Maserati Bora - Picture Thread

Its a very early version of the front grille.

 

It was probably too expensive and difficult to build and they changed when the car went into production. They sold a lot of cars the first full year it was produced.

 

Almost looks like cooling fins ...

 

Note that the car on the Geneva show stand also had a different Bora script chrome name on the back, see photo 1. There was also talk of an even more elaborate one see the bottom of the second press photo. The third shot is a close up of the nose so you can see how that varied from later standard cars. These are from the factory archives as provided to me by Ermanno Cozza about eleven years ago before Fabio Collina joined Maserati Classiche.


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Continuing the elegant slat design in the rear between the exhaust tips.
Unfortunately just looks very busy in the front.
Glad they went with the mesh instead!

 

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/magazine/maserati-bora-turns-fifty/?utm_campaign=Broadcast | Thursday Newsletter | 18/03/21&utm_term=01ENAR6M9VT8DYETJF0QMWPDW9&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Newsletter - Engaged in the last 12 months&utm_content=&_ke=eyJrbF9jb21wYW55X2lkIjogIlg1UUx4UyIsICJrbF9lbWFpbCI6ICJoaG5hQGdteC5uZXQifQ==

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Standard run of the mill article that's already been written so many times over the years and why did they have to pick one in red?
There are so many wonderful other colors that highlight the design much better. I've never been a fan of the red Maserati used during that era.

You can do much better reading about the Bora on Fchat and of course in Mark's book.

The opening photo is nice though.

 

Can`t agree more! Red is not the best color for a Maserati GT. Particulary not for the Bora. Always loved Wilson Werhan`s green 4.7. Lovely. Then every Bora in light- or dark blue is great! Also white has something while silver is quite boring. This all is my humble opinion, of course! A very good friend and also a 300S-owner, wanted a green Bora only. He was searching for a long period until ge got one last year!

 

Obviously color is a personal choice, the interior color does effect the overall appearance. Certain models look better than others in certain colors.

i for one don’t think a Ghibli looks that great in yellow, but it is my favorite color on a Ghibli Spyder. I tend to prefer dark colors on the Coupe, Dark Blue, Burgundy, Dk Gray (as long as it doesn’t have a black interior, very drab) my favorite is Black on a coupe.

Boras yellow, blues, green, Rosso Rubino looks fabulous as does black. Silver and Gray not so much, silver really changes the look by effectively eliminating the contrasting stainless roof.

khamsins are really effected by the interior color as it is so visible with all the glass. While most colors looks great on a Khamsin, silver has the advantage with Euro bumpers as they blend into the body better, and don’t jump out as a 3rd exterior color. Silver as a color Matched with a Red or even a rare Blue interior looks fantastic.

 

In the wild..


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It's been wild in California before! Very wild.

 

I wonder how much of that was actually carried out by Maserati?

The air feed manifold to the carbs looks awfully tiny. They did anticipate the problem of ingesting water when it rains as that appears to be an air water separator box. I once ran BIG EARS air scoops in place of the side vents on the rear of the hatch. I piped them to the intakes on the air filter housing with RV drain waste hose. It gave a lovely burble sound when driving slowly with the windows down. But we hit some very light rain as we pulled into Ely Nevada two days before the race. The next morning the car wouldn't start. So I pulled the plugs, dried them out and sprayed some alcohol in the cylinders. Started right up just fine. I can't quite see how all the hose runs to and from the box or where the fresh air comes from?.

I don't have photos of my setup, it was just too damn ugly photograph and I'm not sure it accomplished very much. Air flow into the engine compartment with a good way to escape would have been much more helpful IMHO. It looks like this one has a better exit design? But the other Bora that Marc talked about that's heavily modified has what's really needed for high speed travel.

 

We want the tales and the photos please, popcorn ready;-)

Does it involve police chases and bikinis?!

PS: I will ask Fabio if Bora 178 was the actual sustained top speed special for the entrepreneur in a hurry.

 

Yes. That would be fascinating
Even if this is not it, maybe he could identify the actual Taranto Bora!

 

The bikinis were only at the Reno and Tahoe events!

No just a big party @ Concourso Italiano (not sure it was even called that at the time) and when the owner won first place with that car much champagne was guzzled and a high speed exit out of Quail Lodge ensued! Fortunately it all went safely. He took the car up to the Seattle area after that. At some point after purchasing the car out of the SF Bay Area he did stop at my Friend's house in Orinda where they went over the car. My friend was a fellow Bora owner (RIP). After that I don't know where all it went but I'm sure someone does. It ended up at Steve Clauson's place a few years back which is where Ivan bought it I think? It seems to have always been well looked after and cherished.

 

Yep will get that number. Just wrote to him.

What I did see is that the document attached states the mileage is actually quite high at 112000kms NOT that shown on the dash.

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Thank you.
As I tried to point out above (post #870) a cursory look at the condition of the Webers left no room for fact-based disagreement!
(P&R deleted, keep it in the right place -- mod)

 

A Brilliantly Positive and Factually Correct synopsis.
Warning: If you are a closet Bora hater it may adversely affect your health.

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/retro/11-reasons-why-maserati-bora-unsung-hero-70s#1

 

Not bad, he actually put some thought into it. Again he should have pointed out that the hydraulics were not imposed by Paris, Bercot specifically did not want to meddle or dilute the company ethos and he forbade upper and middle management in Paris to tamper with Maserati. He actually told Malleret, his man in charge, you answer only to me.

It was Giulio Alfieri who specifically asked for the hydraulics. I keep repeating it but just this weekend on Fb some Ejiot was tantrumming about Citroen impositions on the Bora.

 

Needless to say you are absooolutely correct!

Such an article on Top Gear/BBC is, however, gold-dust for an incredibly misunderstood/negatively targeted masterpiece, from at least a much needed/deserved PR perspective.
No more. No less!

 

What made the Bora somewhat unique in its era was its usable trunk. If that was an important part of the equation, then the Citroen hydraulics was the only way to achieve that result. I'm sure that Alfieri saw the potential immediately and was happy to have access to the system to achieve what Maserati wanted, the best mid-engine GT or its day.

 

There have been other cars that placed the vacuum boost assist in the rear of the car but I don't think the trunk space is why the LHM system was selected.
Complain all you want it IS one reason these cars are just not considered as highly desirable, nothing fair about it.

 

I think that's an air-oil separator for crankcase ventilation. That would be a typical modification for an engine that is expected to run at high revs for extended periods. The standard car (or at least, mine) has a hose attached to the left side intake cam case that feeds fittings on two ports. This car appears to have a hose connected to the cam box that runs towards the rear, very probably being the hose that loops over the top of the can. The outlet hose feeds vapors back to the carb air intakes. There would be a drain back hose returning the condensed oil to the sump. 105 series Alfas have an external separator like this as standard.

 

Right Fabio has gotten back to me, there is nothing of note in the file of AM117-178.

In his view these modifications were therefore made by/for the owner after the car left the factory.

I asked if when they have a minute, he, Cozza and Manicardi can identify the chassis number of the "Taranto missile;-)" and mods made to it.