Keep Your Hypercar, the 1975 Maserati Bora is the Business

BOLD RIDE

Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Zach Doell

 

The 1970s are generally not remembered for their perfection in automotive engineering, what with the whole death of the muscle car. But you wouldn’t know that from looking at Maseratis of the decade, or rather, any Italian exotic of the ‘70s. They looked downright amazing. 

 

First there was the tail end of the sultry Ghibli, then the reign of the sleek Khamsin, the birth of the vivacious V6-powered Merak, and the crème de la crème V8 Maserati Bora. A cherry on top of one sweet, sweet Italian gelato.

There’s no doubt about it, the Bora was a special car, and between 1971 and 1979 a scant 564 models rolled off the production lines, half destined for U.S. shores. This Bora would appear to be one of those, and despite its 40 years of age, it’s still a stunner to behold.

With its debut at the famed Geneva Motor Show in 1971, the Maserati Bora arrived at a pivotal time for the Italian marque, as Citroen had recently taken ownership of Maserati. As the front-engined Ghibli was rolled off into the sunset, the wedge-y mid-engine Bora was rolled in, mounting a version of its predecessor’s V8 midship. And what a V8 it was.

First came a 4.7-liter V8 and then an even larger 4.9-liter version, which spun up a potent 320 horsepower through four Weber carburetors and spit it to the ground via a ZF five-speed gearbox. Zero to 60 mph took a brisk 6.5 seconds.

But that’s not what made the Bora unique. It was also highly comfortable, livable, and had a generous boot (trunk), something the big Lamborghinis of the day—the Miura and the
Countach—couldn’t quite claim.

 Its debut also ushered in a slew of French engineering to Maserati, which meant the Bora tacked on a Citroen hydraulic system that operated the four-wheel disc brakes, adjustable seats, pop-up headlights, and adjustable pedals.

And with styling penned by the prolific Giorgetto Giugiaro—designer of the BMW M1, DeLorean DMC-12, De Tomaso Mangusta, and even the original VW Golf, among many others—it’s no wonder why the Bora, and even the Merak and Ghibli look as good as they do.

This ’75 Maserati Bora, which recently surfaced on eBay, packs that later (and more powerful) 4.9-liter V8 engine, and is said to have been originally delivered to a customer in Los Angeles, California…also originally in yellow. Today, it wears a deep navy blue hue and its rather portly U.S.-spec bumpers, but even with the bumpers in place, it’s a true performance icon.