Maserati Khamsin

Ja! Si! Yes! Oui! Da!

Ciao!
Walter

 

The Three of us got together to take some pictures for the MIE article so a good place to share some is here.
All three are Autralian delivered RHD
The Dark maroon car is 120.315 (auto) the dark brown is 120.361 (Manual) and the red car is 120.403 (Manual)

Regards
Graeme
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I received it this week.

Your reports on the Maserati International Rally in Bastad and on the Khamsin meeting in Switzerland are great!

Cheers,
Gabriel

 

... and your front cover photo is fantastic; the car as well as the scenery!

Gabriel

 

Thank you Gabriel: those were very memorable events, as good as it gets!

Graeme excellent thank you for posting I had no photos of 361, would love to see interior shots of these 3.

Here is one I found in a Japanese blog, never ever saw this one before: early car, Japan, they actually bought their cars left hand drive (even though they drive on the left) to have them like in Europe. 21 of the 31 cars sold in japan were automatic as their traffic is horrendous.

Have a good Sunday,

Marc
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Hi Marc
AM120-361 Interior This Car has reciently been retrimmed. The Original Car colour was a light metalic green with a light yellowinsh interior!. The Car was painted very shortly after delivery to Gulson's Canberra ACT.
Graeme
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Thanks Graeme!

MS

 

Not sure if this is ol`news - but this car is currently offered by LUCAS HÜNI in Zürich/CH.

Ciao!
Walter

 

Hello "Baumerini":

yes he bought it in Olten Switzerland about 4 years ago in I think marrone Colorado (old photos by a friend below) and has since repainted it in grigio Flemington so to be clear these photos are before the repaint and any work he got done.

He really appreciates Khamsins which when you think of the incredible caliber of cars he deals in is nice to hear. I had an appointment to see the car in August the day after the 8 Khamsin meeting but had to cancel.

best regards,

"Marco Sonneri"
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Pity, it was one of the very few cars with the velours and leather combo and in its original untouched color. Dash top had been redone. Not everybodies taste...
The car is shown in the “Maserati Sports, racing and GT cars” book, page 263
At the time I drove it; January 2006, still owned by the 2nd owner, it had very low oil pressure throughout the rev range and some suspicious spots on the underside of the sills.
The heads had been off. The almost usual error: the heads were not repainted in wrinkle paint after the repair. Nevertheless a sound basis for some improvements/repairs.

Regards,

Bart
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Bart you finally joined! Welcome /(don't know the Dutch version) and glad the flu didn't take you away!

Yes a pity, you are right as usual but the silver lining is that it is all a part of them getting more attention. Thanks for your photos above.

In other news I had a very nice first exchange of emails with Fabio Collina after signor Cozza introduced us and he seems like a genuine enthusiast and a very pleasant person, a key person in the future of Maserati Heritage preservation. I look forward to meeting him at Retro next week.

Happy to say that sig. Cozza told me he will not disappear after the end of his formal comittment to Maserati (December) but will check in as needed thereafter.
I am also happy to say that he agreed in principle to come to Khamsin Quaranta in 2012 with the big design study (not wind tunnel) model that the factory has in its vaults (photo).

best regards,

MS

 

Ze model.
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Hi Marc,

Thank you, your enthusiasm has convinced me to "come out" in Khamsin land
BTW: the Netherlands, small country yet 8 K's here even prototype K#004 resides here!
I know you want me to share some pics of my rarity K.
As far as I have found out today, also with your good help, my T-Top concerns a one off designed as an alternative to the mid seventies believe of the US authorities that they had to kill the full convertible. I realy started to like this feature.
The car is in remarkable good shape (no rust anywhere!) and has been in collector's hands for the past 21 years. Very well taken care off! When I test drove the car the head gasket started to leak (unfortunately a well known phenomenem with the old h gaskets). So I thought it was a good reason to lift the engine out and give the engine and engine bay a thorough job and clean up, inside engine inspection, plane the heads, renew the head gaskets, do the hydraulics renew the wrinkle paint, etc. etc. I do not want to restore the car but keep its originallity and patina. Yet, I like to actually use my cars and drive them as much as I can, so they have to be technically (near) perfect. This work is now in progress.
This is it for now, i am getting to my basement to continue the work!
Should be ready for the Khamsin Quaranta!

My K bumper sticker reads: "Live your dreams"

Take care,

Bart
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Looking good!

FYI I am awaiting answers from Tom Clark Sr and Jr re their dealership their Stering Wheel in Fort Lauderdale and the t top and targa cars they made, including yours.

Am getting to 100000 words of raw interview transcript for the book and am having nightmares where my recording device suddenly becomes 10 feet tall and tries to kill me

Am awaiting numbers and details from various service suppliers for KHAMSIN QUARANTA will post official event PDF in next few weeks.

Here thanks to another friend and Khamsin owner is yet another new find: AM120US1148 in Austria, automatic a very attractive and unusual shade of blue. No data other than the photos, for now.

He saw it by chance in a private garage in Austria when he went to see another car...which turned out to be rotten to the core so he was paying more attention to this one which surprised the owner a bit

Have a good weekend!

MS

 

The photos: not much as their author says but I was grateful to get them as this is one more out of the woodwork.

MS
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Hi Marc
There is an identical blue car here in Sydney. I nearly bought it after my incident. I know the current owner but he is a little elusive. Colour combination is identical only in RHD

Graeme

 

Does any one have some detail pictures of the rear blinds, were they factory Supplied or were they arfter market.
Regards
Graeme

 

I'm no Khamsin expert by any means. The T-Top on your car is factory original? Based on your comment, it is the only one with this feature? Have you driven a "normal" one? How much flex does yours have in comparison?

Very interesting.

Thanks.
Alberto

 

Hello Graeme:

These were indeed factory supplied on late cars only (I have not seen these on early cars).

Here is a decent shot of the one in 392, owned by Mr Fritz Harms President of the Dutch Maserati club.
It is conceivable that Campana may have one in stock and I don't see why it could not be retrofitted if you wanted one.

082 I saw in Sweden had a home made one with push down snap buttons, not rolling blind.
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Hello Alberto,

I think it is a very original idea but not an option offered by the factory.
The mod was an idea by the Californian importer and carried out in the States, who actually did it I still have to find out but I do have access through a Khamsin adept friend to the 1st owner.
For approval by the factory the car had to be shipped back to the factory and the cost / time involved plus the risk that it would not return was considered to big.
However, considering the rigidity, I have absolutely no doubt. All classic Maserati's are built on a prety solid chassis. When driving it hard I do not notice any flex.
One can lift the pannels out in a few seconds, great!

Regards,

Bart
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Not a fan of Black but this Khamsin looks spectacular.


Marc thanks for the picture of the Blind.

Regards
Graeme

 

I saw the car in Lukas Hüni's garage in September 2010 and it was painted grigio and restored to perfect condition. For sale and expensive.

Best,

Rolf

 

Not a fan of Black but this Khamsin looks spectacular.

Hi Graeme,

When I was hunting for a Khamsin black was not on the top of my list either. With the almost black glass (trans lucent!) roof panels, it is quite right to me. My wife dislikes the black too and keeps telling me I will get some chrome plated crucifixes to put on the doors...
I think that with any other color the panels may stick ou just a bit too much.

Actually to me the extravaganza of the Khamsin asks for a color that accentuates the car. It is one of the first, if not the first wedge design cars. From the hand of Gandini ofcourse. The public it was aimed for were the loyal Maserati gentlemen drivers. Remember the Khamsin was introduced after the Bora because the old customer base, and a lot of them Ghibli drivers, thought that the Bora was too juvinile for them. As they used to say at Maserati: Maserati is for gentlemen, l'altra marqua is for football players...

The black on the dasboard I like because it kind of hides the somewhat messy lay out a bit.
To me it looks like a collection of left overs from the local electrical shop, small, broad rocker switches, toggle combined with rocker, small and bigger diameter turn knobs, black and chrome rims. A bit too much kit car. At a certain moment I had enough of it and decided to modify my dash and bring one style swiches in. My car is a special car anyhow. See photo.

Last week end I lifted the engine back in place after a thourough clean up of the engine bay and renewing the head gaskets. Note the body "kneeling" for the engine. Had to lift it in and out from the side. The engine sis so far back in the bay. (I gave up my hiding place for the X-mas period!) Still a lot of detailing to be done but a major step.

Regards,

Bart
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Looking good!

I would worry about getting stuck in there

"Actually to me the extravaganza of the Khamsin asks for a color that accentuates the car. It is one of the first, if not the first wedge design cars. From the hand of Gandini of course."

Absolutely and I repost here two photos of the 8 Khamsin meeting near Zurich last summer so you can see a variety of colors: on a Khamsin I love gold, Paul S' in Scotland is one of my favorites, am bored with silver even though yes it shows the subtlety of the design, too many cars in that color but what really struck me as spectacular and majestic that wonderful day up in the hills was the light blue car: that really has a lot of presence. I had not seen one in that color in 30 years and it really was something.

The dark red of the car with two tone interior is also a favorite while the very rare verde pino which as far as I know exists only on this one car is one of my absolute favorites and I was lucky enough to drive it that day -thank you H.!- there are other green cars such as Pascal's in London but it is a different shade and then there is one with emerald green in Sweden, 082, not original but very appealing.

Regarding your car the crosses for the doors is parts number #jiejufki653u3i

In all seriousness one idea for you: why not make the chrome on the edges of the T top panels black? It would clean up the apperance and can be done. Just my 0.002c.

best regards,

Marc
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Forgot 104 in Berlin also verde pino or if I am color blind another very similar shade as light is so different...

MS
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