Maserati Khamsin

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Maserati
Maserati Khamsin (1975)
Maserati Khamsin (1975)
Khamsin
Production period: 1973-1982
Class : Sports car
Body versions : Combi coupe
Engines: Otto engine :
4.9 liters (235 kW)
Length: 4400 mm
Width: 1800 mm
Height: 1245 mm
Wheelbase : 2550 mm
Empty weight : 1550 kg
Previous model Maserati Ghibli

The Maserati Khamsin (internal designation: Tipo AM120 ) was a sports car produced by the Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati from 1973 to 1982. It replaced the previously discontinued Ghibli and was at times the only front-engined coupé in the company's model range, which was otherwise characterized by the mid-engine sports cars Bora and Merak . The Khamsin appeared at a difficult economic time for Maserati. It was the last newly developed vehicle for which Maserati used technical components from Citroën . The sales of the Khamsin fell far short of expectations. Today it is considered the most underrated classic Maserati.

background

The Maserati Ghibli, produced from 1966 to 1973, was Maserati's flagship in the late 1960s. It followed the standard layout with a front engine and rear wheel drive . After Maserati was taken over by Citroën in 1967 - initially on a pro rata basis, Maserati relied on mid-engine sports cars from the early 1970s, which were intended to be a reaction to the successful sports cars of its competitor Lamborghini . With a view to the Lamborghini Miura, the Maserati Bora was created, and the significantly cheaper Merak derived from it was aimed at the smaller Lamborghini Urraco and the Dino 246 from Ferrari . Not all customers were convinced by the new mid-engine concept, so there was still a need for a traditionally designed, fast Gran Turismo . The Ghibli was now "getting on in years". In 1971 Maserati decided to develop a successor with the technical concept of the Ghibli, for which as many parts from Citroën as possible were to be used.

The result was the Khamsin, which, following a tradition of the company, was named after a wind. The Khamsin is a wind from the Arabian desert in the countries southeast of the Mediterranean.

Structure and technology

Giulio Alfieri was responsible for the construction of the Khamsin . It was the last Maserati Alfieri designed before leaving his long-term employer following the takeover of the company by Alejandro De Tomaso in 1975.

body

striking rear view: Maserati Khamsin
inner space

The steel body was designed to be self-supporting . Marcello Gandini designed them for Bertone ; The body-in-white was also manufactured at Bertone.

The Khamsin was a two-door hatchback coupe. It was approved as a 2 + 2-seater, although the rear emergency seats "could not be used at all". They were uncomfortable and there was almost no leg or headroom.

Gandini's body design was perceived as "contemporary", "unique" or "extraordinary"; individual voices describe the khamsin as a "creative jewel". A special feature of the body was its pronounced wedge shape and the very long bonnet. The rear window also served as a trunk lid. At the stern, standing vertically, there was another glazed surface that opened up a view of the trunk and into which the taillights were embedded. This design element followed the Lamborghini Espada and its forerunner, the Marzal show car designed by Gandini . The front part fell off sharply; in it were folding headlights recessed.

The version of the Khamsin produced for the US market looked significantly different from 1974, especially in the rear area. Due to American safety regulations, the car had bulky bumpers at the front and rear. The rear lights of the US vehicles were not in the glazed rear wall, but were placed on the sheet metal parts below. Overall, the taillights of the US vehicles were significantly lower than on the European models.

The interior of the Khamsin was largely perceived as "disappointing". Observers missed the elegance of earlier models and criticized a “clumsy” or “somewhat ostentatious style in which the cheap-looking, confusingly arranged switches (...) stood out more clearly than before.” It was a nightmare-like mish-mash of 70s kitsch and a comedy. The processing was described as "moderate" or "casual"; German testers in particular criticized the lack of practical details and “the complete lack of storage space”.

Chassis and drive technology

The technique of the Khamsin corresponded in large parts to that of the Ghibli. The wheelbases of both models matched. However, the landing gear had been redesigned. Instead of the rigid axle on leaf springs used in the Ghibli , which had been criticized for years, the new model had individually suspended wheels at the rear on double wishbones . The power steering with speed-dependent assistance came from the Citroën SM ; the steering forces increased with increasing speed. The braking system also came from Citroën. The disc brakes were operated by a high-pressure system filled with the green LHM (liquide hydraulique minerale) fluid. The hydraulics also operated the clutch, the mechanism for the folding headlights and the seat adjustment.

A 4.9 liter eight-cylinder engine was available, the output of which was reduced from 335 hp (246 kW) to 320 hp (235 kW) compared to that of the Ghibli. A five-speed manual transmission was standard; on request there was a three-speed automatic. The engine was installed behind the front axle; this resulted in an almost balanced weight distribution.

production

The prototype of the Khamsin was presented at the Turin Motor Show in 1972. Maserati presented the production version at the 1973 Geneva Motor Show. At the end of the same year, it went into production.

There are different details about the scope of production. Some sources speak of 421, others of 435 copies. Another source gives total emissions of 417 vehicles, which are distributed over the individual years as follows: 5 (1973), 97 (1974), 69 (1975), 37 (1976), 69 (1977), 72 (1978) , 42 (1979), 12 (1980), 11 (1981) and 3 (1982).

Special versions

Unlike in the case of the Ghibli, there was no factory-made open version of the Khamsin. However, there is a single “Khamsin Spyder” (chassis number 1030) and a “Khamsin T-Top” (chassis number 1142). The Spyder is a vehicle built in 1975 that was delivered to a customer in the USA as a production coupé. There it was subsequently converted into a two-seater Spyder. The workshop that carried out this conversion is not known. The vehicle still exists. It was offered for sale by Christie's in February 2007 on the occasion of the Rétromobile Paris . The T-Top is a vehicle built in 1977 with removable Targa roof halves. It was converted by Hurst Hatches on behalf of the importer Maserati Automobiles California Inc. before delivery to a US customer. a. also equipped the Pontiac models TransAm and Firebird with T-tops. The vehicle still exists in its delivery condition. It was put up for sale by Bonhams in February 2015 on the occasion of Rétromobile Paris .

Technical specifications

Maserati Khamsin
Engine:  Eight-cylinder gasoline engine, V configuration
Displacement:  4930 cc
Bore × stroke:  93.3 x 89 mm
Power:  320 hp
Compression:  8.5: 1
Mixture preparation:  4 Weber twin carburettors (type 42 DCNF)
Valve control:  four overhead camshafts
Cooling:  Water cooling
Transmission:  manual five-speed transmission,
optionally automatic three-speed transmission
Front suspension:  Double wishbones, coil springs
Rear suspension:  Double wishbones, coil springs
Brakes:  front and rear disc brakes
Body:  self-supporting steel body
Wheelbase:  2550 mm
Dimensions
(length × width × height): 		 4400 × 1805 × 1140 mm
Empty weight:  1550 kg
Top speed:  275 km / h

Test values

  • 0-60 km / h 3.2 s
  • 0–80 km / h 5.0 s
  • 0-100 km / h 6.6 s
  • 0–120 km / h 8.7 s
  • 0–140 km / h 11.4 s
  • 0–160 km / h 14.5 s
  • 0–180 km / h 18.9 s
  • 0-200 km / h 23.8 s
  • 1 km with a standing start: 26.2 s
  • Top speed: 272.7 km / h

swell

  • Georg Amtmann, Halwart Schrader: Italian sports cars . Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-613-01988-4 .
  • Dean Bachelor, Chris Poole, Graham Robson : The Big Book of Sports Cars . Müller, Erlangen 1990 (no ISBN)
  • Kevin Brazendale: Encyclopedia of automobiles from Alfa Romeo to Zagato . Augsburg (Weltbild Verlag) 2000, ISBN 3-8289-5384-0 .
  • Martin Buckley: Maserati. Italian luxury and flair . Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2012. ISBN 978-3-86852-633-2 .
  • Martin Buckley, Chris Rees: Cars. An Encyclopedia Of The World's Most Fabulous Automobiles , Hermes House, London 2002, ISBN 978-0-681-78322-5
  • Cancellieri, Gianni, et al. (Ed.): Maserati. Catalog raisonné 1926–2003 . Automobilia, Milan 2003. ISBN 88-7960-151-2
  • Richard Heseltine: Bred Wedge . Presentation of the Maserati Khamsin in: Classic & Sports Car, issue April 2001, p. 108 ff.
  • Götz Leyrer: Summit meeting . Comparative test in: Auto Motor und Sport issue 9/1978, p. 34 ff.
  • David Lillywhite, Halwart Schrader : Classic Automobiles. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-613-02552-3
  • Frank Oleski, Hartmut Lehbrink: Series sports cars . Könemann, Cologne 1993, ISBN 3-89508-000-4 .
  • Tabucchi, Maurizio: Maserati. All Grand Prix, Sports and GT vehicles from 1926 until today. Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2004. ISBN 3-89880-211-6
  • Jean-Paul Thévénet: La maserati Khamsin. Rêve et des lires , test report in L'Automobile magazine.

Web links

Commons : Maserati Khamsin  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Dean Bachelor, Chris Poole, Graham Robson: The great book of sports cars . Müller, Erlangen 1990 (no ISBN), p. 282.
  2. ^ A b Martin Buckley, Chris Rees: Cars. An Encyclopedia Of The World's Most Fabulous Automobiles , Hermes House, London 2002, ISBN 978-0-681-78322-5 , p. 190.
  3. ↑ The Quattroporte II from 1974, also designed with Citroën technology, was not produced in series.
  4. ^ Martin Buckley: Maserati. Italian luxury and flair . Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2012. ISBN 978-3-86852-633-2 , p. 108.
  5. ^ Martin Buckley: Maserati. Italian luxury and flair . Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2012. ISBN 978-3-86852-633-2 , p. 76.
  6. ^ A b Georg Amtmann, Halwart Schrader: Italian sports cars . Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-613-01988-4 , p. 304.
  7. ↑ De Tomaso fired Alfieri a few days after the takeover was completed. See Hans-Karl Lange: Maserati. The other Italian sports car , Zsolnay, Vienna, 1993, ISBN 3-552-05102-3 , p. 53.
  8. ^ A b c d Kevin Brazendale: Encyclopedia of automobiles from Alfa Romeo to Zagato . Augsburg (Weltbild Verlag) 2000, ISBN 3-8289-5384-0 , p. 388.
  9. ↑ a b c d Frank Oleski, Hartmut Lehbrink: Series sports car . Könemann, Cologne 1993, ISBN 3-89508-000-4 , p. 413.
  10. ^ A b David Lillywhite, Halwart Schrader : Classic automobiles. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-613-02552-3 , p. 299.
  11. ^ A b Jean-Paul Thévénet: La maserati Khamsin. Rêve et des lires , test report in L'Automobile magazine.
  12. ↑ a b c Richard Heseltine: Bred Wedge . Presentation of the Maserati Khamsin in: Classic & Sports Car, issue April 2001, p. 108 ff.
  13. ↑ Illustration of the rear section of a US-American Khamsin (accessed on August 14, 2014).
  14. ^ A b Martin Buckley: Maserati. Italian luxury and flair . Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2012. ISBN 978-3-86852-633-2 , p. 114.
  15. ↑ a b c Götz Leyrer: Summit . Comparative test in: Auto Motor und Sport issue 9/1978, p. 34 ff.
  16. ^ Martin Buckley: Maserati. Italian luxury and flair . Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2012. ISBN 978-3-86852-633-2 , p. 117.
  17. ↑ Cancellieri, Gianni et al. (Ed.): Maserati. Catalog raisonné 1926–2003 . Automobilia, Milan 2003. ISBN 88-7960-151-2 .
  18. ↑ Presentation of the “Khamsin Spyder” on the website www.christies.com (accessed on August 14, 2014).
  19. ↑ Presentation of the “Khamsin T-Top” on the website www.bonhams.com (accessed on February 13, 2015).
  20. ↑ The technical data was taken from car catalog no. 20 (1976/77), p. 190 f. taken.
  21. ↑ https://www.di-michele.de/html/42_dcnf.html