MASERATI KHAMSIN 1976 - Test drive in top gear - 4.9 V8 Engine sound | SCC TV

This is the magnificent Maserati Khamsin 4.9. Only 420 were made of which only 335 had a five speed gearbox. It has the legendary roaring V8 engine and is equipped with a very nice beige leather interior and the original wheels. It is a "matching numbers" car.
The Maserati Khamsin (Tipo AM120) is a Gran Turismo automobile produced by Maserati between 1974 and 1982. The Khamsin had no direct successor, with Maserati not making another V8 grand tourer until the 1990 launch of the Shamal. Following Maserati's tradition it was named after a wind: the Khamsin, a hot, violent gust blowing in the Egyptian desert for fifty days a year.
Front view of a Khamsin, showing the three slots added in 1977.
The Khamsin was introduced as a Bertone prototype in Autumn 1972 at the Turin Auto Show. Designed by Marcello Gandini, it was Bertone's first work for Maserati. In March 1973 the production model was shown at the Paris Motor Show, wearing Maserati badges. Regular production of the vehicle started only a year later, in 1974. The Khamsin was developed under the Citroën ownership for the clientele that demanded a front-engined grand tourer on the lines of the previous Ghibli, more conventional than the mid-engined Bora. In 1977 a mild facelift added three horizontal slots on the Khamsin's nose to aid cooling. Inside it brought a restyled dashboard and a new padded steering wheel. One Khamsin was delivered to Luciano Benetton in 1981. Despite the many improvements over its predecessor, the Khamsin didn't replicate its success; partly due to the concurrent fuel crisis that shrunk demand for big V8 grand tourers. Production ended in 1982, with 435 vehicles made (a mere third of the Ghibli's 1274 examples production run) - 155 of whose had been exported to the United States.

[@francoriva55]

Fantastica come tutte le Maserati !! Viva Italia

[@darrellsimpson6966]

A work of art. Just beautiful.

[@thomasmireles4910]

Love these older Maserati’s

[@INDIGOBLUE555]

Some cars look alike a dream turning into reality. Marcello Gandini turned reality into a dream.

[@jjefferyworboys8138]

Pure class, such a pretty car.

[@murrayfurze]

Marcello Gandini !

[@TimsEnthusiastGarage]

My all time favourite Gandini design . The floating tails are inspired

[@horrorcocktail]

I love the shape above the front fender, how it draws towards the rear fender and flattens more and more and more until it converts into the stern. IMO these details make the Khamsin the most beautiful Maserati ever, even better than the first Ghibli or the current GranTourismo.

[@peterf1]

@@horrorcocktail Couldn't agree more. That element of the car's shape is often overlooked by the rear window. But to me this is one of the seminal cars that signaled the turn towards modernism and a sharper / cleaner style of the coming 1970s. Yes, yes, those curves of the earlier era are properly called 'classic' for a reason, and their beauty cannot be denied. Yet Gandini had his own vision of the future and this car pointed towards it. Also, it's a small point, but again to show his independent thinking the asymmetrical hood vent was quite bold in it's day. Saw it at the NY Auto Show as a kid and this has remained as an all time favorite.

[@horrorcocktail]

@@peterf1 Yes, the asymmetrical hood is remarkable, although Raymond Loewy had used the idea a decade before, at the Studebaker Avanti. But Marcello Gandini doesn't show this element with this special "Look at me, I'm different" attitude, like Loewy did, it's just there.

[@leonardomartinez7160]

Una obra de arte

[@tbirdboy]

Just found this...what a gem! Looks like I'm going to have to find one.

[@cibagiovanazzi8186]

Le ultime risalgono nel 1982, fu acquistata dai Benetton. Che meraviglia 😍👍❤❤❤❤❤

[@paullacey2999]

Its a gorgeous car for sure🔱🔱🔱

[@stuartbritton7408]

When cars were still attractive

[@happymoonhideout2727]

beautiful👍🏻

[@giuliopedrali4794]

Peccato per i soli 2 posti, non è una 2+2, si nota che le auto italiane erano uniche e artigianali, però un po' troppo poco pratiche

[@nitinb9202]

Like a pornstar in cars, loved by all.

[@Donnaya137]

That guy talks too much.

[@euromissiles2877]

forse la piu bella

[@JamesBond-pb2qy]

Ok. Now let's hear him burn rubber.like a 70 Hemi Cuda or Fly like a Hemi Superbird!

[@rolfdejonge3915]

XXX...

[@12dougreed]

Sounds like a bag of nails

[@raybelcher]

Klingt wie ein Sack Muscheln.