Maserati Bora - Picture Thread | Page 36 | FerrariChat

Maserati Bora - Picture Thread

Discussion in 'Maserati' started by Ron S, Sep 22, 2007.

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  1. wbaeumer

    wbaeumer F1 Veteran
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    Mar 4, 2005
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    But not a big fan of these modifications on a car that exists only in 500 units...
     
  2. staatsof

    staatsof Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    Exactly what I and a friend Jim Johnson were attempting at Ely, Nevada.
    I never got mine in that race as my CV boots kept exploding, finally solve dthat though.

    So when I showed up in 1994 at the Maserati international meet in Cortina I went into the little hotel to register and get all my credentials. Theodor Huschek was there registering people and when I gave him my name he said "Oh Bob we know you, you're famous!" I said incredulously "You do, how is that?" He said "You were in that race in Nevada in the Bora". Unbeknownst to me they'd gotten a copy of that race video where they mistakenly had me listed as the driver instead of Jim Johnson. If they'd known that we overheated terribly and had to limit speed to 130MPH, lost a bolt out of the AC bracket that went straight into the sump and had leaked oil everywhere and got passed by a Ford Taurus SHO then perhaps they wouldn't have be quite as impressed ... ;) :p Not that they actually were.

    I wish I had known about this story back then because I spent time with Cozza in the new QP4 talking and I could have relayed my story.

    Truth be told most cars of this vintage cannot do such things as everything gets quite stressed and certainly not the earlier exotic like the Bora. Panteras we beside the road in the first 5-10 files for the first couple of years. Even a Porsche 959 specially and quite illegally flown didn't finish. I never saw one again. The Testarossa did quite well there other than the guy who lost a tire the same year we were there and his wife was killed. SCCA champ Prat Cole took first one year in the rain with some insane pace.

     
  3. staatsof

    staatsof Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    #878 staatsof, Mar 10, 2021
    Last edited: Mar 10, 2021
    Except for the part about the high pressure clutch circuit which I wish it did have. That and I think the electric PS on your Bora must be nice, it would be even nicer in my Espada because that V12 sits over the front wheels.
     
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  4. staatsof

    staatsof Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    Oh it makes no sense now but back when these cars weren't terribly valuable you could have some fun doing some things. Violating the interior or exterior design was something I wouldn't do and that of course really limited things. Today just about every decent 4 door and coupe out performs these cars so what's the point?
     
  5. Nembo1777

    Nembo1777 F1 World Champ
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    Johan was and is hugely passionate about Boras and he started on that one long ago when they were worth very little. Actually I had forgotten that the car had begun to be modified decads ago in the UK where it was a club racer. Here some photos I took in July 2015. It was hugely quick and he can drive. The last image is a scan of the part of the article I did on him a few years ago in Viale Ciro Menotti where he explains what he did on the car; he is as good as they get and I got to meet almost all of the very best in the last few years.

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  6. Nembo1777

    Nembo1777 F1 World Champ
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    #881 Nembo1777, Mar 11, 2021
    Last edited: Mar 11, 2021
    I have seen it saluted elsewhere but not here; this week fifty years ago, the Bora was presented to the world at the Geneva show!

    THE BORA IS FIFTY YEARS OLD THIS WEEK!

    Buon Compleanno alla Bora!

    There is no doubt that it was the most advanced, best rounded, best handling, most refined and most usable on long trips of all first generation rear mid engined supercars and even though some vastly overrated competitors were born around the Modena area 5 years earlier the Bora even with five years of progress to its advantage factored in, is far better in every way.

    Here a brilliant photo from this week 50 years ago at the Geneva show. In 30 years as a journalist and historian this is one of the top 5 photos I have ever dug up from archives; absolutely perfect, like an idealized painting.

    The fathers of the Bora on the day of the launch, feeling very, very good about their years of efforts on this, one of the most ambitious projects in the history of Maserati, and about the media, public reaction about it.

    They are clearly very smug, happy and proud about it and so they deserved to be:
    hail Le President de Citroen, Pierre Bercot at left, who single handedly decided to buy Maserati after the SM engine project was initiated, Maserati head engineer the brilliant Giulio Alfieri at center, who had been a Citroen technology fan before all this, and at right Guy Malleret, Bercot's delegated administrator, head of Maserati from 1968 to 1975.

    Champagne time, my flute/glass is virtually raised:)

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  7. 71Satisfaction

    71Satisfaction Formula 3

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  8. ralt72

    ralt72 Rookie

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    Great color.
     
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  9. staatsof

    staatsof Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    It's shown on the bottom of the last page Art #96.
     
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  10. SMarc

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    At this time P. Bercot was just Honorary Président ;-)
    [​IMG]
     
  11. Nembo1777

    Nembo1777 F1 World Champ
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    Hi Art, it was in issue 96, March 2011 with...a grey Khamsin (338) on the cover:)
     
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  12. Nembo1777

    Nembo1777 F1 World Champ
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    Yes in fact he was encouraged out by Michelin then owner of Citroen and Rollier was very much a Michelin man. Michelin had grown tired of Bercot. However it is Bercot, Malleret and Alfieri who decided years before that to launch the Bora project. It was and will always be their child.
    On a lighter note when my father ran Citroen Sweden 1964-68, Citroen Portugal 68-75 he would meet with Bercot at car shows or in his office in Paris once in a while and Bercot was famous for nodding off in meetings, falling asleep:) Dad said he would just wait and pretend it never happened:) But that small flaw should not mask the fact that he saved Maserati and ensured the factory was modernized very comprehensively, the logistics and Modus Operandi improved and funding allowed a lot, including the Bora. Of course the 73 energy crisis killed everything, Michelin wanted out and so Peugeot took control of Citroen and closed Maserati...it is very tempting to think of what might have been otherwise! Boras and Khamsins would have sold at least double as much, Citroen would have made the SM V8 and the QPII would have been produced with a production version of that prototype V8 as fitted in the SM test car....
     
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  13. boralogist

    boralogist Formula Junior

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    ...and we would not have suffered the ignominy of the DeTomaso years!
     
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  14. SMarc

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    We should not be too angry with Peugeot or/and Michelin, which was under the orders of the French state which wanted to drive out Fiat to prevent it from killing Renault (national company). Maserati (like Berliet and others) was a collateral victim of these events ...
     
  15. boralogist

    boralogist Formula Junior

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    .............the French state...................Renault-----
    https://europe.autonews.com/automakers/renault-sells-14b-daimler-stake-reduce-debt

    all for nothing!

    Sad. So sad!
     
  16. staatsof

    staatsof Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    Looks like another well executed set of modifications. Did the LHM system get the boot? I'm not sure why the headlight treatment was needed but it may have to do with the terrifically functional looking airflow for the radiator and it's providing downforce for stability? A shame to lose the luggage capacity up from and in the back but then this was about just performance and not being a touring car.

     
  17. Nembo1777

    Nembo1777 F1 World Champ
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    Don't know but in the next few weeks I will be talking with him a lot so will find out.

    Later I will also document the other ultimate Bora mod; a track use only car owned by a friend of mine in France. 100 kilos lighter than the two real Group 4's...
     
  18. italiancars

    italiancars F1 Rookie

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    there was (until the recent reorganization) a Member of Senior Management at Maserati that was notorious for doing the same thing.
     
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  19. italiancars

    italiancars F1 Rookie

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    an FYI as part of the contract between GEPI and DeTomaso. GEPI required DeTomaso to produce vehicles in Higher volume as opposed to the traditional cars produced by Maserati to keep the Unions happy and keep as many people employed as possible. Remember this was the 1970s, Aldo Moro, Red Brigade and the very prominent Italian Communist Party whose spiritual home was down the road in Bologna.
     
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  20. wbaeumer

    wbaeumer F1 Veteran
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    The Maserati folks also impressed Signor Lamborghini with the Bora. Here he visited the stand of Maserati and took a seat while Guy Malleret, Giorgio Giugiaro, Giulio Alfieri (standing) and two other unknown Gentlemen for me explained the new car to him.
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  21. Nembo1777

    Nembo1777 F1 World Champ
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    Fantastic photo Walter, the other two gents are Monsieur Pierre Bercot President of Citroen kneeling, face hidden, sharing a laugh with Ferruccio who had a great sense of humour, while the gent with glasses with hand on the car is Dr Turrusio who was then head of sales for Maserati, a very competent man.

    More on this tomorrow when my computer works properly.
     
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  22. staatsof

    staatsof Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    As a mid engine car of that time it was the antithesis of Mura and later the Countach. Both of which ended being far more popular ... at least as toys and pieces of art.

    Neat photo.
     
  23. staatsof

    staatsof Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    [​IMG]

    Caption contest!
     
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  24. mullin

    mullin Formula Junior

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    What is the horizontal treatment behind the front bumpers?
     
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