Maserati Kyalami
The Maserati Kyalami was the first new model developed under the Alejandro de Tomaso ownership. It was derived from, and mechanically virtually identical (except for some body panels) to the Longchamp, a three-box grand tourer made by De Tomaso Automobili.
Vehicle Overview
The Maserati Kyalami: When De Tomaso acquired Maserati after the demise of Citroën in 1975, he found the brand in dire financial straits. In a desperate need to develop a new flagship model to improve sales, De Tomaso had the idea to use the recently unsuccessful Longchamp as the base in order to save development costs of the new model. Pietro Frua was commissioned by De Tomaso to undertake the restyling of the Tom Tjaarda-designed Longchamp, to give the new car a distinctive Maserati feel. The edgy lines of the Longchamp were softened and the headlamps were replaced by quad round units. The car was also lowered, lengthened and widened in order to give the car a more sporty character. This move was disdained by purists and this showed in the form of declining interest in the car. The interior was also upgraded to incorporate classic Maserati elements such the steering wheel and instrumentation. It was upholstered in premium Connolly leather and had plush carpeting. The boxy design for the roof meant that the car could easily seat taller passengers. A quad overhead camshaft Maserati 90° V8 engine was utilised to power the car, as opposed to the American-sourced Ford V8 which was used in the Longchamp. The Maserati Kyalami was the last car to use this engine. The Kyalami was a sales failure and only 200 units were built before it was replaced by the mass-produced Biturbo.
Technical Specifications
-
Body
-
Year1976
-
MakeMaserati
-
ModelKyalami
-
CoachbuilderFrua
-
Length (mm)N/A
-
Width (mm)N/A
-
Height (mm)N/A
-
Units built200
-
Engine TypeV8
-
DesignerPietro Frua
-
MakeN/A
-
ModelN/A
-
Cylinder CapacityN/A
-
Number Of DoorsN/A
-
Six Month RateN/A
-
Twelve Month RateN/A
-
Date Of First RegistrationN/A
-
Year Of ManufactureN/A
-
CO2 EmissionsN/A
-
Fuel TypeN/A
-
Tax StatusN/A
-
TransmissionN/A
-
ColourN/A
-
Type ApprovalN/A
-
Wheel PlanN/A
-
Revenue WeightN/A
-
Tax DetailsN/A
-
Mot DetailsN/A
-
TaxedN/A
-
motN/A
-
MakeN/A
-
Cylinder CapacityN/A
-
RegistrationN/A
-
Year Of ManufactureN/A
-
CO2 MissionsN/A
-
Fuel TypeN/A
-
Tax StatusN/A
-
ColourN/A
-
Type ApprovalN/A
-
Wheel PlanN/A
-
Revenue WeightN/A
Events
RELATED VEHICLES
More vehicles by Frua
Coachbuilder
Related Posts
Missing or wrong informations?
Carrozzieri-Italiani.com relies on thousend of users who help to populate the database. We do not guarantee the accuracy of the informations. Contact us if you want to contribute.