Maserati Khamsin

Found in Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car magazine
(December issue, Volume 3, Number 4, Page 83
in the report about the Christie's Monterey 2007 auction.

"Question: Were all cars from the 1970s brown? The Khamsin
is one of those weird 1970s era cars from Maserati that somehow
got lost in the shuffle over the years. Too bad, because it's aged
pretty well these last 30 years. While your friends with kids might
be considering one of the handful of Ferrari 400s with a manual
transmission, you can roll up in a Khamsin for less, and probably
spend less in maintenance over the years (what's this guy been
smoking and where can I get some?). If you are planning on buying
one, look for a nice original car like this one (cough, gag). Christie's
gave an auction estimate of $50,000 to $70,000, which was about twice
what it's worth; hence, no sale."
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Hello Roots Mon: that was my own car actually, which I love dearly I had to sell it as I was relocationg to Europe and it was very painful believe me but my life was just too complicated at that point.

Ignore the idiot who wrote that, the very reason why I created the Khamsin Registry is because the Khamsin has always been so misunderstood and that writer's inane comments are typical.

The car was and is in very good original condition, that is undeniable, very strong mechanically, only the driver's seat had some wear but the buyers who bought it a few weeks after the auction had the right attitude: they said we won't be looking at the seat we will be sitting on it and driving.

The color was not brown but Oro Kelso which is a darker gold which appears to change with the degree of light. This was the original color.

I sold it for $51000 so there, yet again, that scribe was wrong and he seems clueless about the fact that they have reached far higher prices in Europe: try finding one now for the equivalent of $51000 and people will laugh.

Best regards,

Marc

 

One precision I would like to add is that the prices I mention above concern 5 speed cars: those with the automatic gearbox have tended to trade at lower prices.

 

Hello Khamsinians! Sorry to have been absent for some time, I was finishing a book, I now have time and lots of material starting with Khamsin AM120148


I was in touch with the man who owned it from 87 to 2007, it is a very attractive shade of green, medio verde he had it repainted to that, it was orignally verde pino (yes unfortunate but medio is an interesting and orignal color).

The funny thing is he bought it from a man in Marseille with the help of Jean Guikas. The owner was straight out of novel: very much a southerner and he had a hron on the car that sounded like kisses and he used that to pick up gilrs! Some people really have no concern about seeimgin ridiculous!
The man I spoke to had the interior redone in two colors of green as the orignal leather was too far gone. He sold it in 2007 to a man who workd in the design office of Renault, a huge Gandini fan...but he has now gotten a job at Tata in Idia so the fae of the car is unknown: will google him.

Here are some photos: enjoy,

More to come during the weekend.

best regards,

Marc
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after a 17 year long sleep K. #1268 is on the road again. Yesterday I had a 25km long trip and everything is working fine.
Enjoy the pics.
Regards, Helmut
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Helmut, congratulations. You deserve to be wearing that smile in the last picture. Thanks for sharing.

 

Helmut,
congrats ! I like the color combo very much. Great looking car and good conversion from US- to EU-specs!

Ciao!
Walter

 

the palerider,
thank you. But this is only the "standart" smile of a K. driver.

Walter,
thank you. When you like the car I have done right.

Regards, Helmut

 

Yes bravo Helmut: well done!

Maybe you and "Fenivision" with his black Khamsn can meet in Austria at some point in the near future for some photos or a little video: he mentioned he was heading from california home to Austria for Christmas.


Now it would be great to see AM120056 out of its warehouse too as well as the gold car at Manro Classics (who don't answer emails).

Again congratulations,

Marc

 

Hey! A fellow Austrian?

Hello Helmut! Where are you from? Sind das blaue Kennzeichen, die ich da erspaehe?
Sollte das Wetter um die Weihnachtszeit passen, werde ich mehrere groessere Ausfahrten mit dem Khamsin und dem Ghibli SS machen, vielleicht kreuzen sich ja unsere Wege.

MfG, Alex

Oh .. and Marc .. the Khamsin is now back to the original blue it came from the factory with. I can't wait to see it. The car was completely disassembled and painted (the only way to do it anyway) and is now immaculate. Veeery psyched to see it.

 

Hello Fenivision: yes you should have an Osterreich gathering!

By the way the black car at Autosalon Stich in Vienna (see tiny photos) was sold to someone in Belgium who has been in touch with me.

There is another Khamsin just north of the border in the Munich area: that of mister W.Z: who also posts on Fchat: AM120150, black with red interior, (the next car after 148, the green one I just posted photos of a few days ago), I already published photos of his velocity stacks in this thread in April. I have one general view of the car, I tried posting it but it does not work, says invalid file. He has mentioned that he will take other photos when he has a minute.

Maybe you could all meet at Neuschwanstein or Zeltweg or...somewhere convenient. Just einen thought!

best regards,

Marc
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Black car as shown in these two photos is AM120404.

 

That does sound like a good idea ... but more for next summer - I don't trust the weather
Was that the black Khamsin with ridiculously low mileage? Also first registration in 82 or 84 if i recall correctly?

I definitely will put up tons of pictures on flickr and post videos on youtube. I just hope the weather allows for extensive usage of the cars.

 

Am hoping so and really looking forward to it!

 

Hallo Alex,
I live in St. Pölten. Please give me ring when you are back in Austria (tel: 0676 9615611), maybe you come and see #1268. In Pressbaum you can find another K.#056,Werner Müller is the owner (tel:0664 8691050). This is a photo from August 08, on the left werner and middle, with argento auteil. met hair, thats me.
and a photo of #056. I do not know exactly but I think we have spoken about Maseratis.
Regards, Helmut
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Alexander: actually there was another car with even lower mileage, about 1200kms, which was also black, AM120504 sold at the Bonhams Monaco auction in May 2008. Still 404 was quite low miles: see information at bottom of this email as sent to me by Belgian owner.

Helmut: could you try to get better photos of 056, particulalrly the front and inside? Maybe has older photos at home? Thank you very much for any help!

Best regards,

Marc

AM120404
>
> First registration was 29 June 1981 (probably in Austria ).
>
> The car was then registred by Mr. Christian Knobloch on 21 April
> 1982 in Vienna – Austria
>
> Next owner was Mr. Josef Wagner on 24 June 1983, also in Vienna.

>
> Then the Khamsin went to Ms. Christa Wagner , also in Vienna, on
> 19 December 1988.
>
>
>
> The registration has been cancelled on 18 November 1991.
>
>
>
> I bought the car from a Classic Car dealer in Vienna, Mr.
Andreas
> Stich
>
>
>
> The car has covered only 14.218 kms. and the overall condition
is
> exceptional.
>
>
>
> There is one thing that wonders me; the trim around the windows
> are Metallic black instead of Inox.
>
>
>
> I don’t think the car has been repainted; it all looks very
> original and unspoiled.
>
>
>
> I had to fit a new battery. The car runs fantastically and
> everything ( except the aircon ) functions well.
>

 

Interesting "Tirdent" caps on those wheels. Any info on that. I would imagine it is after-market.

 

Hello Michael: sorry don't know about those but think that, perhaps, though I may well be wrong, they were fitted to later Maserati models.

 

The way things are looking now ... the Masers won't get out much. Parts of Austria got 5 feet of snow within the last few days .... I just hope Vienna will be clear by the time I get there.
Even if snow is out, I'll post very detailed pictures though (in the garage).

 

Here's one for anyone with an original Khamsin. What color is the grill work on the hood of your car? Black (flat, satin or gloss) or a dark charcoal gray metalic? Is the cover over the gas cap the same or different?

I've seen them painted various ways.


Joe

 

Joe: there is no doubt whatsoever that on an original car the hood grilles are in a somewhat shiny black and that the gas cap area (and its twin on the other side of the car) are non shiny. Many restored cars get these parts painted the wrong way and they don't bother getting the two different blacks. BUT...bear in mind also that the metal used for the hood grill work is very smooth whereas that used for those two triangular areas including the gas cap is rough in its surface, not smooth therefore it would not shine as much...so the answer is not so simple, still if I had to do it I would go slightly shiny on the hood and matt on the back.

I have over 1100 Khamsin photos now but no close ups on those rear grilles, none! Here is a photo of 1054 in 2002 before it got its bumper conversion: the half light is interesting.

best regards,

Marc
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I believe you! I have been stuck in the snow on my hill in Burgundy for 48 hours: a huge branch broke off a tree in the middle of the night and fell on the road, jumped 3 feet in my bed!

In that case you might want if you like photography to do a shoot in your garage with added lights.

best regards,

Marc

 

Don't worry Marc, I'm a photography student I'm planing on doing that for a living, so the photo-shoot won't be left out, snow or no snow.
I'm just figuring out where to rent the strobes and the power-pack as it isn't free, like it is here in Santa Barbara (can check that stuff out for free from our school).

Are you still stuck, or did the fire department already clear the road for you? Oh .. and I can think of worse places to be stuck in than Burgundy, my friend
Hope you have your supplies.

 

Helmut, I'm sorry - I had somehow overlooked your reply!
You might have spoken with my uncle (who owns the Ghibli SS and the Khamsin). He takes the Ghibli SS to the Kitzbueheler Alpenrallye annually (I think since '97 or so) and this year came in 29th (without tripmaster .... he refuses to get one )
I shall give you a call, when I get to Vienna - after living in California, St. Poelten is a Katzensprung from Vienna ..... I think I'd even go for lunch in Salzburg now (I drive too much over here).

(You wouldn't happen to have a blue Bora, would you? Cause I remember talking to somebody at a Shell gas station in Vienna once, and he looked kind of like you ... but I think I still had my M Coupe, so it must have been a while ago)

 

LOL: actually a huge tractor from the village came just 10 minutes ago and cleared the road: they can cope with a Yukon blizzard with that thing and yes I am stocked up in the local product: we used to make wine until 68!

Look forward to your photos!

best regards,

Marc