Maserati Khamsin

Most likely the compensation for different rear-end ratio's is in the speedo itself. Maybe someone can have a look at their speedo, there might be a code on the face of it, part of which denominates what the speedo reads at a given cable-rpm.

Btw, were these speedo's mechanically driven right through to 1982?

 

I found instrument Repair place not far from my work and had him test my speedo. The guy there recons that all Veglia Speedos have the same internal gearing and not adjustable ... and there was nothing wrong with the magnets in mine and it Tested as it should.
Interesting he had high praise for veglia instruments and rather use them than Smiths or any thing else.
What he has offered is a Speedo drive inline Gear Box to change the ratio and get the correct speedo reading.
Given the difficulty of removing and installing the cable assembly.... May be at the next clutch change.......... when ever that might be.

Graeme

 

Hi all,

I was wondering if somebody could give me a hint on the following problem.

I was testing my Khamsin on a race track and was confronted with a steering problem which is rather unsual. I was driving through a sharp curve with rather high speed as I realized that the tail of the car is breaking out. I tried to correct the steering and realized that the steering does not respond as quick as in supersport cars. Is this due to the time which is usually necessary in LHM systems to buildup pressure or the damping characteristic of the LHM fluid? Has anyone been confronted with such problem?

I would appreciate your kind comments.

 

First of all I just got to ask Iran? Really?

 

The Khamsin Hydraulic sustem should cope with rapid changes in direction as the pump suppling it usually copes with a lot more componets and no problems.

I suspect that there is a supply issue and my guess is that its the accumulators are not presurised.
Does the pump take a while to get pumped up and does the pump actually cycle or is it constantly on.

One thing that is not written anywhere is the accumulators on Khamsin have much higher perssures than the citroen DS it came from. The Pre charge is 64 Bar not 46 Bar.

Two and half turns Lock to lock and a fully functioning system should be alomst two quick.
the speed and the self centering could act as a damper. I have heard of Khamsin blowing a tyre at high speed and the car tracks straight due to the self centering so that could also be a reason.

Sorry doesnt answer the question however I hope there is something to consider.
Regards
Graeme

PS send us some pictures and car details for Marc.

 

Dear Graeme,

Thank you for the hints. Following your thoughts, I think I should check the accumulators. I also know that I have some leakage which could influence the efficiency of the system. However, what I did not check is the pre charge pressure.
There are pictures of this car already available in the previous sites.

Regards,

Reddy

 

Reddy:

yes it does sound as though your accumulators may be in need of attention: when were they last rebuilt?

They last for years, amazingly long, on my ex car they lasted 12 years(!) if in doubt I would get them redone, cheap and simple and you will really feel the difference.

best regards,

Marc

 

Unfortuantely I do not have a track of repair jobs done on this car and I doubt if the accumulators have ever been touched. Are there any documentation available on this so that I can study in advance. I have a lot of respect for the hydraulic system in this car, due to my lack of knowledge at the moment.

Thank you and best regards,

Reddy

 

Hello Reddy:

I am a historian and do not claim to be a mechanical expert, people like Graeme and Ivan know much more than I do on that aspect however here is a good primer on the matter, a very good article by Andy Heywood on the hydraulics:

http://www.maseraticlub.co.uk/trident38.htm

MIE or SM World in the US, BillMcGraths in the UK and various companies here in France can rebuild your spheres, let us know how we can help but yes as Graeme points out the pressure setting -if that is the correct word- is different in a Khamsin than from what it is in an SM, interestingly I had never seen the exact numbers as he mentions a few posts above.

When I drove the recreation of the one off SM V8 for my book and some articles it was just after driving a normal SM. Both had the hydraulic suspension -which no Maserati except the very rare QPII has- it was interesting to compare the suspension as well (and not just the engines) because the spheres had been set at higher pressure by Frederic Daunat the man who reinserted the one off historic engine into an SM 35 years after de Tomaso ordered the car destroyed and the engine saved. That is a job that only a few shops can execute (Daunat oversees 300 SM's near Paris and has made several specials so he is one of the top experts) basically there is a membrane in the sphere and those shops can adjust its level of resistance to pressure. Well the SM V8 with its 100hp more would have been a drunken whale with the normal suspension and it was in fact quite a bit harder...."sprung" even though there are no springs of course!

One question Reddy: has there been any progress in determining whether your car was owned by the Shah new?

Since it was sold new in Rome before ending up in Tehran and his cars were paid via the Embassy there it could well be the case...in which...case he would be the most famous K owner.

By the way I don't think I have mentioned that in an article on Catherine Deneuve and her cars in Paris Match (French equivalent of Life) she mentioned that Marcello Mastroianni had given her a Khamsin, blue, in Italy but that as there was a fuel strike she traveled home by other means and in the end did not get the car shipped home but just had it sold.

I will post later this weekend on the three cars I went to see recently.

best regards,

Marc

 

Hi,

With regards to the original owner of the Khamsin, my research shows the following. Kindly be aware that this is based on interviews with people who are trying to jog their memories back over three decades, so I cannot verify the accuracy:

1. The first clue about the car's history is that the car was sold at auction after the Iranian revolution by the Bonyad Mostazafan (Foundation for the Oppressed), the entity that was set up to manage the ex-Shah's assets. It should be mentioned that other cars belonging to his relatives, cronies, et al were also sold by this entity, so this is not 100% proof in itself.

2. Talking to people who were present at the auction, many say that the car did not have a steering wheel, as it had been stolen. Lore has it that the Shah's name had been engraved in it, and somebody took it as souvenir. True or false, I don't know one way or another.

3. In terms of original color scheme, it follows the same color scheme that he had on his other cars, especially his Ghibli (which is still in the hands of the Bonyad Mostazafan) which he gave to his nephew and the Indy SS which was also sold at auction around the same time as the Khamsin.

4. The previous owner before 'Reddy' had talked to people who were stationed at the Iranian Embassy in Rome at that time, and they said they had some recollections of this car. After nearly four decades, could they be that accurate to identify a Khamsin, I cannot say. Furthermore, it was not uncommon that royal cars would be picked up / delivered from dealers. Even the Countach that is still in Iran (apparently a gift to the Crown Prince from his aunt) has a sticker from a dealer in Monaco.

4. My good friend Reddy has some other information that he dug up on the car, which I will let him respond.

I know that this is not much help, but I thought I would share some of the local lore on this car.

RHS

 

RHS: Thank you very much for that and welcome.

It does sound very likely but as you say not yet full proof. If I had to bet I would say it sounds as though he ordered it but may never even have had time to drive it...Will ask MM Cozza and Collina to dig further.

Two related points: I interviewed 3 years ago for another book the Shah's youngest son; Ali Reza on the phone from his home in Massachusetts, he who sadly ended his life a few months ago. He was very young at the time, so had hazy memories of the big garage at the palace and remembered mostly the Miuras which is what the interview was about so no mention of Maseratis except the Ghibli.

Guy Malleret who then ran Maserati for Citroen told me that he once had lunch with the Shah's brother, who visited the factory and bought an Indy. His security staff closed the entire restaurant in Modena for them!

best regards,

Marc

 

Dear Marc,

Following the comments of RHS I would like to add that the car was purchased in January 1975. Both 1st and 2nd serivce intervals were carried out in Modena. The second service was done in Augugst 1975. According to factory information the car was brought in with a temporary EE license plate and the person whose name appears in the service document is Yousef (first name) Mossanen (last name) with his address in Iran. This means that the car could not have been driven in Italy with a EE plate from January 1975 (purchasing date) upto August 1975 (2nd service) when the car has eventually been transfered to Iran. The only option which remains is that the car must have been transfered to Iran upon its purchase and transported to Modena for service intervals. The car could not have been driven to Italy, since the car had an EE plate. So the car was carried in privilege manner. All the cars of Shah were transported via C130 planes by Iranian Airforce. Unfortuantely there are no log books available for these transports. So, this is the last status I have on the car. I would appreciate your kind support on this.

Best regards,

Reddy

 

Dear Marc,

Thank you for the warm welcome. Not to get sidetracked, however the Indy SS which is still in Iran is apparently one of three manufactured with a factory sun roof installed. Is this the car that Guy Mallaret sold ? Any feed back would be appreciated.

Best Wishes

RHS

 

Dear Reddy,

I should mention that the Shah's Ghibli which he gave to his nephew and is now in the Motor Museum, also had an EE plate which is still on the car.

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Hi,

The earlier picture is from the Classic Car Show held by the Classic Car Committee of the Iranian Motoring Federation a couple years back at Saad Abad Palace. This picture is from the car as it sits in the museum in Tehran, and provides a better shot of the EE Plate.

Regards,

RHS
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Dear Graeme,

Following up your suggestion, here are some pictures. These pictures were taken last Thursday at a track day held by the Classic Car Committee of the Iranian Automobile Federation followed by a lunch hosted by Tehran Cafe Racers, our monthly classic car lunch get together (affiliated with Sarasota Cafe Racers)".

best regards,

armaz

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Hi Marc,

Just for your information, my Khamsin was originally in the same color as the Shah's Ghibli (picture posted by RHS) and was also brought to the 2nd serivce interval in Modena with an EE license plate (like the Ghibli shown in the picture posted by RHS).
So, there are some evidents which speak for being part of Shah's collections of supersport cars.

Best regards,

Reddy

 

Hello Reddy, RHS, all:

I got caught out today with visitors but your contributions are very interesting, thank you and it does look like the car (AM120130) was indeed ordered by the Shah.

I will speak to sig. Cozza and Collina at the factory this week to see if we can get any more information and push towards getting information from the family of the ex Rome dealer. In the last few years I tried but they did not respond.

best regards,

MS

PS: There never was an SS spec Indy but I assume you mean a 4.9.

 

Marc - Enjoyed your piece in the current issue of VCM.

 

Thanks I enjoyed writing that one!

MS

 

The head rests in this car are very different looking no? Mark?
The color is great.

Bob S.

 

Hi Bob:

As far as I know there are two kinds of headrests and this is one of them, no particular difference but the angle of the photo might be misleading.

Color is luci del bosco, very rare nowadays with cars repainted red or silver. The car I went to see in Geneva is in that color, very interesting and Doug in the Uk who posts here is having 341 restored in that, it original color.

best regards,

Marc

 

The car is an early Series 1 Khamsin, the headrests were integrated into the seat back. It probably does not have the louvers in the nose of the car either. Door panels are also different. Very few of these cars made it to the US.

Joe

 

Hi Joe,

You are right, the headrest is integrated into the seat back and the car as you mentioned also correctly does not have the louvers in the nose. What do you mean with early series 1? The car is 120.130 and should up to my knowledge be 1974-75!

I would appreciate your opinion.

Best regards,

Reddy