Maserati Khamsin | Page 6 | FerrariChat

Maserati Khamsin

Discussion in 'Maserati' started by Maeter, Feb 24, 2008.

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  1. italiancars

    italiancars F1 Rookie

    Apr 18, 2004
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    The question is when is the Meet going to be held in Italy again?


    Joe
     
  2. Nembo1777

    Nembo1777 F1 World Champ
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    Marc Sonnery
    Good morning:

    I salute the efforts of those who organize these events 1000% I was just referring to the many who have classic Maseratis but do not attend: we are far from the events Europe had in the 80's: look at the big factory meet in the de Tomaso era: that was something! Even though I could not stand de Alessandro Tomaso that was quite an event. Even the 90th anniversary (forget about modern cars) did not have a very strong classic car count.
    I almost went to the Interlaken meet summer 2005 or 2006 but could not. However the photos of the event there and in Holland last year clearly show a very very limited number of cars for the top event in Europe.
    Certainly the meeting you had in Germany at the Lausitzring etc a few years ago seemed quite strong: well done and good luck this year: I wish nothing more than seeing people come out wih their cars! The Maserati classis car community is too small to get any smaller we have to really push to get people out there! I will talk to some people I know and encourage them to go! Good luck thumbs up viel gluck forza Maserati!

    Marc
     
  3. wbaeumer

    wbaeumer F1 Veteran
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    Mar 4, 2005
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    In Berlin 2001 we had no less than 120 cars attending.We had a 300S and a 450S for passenger rides (!!) with Peter Hannen from England (ever heared that passenger rides in a 450S somewhere else was possible for the whole day?). The Dutch meeting last year was not very well positioned under marketing aspects.

    Ciao!
    Walter
     
  4. staatsof

    staatsof Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    Yeah I was there for that one (1986) and there were a good number of cars. There was also a rally from Riccione to Modena. I was selected as co-pilot for some poor Italian women in a Merak who could not shift the car and spoke no English. We followed Peter Kaus in his big red 450S. I remember it getting too hot and there was some issue with steering or suspension bushings binding up. Every little town had throngs people rush and cheer as the 450S thundered through those tiny streets. I don't think they were that excited over our white Merak so it must have been that 450S ...

    The big dinner was a bit weird though. Iaccoca was there and at that time there was talk about him running for president. I guess that notion was based upon his miracle savior product at Chrysler "The K car". There also were guards with uzis every where we went at that time. The Americans got put in the basement for dinner and missed the entire ceremony ...

    The 1994 meet in Cortina was very nice as well. That one I have on video. It rained every fricking day on that trip. For 30 days!


    Bob S.
     
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  5. Nembo1777

    Nembo1777 F1 World Champ
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    It would be nice to see videos of these meets: Bob that's a hint: youtube? :)
     
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  6. lambomiura

    lambomiura Formula Junior

    May 18, 2006
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    Marc,

    I'll check that.

    Philippe M.
    www.lamborghinimiura.com
     
  7. staatsof

    staatsof Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    Alas they are in HI-8mm and I haven't gotten around to converting them as yet. Eventually though.

    There is a very unique car on the video shot in Cortina that year.

    It's a custom Bora which had been re-bodied with some Khamsin styling cues. I dubbed it the "Bhamsin". God awful ugly but a must see!

    Walter may know about this one.

    Bob S.
     
  8. Nembo1777

    Nembo1777 F1 World Champ
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    Philippe: thank you!

    Bob: You're not talking about the Khamsin #328 in Germany with the shorter taller nose like a Kyalami or a Monteverdi 375?

    I am intrigued!

    Khamsin spyder article wuill be out in Classic & Sportscar June issue.

    Best regards,

    Marc
     
  9. staatsof

    staatsof Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    No, it's a or was a Bora. Think Circus freak sideshow.
     
  10. Nembo1777

    Nembo1777 F1 World Champ
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    So perhaps it is a cousin of the Espada spyder we discussed in the Lambo forum;-)
     
  11. italiancars

    italiancars F1 Rookie

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    Tell me about it. It is not that the community is small, its that it is fractured in the US. You had 2 clubs that for years didn't get a long. One is business based (nothing wrong with that) is by far much larger with members from all eras of Maserati production. But all their activities were West Coast based.

    The other club is ego based (a lot wrong with that) that is actually much smaller than they lead people to believe with the core being Biturbo ownership (nothing wrong with that).

    The clubs did nothing together and actively tried to undermine the other's efforts. Things are slowly changing, but only on the West Coast.

    Then there is the split between the different eras of production. Many GT owners feel the Biturbo era cars ruined the reputation of Maserati and want nothing to do with them, the Biturbos owners actually seem to be fewer and fewer each year as the cars get older. The owners of the modern era cars (not surprising that many GT owners also own these cars) seem to be made up of either people that view the car as an entry level Ferrari or as a way to be different than the drones buying BMWs, MB, Porsches. Some do want to learn the history of the marque and take pride in its heritage others view it as an appliance with style.

    We are starting to see more of the modern era owners become part of the Maserati Community, but it no where near what takes place in the Ferrari & Lamborghini Communities where the current model cars make up the largest percentage of cars at any given event.

    And then there is Historic cars, which are owned by an entirely different group of people. We have been somewhat successful in getting those owners to come out, but for the most part you are lucky to see one or two at any vintage event aside from Monterey Weekend. Then there is the Pre-War cars...............

    Joe
     
  12. Nembo1777

    Nembo1777 F1 World Champ
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    It's all about people...

    In 2005 I contacted the president of a Maserati club somehwere in Europe: wrote to him introduced him to the Khamsin Registry, Trying to do what a humble registrar does: do a census and help the Khamsin owners.
    Response: zero nothing nada.

    In 2006 I had a friend of mine drop a file on the Khamsin Registry to that same club president somewhere in Europe at a show. Trying to do what a registrar does: do a census and help the Khamsin owners.
    That friend was Adolfo Orsi but the club president had no idea who he was!

    In 2007 I met this club president for the first time at a show...he immediately launched into a big apology for not getting back to me said he would introduce me to club members who had Khamsins and this and that....a year went by nothing nada, not a thing.

    It's all about the people.

    Obviously don't ask me who it was or what country. But it is the sad reality. How can a club thrive when it is like a boat without a sail or steering?!

    Marc
     
  13. italiancars

    italiancars F1 Rookie

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    The flip side to that coin is ego driven type which totally destroyed the Maserati community in the US.

    Joe
     
  14. alberto

    alberto Formula 3

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    Alberto

    This applies to a surprisingly large number of clubs of all marks in many country's. I am not at all surprised by your post.

    Alberto
     
  15. staatsof

    staatsof Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    Sometimes having no "captain" is preferable. Better to drift a bit than have a bad course set.

    Bob S.
     
  16. Nembo1777

    Nembo1777 F1 World Champ
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    Absolutely...but the club captain I was referring to is more like...an oversize anchor that pulls the ship down.
     
  17. LightGuy

    LightGuy Three Time F1 World Champ
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    Whats the real life price range of these today ?
    Perhaps the coolest GT of all time.
     
  18. Nembo1777

    Nembo1777 F1 World Champ
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    US:
    The price is not the issue but availability.

    What you want is a five speed and these have become hard to find: I know of no 5 speed Khamsin currently avaialble in the US. Recent prices inculde 48K$ for one summer 2005, 51$ for mine last october, and about 45$k for one in Florida with new interior but unknown mechanical condition last summer.

    About 3 to 4 times a year one shows up on ebay: be ready, have your money at hand and be ready to go see it they tend to show up just about anywhere. Like with any other car buy the best condition you can afford.

    Don't have time to get into detail this minute but contact me if you have one for sale in front of you, will be glad to help:

    www.maseratikhamsinregistry.com

    There are two automatics now available in the US: these are less desirable but for those who are more concours types for whom fast driving is not the priority they are a very valid alternative: I drove an automatic in October and found it much better than I thought and the torquey low revving Maserati V8 works much better with the auto box (Borg Warner ) than a Ferrari or Lambo V12.

    EUROPE:

    There are a few cars available but the asking prices of several of these, even though prices have risen on both prices of the Atlantic are not realistic so they sit...other Khamsins will appear on the market realistically priced (30s-40sK Euro and sell right away.

    Someone I am in touch with went to see a blue car very highly priced recently: a man stuck with the costs of an excessively expensive restoration trying to recpoup them all in the selling price of what is now an older restoration...and this man is a dealer!

    Still they are fabulous acars, I have been lucky enought to drive anything that I am intersted in and a Khamsin is my pick of anything out there: they are well worth keeping an eye out for.

    Best regards,

    Marc
     
  19. Nembo1777

    Nembo1777 F1 World Champ
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    #144 Nembo1777, Apr 11, 2008
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
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  20. italiancars

    italiancars F1 Rookie

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    Marc,
    My car, Khamsin # 1226 was the car used for the Car & Driver Road test. They used a different car for the photos (yellow) which I believe may be 1230 or 1232 a US car that is now somewhere in Scandinavia.

    Joe
     
  21. Nembo1777

    Nembo1777 F1 World Champ
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    #146 Nembo1777, Apr 11, 2008
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  22. wbaeumer

    wbaeumer F1 Veteran
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    Mar 4, 2005
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    , yep - the Khamsin is REALLY cool. And...it has perhaps the best noise of all V8-GT-Maseratis.

    Ciao!
    Walter
     
  23. italiancars

    italiancars F1 Rookie

    Apr 18, 2004
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    I don't have any documentation that 1230 is the photo shoot car from the Car & Driver article. It just fits the time frame of being in Baltimore around the time that mine was used for the article and that there weren't too many Khamsins produced in Yellow.


    Joe
     
  24. Nembo1777

    Nembo1777 F1 World Champ
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    True Joe: I do tend to agree ith you that it would be 1230 but if 1232 was yellow too then who knows...I know of only 3 yellow Khamsins nowadays: my favorite, 1272 which was famously driven very fast by Dick Denson of Spokane Washington, is now in Europe, I went to see it in September: that is the one I would want.
    Then there is 1230 in Sweden completely apart being resored very slowly: ready in about...2030!
    Then there is a car I saw at Prestige imports in Miami in 1998 which is now in the upper midwest in very poor shape (as far as I know it's been a couple of years since I as in touch with him).

    Does anybody know other yellow Khamsins that are still around today?

    Best regards,

    Marc
     
  25. wbaeumer

    wbaeumer F1 Veteran
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    Mark,
    I remember a yellow Khamsin in Italy in 1998. No idea about the VIN or who owned it! It was in lá-lá-condition!

    Ciao!
    Walter
     

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