Don't throw them away unless you finish the job to a European bumper conversion.
Pretty car. Congratulations on your decision. Whatever the hassle or the cost PLEASE complete the full euro conversion. You will smile every time you look at your car for the rest of your life Enjoy. Regards.
PS Many options out there. BUT highly recommend you talk to Maurice in NZ: [email protected] He has rebuilt my entire hydraulic system including new serviceable rams. He is a real gentleman. A perfectionist. And everything he does is fully tested on his yellow Bora! Regards.
no offense but it looks better with the bumpers than without, unless you complete a full conversion. Save them in case you sell the car someday.
Thanks for the comments. I have everything intact and as you know it is easy to replace them at any time. I just couldn't stand looking at those monstrosities hanging off the car any more. It is such a beautiful design. I will consider doing a euro conversion in the future. Right now I'm just going to enjoy seeing the car the way it was supposed to look.
The Merak front air dam - is that also an add-on? - If so, was it a handling improvement? Thanks, - Art
Over 75 mph or so, on the highway, huge improvement. Really huge! If you wish, you can see it on my Bora which I had posted on "The Most Beautiful Maserati" thread. Regards.
The front end dances and the rear begins to raise up as well. The claim is that the car was tested in a wind tunnel during development. If they did then they sure didn't measure lift & down forcer. You can drive it once you get used to it but well planted it is not. You just let the car dance a bit. Trying to correct it continually is a mistake. I drove my friends Bora @ 160 max and sometimes lower for about an hour. We quit that abruptly once we spotted the cop. His Bora had the Merak front spoiler. My own is rev limited due to final drive ratio to about 140. Most likely yours is as well. I like the extra acceleration of the USA ratio because going that fast is really a rare commodity anyway. None of this is even an issue for 99.9% of those who enjoy these cars today. Anything over 80 mph is an extreme no no where I live and besides the roads always have plenty of cars on them. I got nailed for 87 in my Espada one day when I was putting some distance between myself and a pair of ogling pickup trucks with cell phone cameras. They were getting dangerous and I paid the price of a wasted day in court and about $500 in bribes to keep it off my record. Legally, it's how they do it in NJ.
You are right above 120 mph or so the car is fidgety, very reminiscent of a 2 wheel drive 911. I find that the combination of the front spoiler and wheel spacers all around has really calmed her down. Also the EZ power steering is rock hard at those speeds and makes the car more controllable. I must say that this was an unanticipated benefit of the PS conversion. 39/43 psi cold front/rear also helps. These days I don't go over 5,500 RPM (remember that the 310 bhp power peak is at 6,000) which equates to 155 mph. In Europe, other than Porsche, all Germans including Merc, BMW etc are all limited to 155 mph anyway. Still damn impressive for a 44 year old car! Regards.
The Euro bumper conversion is available. It's not cheap, but as other have already commented, well worth it. Nice example. What's the chassis number ?
Thanks. Chassis number 990. Produced 11/77. The chin spoiler was on the car when I bought it this year. Was it a factory option?
The rear is the big deal part, the subframe has to be modified. I don't know if anyone has done this properly WO removing the engine but perhaps they have?
You can do both. At least he's trying to praise the car and ends up do that just with a a lot of errors and misinformation. But the theme is good. His total production count is amusing but his reasoning as to why it never sold well is very sound. I think the conservative nature still hurts values. Most mid engine fans still want a wild looking and driving ride. He certainly demonstrated his bonafides on Maserati with this: I've already commented on how sad it is that the car has never really been used. WO a ton documentation of the proper maintenance like new head gaskets at a minimum this car should probably remain a garage/trailer queen.
Well, it is a nice marketing piece, even thought I'm not impressed by various comments, including "...especially in knowing that Maserati’s next new vehicle will be an SUV from the Jeep Grand Cherokee platform...", nor "...an interior partially cribbed from the Citroën SM..." (yes, early Meraks share a bit with the SM, but this is a Bora), nor "desirable US-specification model" etc... but, a nice marketing piece nonetheless
There's an article in VCM100 by Emile's shop showing a conversion done with engine in place. I have to finish the halfway job done by the previous owner (front, but not rear), but the drivetrain's already out, so the question doesn't arise. It was surprisingly easy to pull, so I can't really see trying to do a conversion in place.
Yes - it was his car. The work was done on a lift and he replaced the rear cover of the ZF. That's the straightforward way to get the lower rear mount, but I wonder how he kept the idler shaft from coming out with it? VCM100 is the hardbound anniversary edition.
What model year Bora was that? I know one of his Black Boras used to belong to a friend of mine and that one was a 73.
Sold at RM Sothebys Monaco auction at $229,000 US (201,600 Euros) 1975 Maserati Bora 4.7 | Monaco 2016 | RM Sotheby's
Thanks for sharing, It presents well, nice interior. Interesting tool kit. Unfamiliar location for the electronic ignition. - Art
