , but the Kyalami had a genuine Maserati heart . To understand why , you have to go back to the early Seventies and the De Tomaso Longchamp .
Alejandro de Tomaso had produced the mid - locomotive engine Pantera ( see entry ) with Ford ’s supporter and encouragement . The next of his Dearborn - power cars appear at the end of 1970 . This was the Deauville , a shapely four - door sedan with front - hop on Ford V-8 and Ghia styling much like that of the Jaguar XJ6 , which it also aped in sizing . The Longchamp arrived two twelvemonth afterward on a shortened version of this chopine , with trim notchback coupe styling by Frua emulating the line of Mercedes ’ Sendero Luminoso .
Predictably , the Kyalami portion out the Longchamp ’s unproblematic , all - sword building block dead body / chassis bodily structure and public square - set Frua styling , but got a rework front with quadriceps headlamps and a typical Maserati grille , plus venial rear - final stage variety . The Longchamp ’s all - self-governing dangling , which naturally dissent from former Maserati setups , was also retained , but the Italian twincam V-8 was installed instead of the physically similar 351 Ford .
De Tomaso was already using the ZF 5 - speed gear box Maserati qualify for the Khamsin , so this was keep , but not its optional Borg - Warner automatonlike , which give way to Chrysler TorqueFlite ( replace the Longchamp ’s Ford transmission ) . The issue of all this was that De Tomaso had two very exchangeable 2 + 2s that efficaciously contend with each other .
In an apparent effort to distance the new hybrid from the 4.9 - liter Khamsin , the first 100 Kyalamis transport the 4136 - cubic centimetre V-8 , with a rated 255 SAE nett HP giving a top hurrying of “ only ” 147 miles per hour . The big engine became optional in 1978 , this time with 280 bhp ( SAE net ) , and both sizes keep for the quietus of the elevator car ’s career .
Despite De Tomaso ’s aim , Maserati client never took to the Kyalami . The pedigree Maserati locomotive engine was a braggart plus over the Longchamp ’s American iron in both performance and prestige , but most vendee understandably regard the car itself as a half - breed . product wound down in early 1983 after only 150 units , and the Kyalami restfully faded off in party favour of the first “ mass - marketplace ” Maserati , the very different Biturbo sports sedan .
