How many Boras currently for sale?

Do not know about the US, but in Europe I think many people prefer Maserati to Ferrari or Lamborghini not because of the money, but because Maserati is more, what is the word, restrained?

But more to the point of this thread, saw two Bora's at this site, look like serious cars I think: Authentic classic and race cars for sale - Guikas GTC

 

Whenever the market heats up all the junk and red headed stepchildren of the marques show up on the auction scene. The good stuff often trades silently behind the scenes, but that said the the Bora never had the over the top exotic look like the Miura Mangusta or Ferrari. It's probably the best mid engine exotic of that era to live with but looks count in this super car contest don't you think? Ghibli Spider pulls it off, it's stunning….. Bora not so much.

 

One of the cars, #288 does not look quite right to me. First, with that low serial number it definitely should not have the later style wheels. Especially when they are asking 300,000 Euros and claim it is all original with only 10,000 Kms. Also, I doubt the hood vent is original. I owned car #440 (also Euro version) and it did not have the hood vent. Perhaps the vent was added later on this car and the paint is still original .... but it makes you wonder.

Ivan
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+1

Used car salesman stuff.

 

Yes, i would also be interested in the truth what type of mirrors were used originally for each version.

Does anybody knows what leather style for the seats is original? Nearly every Bora has a different one.

 

Steve Claasen ([email protected]) has the closest match I've found for the original luggage/engine carpet.

I have been thinking of pushing the front and rear bumpers in closer to the body. The front bumper looks like the car is sticking its tongue out. How hard is this to do? I assume I need to unbolt the bumpers and then collapse the impact shocks. Do I just hit them with a big hammer?

Ivan
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Good morning Ivan,
I no longer remember the source, but I recall someone having drilled a small hole into the bumper piston's 'pressure chamber' which then allowed the piston to be collapsed rather easily and permanently.

The source described you could drive the car such that the bumper was up against a solid wall or something suitable, and use the car's own force to push the bumpers in to the extent desired.

I understood the bumpers would rebound unless the pistons were breached.
Best,
- Art

 

1. Those are perfectly original wheels to the car.
The stainless steel hubcaps have simply been removed and the trident center caps have been installed.
Very easy to put the ss hubcaps back on, if one wished to do so.
I much prefer this later look and have done the same to my '72 factory euro Bora.

2. The hood vent was introduced in late 1973. Therefore, it is very unlikely to be an original feature on this car.

3. Furthermore, early cars (including mine) did not come with side view mirrors from the factory. Such mirrors were installed by dealers upon request. Therefore, there are no 'correct' early side view mirrors.
Please look at the Bora test mule below to get an idea of what Guerino Bertocchi preferred.

Regards,


B.
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So you're acknowledging that the wheels are indeed incorrect?

 

To clarify:

The wheels in question ARE correct.
"The stainless steel hubcaps have simply been removed and the trident center caps have been installed.
Very easy to put the ss hubcaps back on, if one wished to do so.
I much prefer this later look and have done the same to my '72 factory euro Bora."

Regards,

B.

 

Ivan I haven't done it to mine though instead of destroying the shocks why not just have a pair of pieces fabricated that are shorter?

In the rear I suppose you could move it in a bit closer but it's still going to look like a diving board

The upside is that they really are functional and you can push the car around and even sit on them at concours ...

When I did the rear restoration on mine I did the prep work to accept the European bumpers so I cut back those huge square tube mounts so that they sit behind the inserted european style grill.

One idea I always played a bit with was getting a nice rear bumper discarded from a conversion and try to cut it to a much slimmer profile. So then what to do about refinishing it? Well I knew someone who had both rubber bumpers refinished on his 75 white Bora due to damage. I couldn't tell at all. I would think that cutting the depth in half while retaining all of the shape and nice profile qualities of it would be a huge improvement. I just don't know if it's possible with an original piece given where the metal reinforcement inside of it may be located?

Or just make one out of metal and paint it black.

1046 did look pretty good with the front bumper set back. I hope that one gets rescued, it looked as though 10,000 quack mechanics made a mess of it.

 

Really?

I thought they were all some generic "Connolly". I never really noticed that much variation and by now a lot of them are no longer original. Leather and it's finishing methods is so very different today than it was back then anyway. Exact matching can become near impossible. My Espada just got the front seats recovered and some other items and all I can say is that it was tough finding something that sort of has a similar grain to it. The new stuff is much better and bloody expensive too!

Mirrors:

I don't know that the Maserati factory ever mounted mirrors? A great question for them.

The late ones (Tornado electric) in the US were installed by the dealers per the customer's desires or dealer's whim. You see some cars with just one like mine and others with a pair. They are terrific functioning mirrors but not very flattering.

 

This Bora was one of three Bora's for sale at a firm in Holland in 2014: Maserati-Bora | Joop Stolze Classic Cars

 

Indeed, I went to see this brown bora in 2013, then for sale for 78.500€. It was described (as usual...) as "perfect" but it was missing its gearbox beacause it was damaged.
I remember something about the gearbox being not available due to a dispute or something.
Later it was advertised for 84.000€ with gearbox... The car was very sad looking overall needing a lot of work in al departments.
The price has about doubled, I doubt if any work has been done...
Tom, Belgium
Bora 110

 

Sir Guerrino Bertocchi had been discharged from Bora development before it even began, due to his negative contrarian attitude towards rear mid engined cars. The Bora test driving development was the responsability of Cleto Grandi.

See my book and the relevant interviews therein.

Maserati - The Citroën Years 1968-75 · Books · Eau Rouge Publishing

The car in that factory archive photo is indeed the test mule which was destroyed in the mandatory crash test.

Best regards,

MS

 

Hello---

Thanks for the input.
Interestingly, I ordered your book (deluxe ed.) last week and am waiting for a Tracking Number to pick it up.

Please note that several sources including Jan P. Norbye in his book Maserati Bora and Merak; Hardcover – June, 1982, specifically contradict your view. Bertocchi's well-known dislike for the mid-engined platform and his ceaseless criticisms of it during development have been credited with making the Bora the amazing car it turned out to be.

I look forward to enjoying your work.

Regards.


B.

 

Greetings Marc

Where can I find this wonderful book of yours? Any info in it that describe what was done to gr4 suspension? I here the pickup points were altered to adjust the roll centers for the enormous tires. To me the rockers/floor plan also look shorter perhaps to lower the car further?
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Thank you.

 

This example looks to be quite nice.
Ivan, it appears that you may have sold this car in the past.
The price seems fair if it's as nice as described.
1 Maserati Bora for sale on JamesEdition

 

Yes, that is #766. Very nice unmolested car. Most likely the car used in the "Wind and the Star" brochure. How many US spec 1974 Rame Boras, that were in California when the photo was taken, could there be?

Price seems fair ... no relationship with the seller.

Ivan
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hmmm tried to purchase it...says its currently unavalible?