Maserati Khamsin

Hi Roger, great story about that village and now that you mention Galantica I do have a virtual folder with lots of virtual dust about them, a dealer in Valais, and a dark red K...will look it up and post tomorrow.

 

Right here as mentioned the file I have on a K sold by Galantica: AM120-260. I looged this in 2007:

Sold.

1977, 82000kms, restored in 1998

Longtime Swiss car apparently.

Color strangely annotated by Galantica in their website as bleu Bordeaux

Interior natural leather color.

Mirrors don't match either of the two Dijon photo Neuchatel cars but it is many years later, who knows...as you say it is very difficult when they are almost perfect twins. Will ask about Mario Magada.

This one has remained under the radar since 2007 as far as I know.


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Hello Marc

Another car I supposed was originally first delivered to Switzerland, same as 240, of which I have no info yet.
Galantica seems to like taking pictures of their cars in the gravel pit.
I remember having seen these pictures, but had no idea about the VIN.

Although I do have pictures of 288 with similar rear view mirrors (I call them 'rubber neck') this one has mirrors on both sides, whereas 288 has only ever had one.

First 2 pics of 288, then one more Galantica car in Rosso Fuoco, which could be the one for sale by Mr Elsig in Automobil Revue Nr.26 22.June 1995, page 68, an early 1974 car, and then one I found recently (2019) on the web about a paint shop Procar in Salgesch, the same location of Galantica. Looking at the tyres, it could be the same car as the red one before, resprayed in grey afterwards. Could this be 240?


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Thanks for that Roger:

Regarding 240 I have had some contact with the owner, Thomas M. He stated the original color was Bordeaux metallic, it was sold new by Bjaersch the old Maserati dealer in the suburbs of Zurich. It ran for two years in the Zurich area and is in his family ownership since 1979. In 1996 he had Garage Limacher near Lucerne restore it totally and the color was changed to red.

Here a couple of photos of it. In the second photo is 230 a brown Khamsin that lives in eastern Switzerland which I once saw at Limacher. In the third where 240 is at right you can see 232 at left in verde pino.

288: Yes the then owner of it, Robert A. who can be seen at right in the second photo you posted, joined us at the 8 Khamsin meeting we organised near Zurich, August 24, 2010, he drove down from Stuttgart for the day.

Regarding your other points no idea alas...

I have another photo though (by Frenchman HRG former owner of another Khamsin) of a CH registered Burgundy car, the last one posted here, taken in the 80's in the south of France, notice the Goodyear white letter tires. One of those, probably the one on the left in the two K Dijon photo.

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Thanks Marc !

That solves another one for me. Great photos too.
I will try and phone those guys in the canton Wallis to find out more on the resprayed car.

 

You are welcome, good luck!

Since we are on a roll with good luck another photo posted a couple of days ago on FB turns out to be very rare as well: this green car photographed by Pierre Pluquet at Monthlery in the 1980's as it arrived at the circuit for the Coupes de l'Age d'Or vintage weekend.

Well since all green French market K's I know are smooth nose I thought it had to be 204 (more on this later). 204 was sadly crashed in 1988 with 3 passengers, no one hurt.

The owner let a friend drive on the Autoroute, he was going over 240kph, caught a Porsche doing 200, the Porsche driver did not look in his mirrors changing lanes, the Khamsin bounced off a truck and into the rail. The car was actually able to limp a quarter mile off the Autoroute in that state!

It then lingered many years in a barn in Dordives near Fontainebleau south of Paris at the owners home where I saw it in early 2007.

Well what I did no remember is that I got a copy of the carte grise (title) that day which I found in my folder and the number plate matches: 764 GHF 75.

I had never ever seen a photo of that car before its demise.

The other photos show it in 2007 when I visited. In 2008 it was bought by a restorer in Grenoble who decided it was too far gone, in 2009 I sold it to John in Denmark as a parts car for his epic restoration of 1032. The remainder was then sold to Norway and then ended up in Germany with an enthusiast who likes to save orphan Khamsins.

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Hello Marc

On another note I hope I will be able to supply fresh photos soon of #400, as it is currently being restored in Switzerland after 24 years in hibernation.
I received a copy of the FZ-Ausweis, or carte grise if you like, and it will be restored in Resale Red and Beige hide, same as it was before.
It was first registered in Switzerland in July 1981, had its last inspection in October 1995 and was taken off the road in March 1996.
I believe a tender request for a front car glass was issued in 2012 for this car, so perhaps they found a supplier finally.

Maybe you have older information on #400.

 

Wonderful Roger My files say 399__nada__401 so if you can fill the gap excellent thank you Bedtime here good night.

 

Apparently grey is the original colour of the car in Salgesch.
Unfortunately not many clues in the interior, completely stripped.

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AM120-333 is coming up for auction in the UK. This is the Sultan of Brunei car which probably sat with a broken engine for decades in a dark corner of the collection and was later turned into this modified...thing -I believe at the initiative of Jefri Bolkiah, the Sultan's extravagantly spendthrift brother before he was excommunicated- . As someone else pointed out they make no mention of the Holden V8 engine replacing the original...

Getting an answer from the Palace as to the car's full story is alas totally unlikely.

https://www.historics.co.uk/buying/auctions/2020-12-12/cars/ref-165-1975-maserati-khamsin-resto-mod-sb/

 

He was rightly excommunicated

 

... and here it is again : Bruneis Königsfamilie verwandelte diesen Maserati Khamsin in einen Hot Rod | Classic Driver Magazine

 

Interesting placement of a DeTomaso logo on the steering wheel.

Ivan

 

Just received this prompt answer to my email from Stuart Banks of Historic Auctioneers:

Hi Marc,

Many thanks for the information regarding the Maserati Khamsin we have in our sale on Saturday 12th December. I was made aware of the engine aspect only yesterday. I did see the car a month or so ago at DD Classics and before I did my description nobody pointed out this aspect of the car. We will be making and adjustment to the website and I will put a saleroom notice on the car when it is displayed next week.

Once again many thanks for pointing this out, we always welcome any comments about anything that may be misleading.

Regards,


Stewart Banks

Historics Auctioneers

07733 290 120 (m)

01753 639 170 (w)

01522 262177 (f)

www.historics.co.uk

 

The steering wheel has since been Resto modded too, no more de Tomaso badge at least;-)

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Nice photo of a white (with black? leather) US Khamsin in this Ebay listing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/maserati-khamsin-am-120-Owners-Manuel/133360178706

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A question for the Khamsinists.
I was told that the K's produced for Germany ("german specs") and possibly Sweden had a restricted power of 280 PS at 5100 rpm instead of 320 PS at 5500 rpm, a power degradation like for the US, to satisfy emission regulations more stringent at the time in this country in comparison to France or Italy.
I was quite surprised but the guy who argued that provided me with the following german document relating to a Khamsin 4900:
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Anybody could confirm/infirm that?
Would it be similar also for Bora's or Indy's of the same period?

 

Marc,
correct spelling is Bjarsch.

 

I am pretty sure that no Khamsin ever had 320PS...

 

And the VIN of this...eh...tastefull "Masterpiece" is....???

 

Ah yes thanks I thought the a had the umlaut, double dots but no, duly noted

 

AM120-333, here is the info Fabio sent me while confirming it was ordered by the Sultan's staff for him. Note the special order colors.


Basic information:

KHAMSIN (AM120)

Chassis number

AM120*333*

Model

KHAMSIN (AM120)

Body

Bertone - Closed

Displacement

4.930 cm3 - Carburettors

Gearbox type

Automatic Borg Warner

External colour

"Verde Mercedes" (Green)

Interiors leather colour

"Marrone Monzese" (Brown)

Date of production

10/03/1975

Right hand drive

Yes

Delivery area

Brunei

 

Serge when I did the research and interviews for my 2013 book Ermanno Cozza stated that the power reduction from 320 to 280 was...ONLY on paper to be politically correct and pretend Maserati as making an effort towards emissions. There was no money at all for any such nonsense.

 

This Khamsin was seen in Köln in November 2020, probably #382?: https://www.autogespot.nl/maserati-khamsin/2020/11/22

 

Not sure 382, sold new in France and resold to Germany a few years ago now converted from silver to dark blue has a different type of mirror nowadays, see below, it is or was with dealer Bastian Voigt in Germany, nice guy I met at Retromobile this year.

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