Which hoods/bonnets would you like to see photos of underneath; early cars, late cars? FYI the owner of an early car in Italy, a car which ended up burning to the ground in the seventies after which he bought a second one, 250, told me that at high speed the early car's hood/bonnet would shake like a leaf at high speed and reinforcements were implemented soon after that. His early car had funny sidelights he said, he was told they were the precursors to US sidelights. Like other cars kept by the factory the body number was probably far earlier, the chassis number assigned later. So I believe it was this car, AM120-176. Certainly I have never heard of it existing. I have the Top trumps car since I was a kid and had it in my wallet for years Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Another one identified! While I was in Vienna ten days ago I was helped with getting the information on the one in the mysterious Sigmundsherberg museum in Austria: it is AM120-030. As of now I have no history for it though, except some notes I was given which I think are wrong, I will dig into that. The museum is sleepy but full of interesting cars (no the Ferrari P car is not a real one and is off topic here please) including several other Masers, I will aim to visit when I go back to beautiful Oesterreich this summer. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
OK---Disappearing messages and all! Love the K! Needless to say the brace has NOT done much to control the 'shaking leaf syndrome'. Will pursue problem privately, as requested.
Hood update: The adjustable Alfa Romeo rubber hood bumpers from MrFiat arrived and are a perfect fit. Part number 10056.181. Cheers, - Art Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
For Ivan. LHM Residual Pressure Action: Immediately upon engine shutdown, the residual pressure in the LHM accumulators will operate every hydraulic function of my Khamsin: Power steering, Headlight doors, Brakes, and Driver’s seat. After expending the pressure, I restarted the engine and let it repressurize the LHM system. I shut the engine off and took an hour conference call. Upon my return to the dormant Khamsin, the residual pressure would only operate the brakes. No power steering, no headlight doors, no seat adjust. I Have Spoken.
My impression is that Maserati introduced the extra brace on EURO cars at some time (in an attempt) to solve something, because for the EURO cars I can see that #012, #016, #090 and #116 don’t have the extra brace (see photos below of #016 and #116 (green car)). But later cars (#180, #244, #256, #334) have the extra brace. And for the US cars I could only find cars with the extra brace (#1010, #1112, #1142, #1172, #1186, #1200, #1266). Why #1220 doesn’t have it I don’t know, maybe the hood was replaced at some time by one without the extra brace. For the RHD cars I only know that series1 said that #311 has the extra brace, I don’t have more info about the RHD cars. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
...Too many scantily clad photo models collapsing the sheetmetal? ..and US spec 1180 also has the hood brace..
Another possibility is that on#1220 an early hood from the spare parts inventory was used. That car was build in 1978 towards the end of the K production therefore if a hood was temporarily not available one from the spare parts could have been used. Or they wanted to reduce some of the extra spare parts and put them into the production line. On Bora #1044, which was build at the end of the production life, several of the glass panels have a 1973 date, even though the car was built in 1978. Ivan
Such a cleaner, more elegant under hood finish on #16---a la Bora! Wonder why it was discontinued on later cars? Anybody aware of such an after market kit one could purchase to clean things up under the hood?
Yes I agree that that´s also a possibility. Maybe, if the hood was replaced, the answer is in the 3-ring binder that you mention on your site, with over $50,000 in receipts from the restoration and maintenance work. But that's probably with the new owner now.
That's not original I think, but was probably done during the restoration of #016. I agree it looks nice. Never heard of an after market kit.,
This is 016 which I sold to my friend Bernard G in 2009 and which his workshop Le Trident (formerly called Carrossimo located in western France) restored 100% to the highest standards but he did not like rame metallizzato the original color at all so went for this gun metal grey. He has an absolutely outstanding leather and interior work craftsman and he may have done these for him. If anybody is interested I can ask him for cost and delay, they would be simple enough to reproduce.
PS Not to push our luck---but hopefully he could also make sets using the smaller diamond pattern found on all the later cars. Thanks.
Done Monsieur! FYI this is a photo of the same car, 016 in 2009 the day he and I inspected it in Grenoble in the Alps and it had nothing underhood/bonnet. Regarding stitching patterns if his company accepts to do the job you can have any stitching even like on Dior handbags or Agent Provocateur lingerie;-) PS: Those who have the Classiche Masters work can turn to page 21 and see master upholsterer Gerard Chaillou of Le Trident at work. Interviewing him was very interesting as he is one of those quiet types normally but I got him to open up and it was fascinating to understand his skill and then look at him work. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Will let you know when he answers. He has stated that he now feels he should put it back to Rame....we shall see what happens.
Just looked at pictures of the original hood for #1226 it does have the brace. I’ll have to check the new hood.
Hi Marc, the previous owner of # 250 told me that the car in the picture in the lower left corner of your report was his first Khamsin. The car burned down completely. He also told me that he had a race with his first Khamsin and a 512 BB on the highway in Italy and that he was slowly overtaken at a top speed of around 270 Km/h. Then when his first Khamsin burned down, he did order a new Khamsin from Maserati, the condition was that it has to be faster than the old one. He allegedly paid several million liras for it. Unfortunately, there is no evidence to support these narratives. He also said that he always ordered and agreed everything personally at the Maserati factory. I don't forget how he said: Maserati wasn't like it is today, back then it was like a small family company. In #250 2 fire extinguishers are installed in the back and instead of the hazard warning switch in the center console, an extra switch is installed with which the fan motors of the cooler can be switched on manually. He also told me that the hood of the first Khamsin fluttered at high speeds. The bonnet of #250 also has the strut but its weight is even more special. It's heavier than a normal Khamsin hood. Maserati made the hood heavier for him. Regards Zdenek
Essatamente Zdenek, he is, was quite a character, I invited him to KHAMSIN QUARANTA in 2012 but he was tunnel phobic so would not go through the Mont Blanc or Frejus tunnels...of course he was getting old by then.