In the 1970s, Maserati began to develop a grand tourer to offer its customers. The result was the Maserati Kyalamipowered by a four-cam V8 engine that could reach more than 240 km/h top speed.
The Maserati Kyalami is named after the homonymous circuit in South Africa, where a Maserati-powered Formula 1 Cooper T81 won the 1967 South African Grand Prix with Mexican driver Pedro Rodríguez at the wheel.
It was born in the midst of the company’s chaos, after it had been bought by a bankrupt Citroën, after almost collapsing during the 1973 oil crisis. In 1975 the company’s savior, Alejandro de Tomaso, arrived along with GEPI. This was an Italian state holding whose sole purpose was to save as many jobs as possible in the transalpine country.
De Tomaso soon realized that Maserati needed a luxury grand tourer. But there was a significant problem… and that is that there were no funds to develop it. The solution was to send the designs of the De Tomaso Longchampreleased three years earlier, in 1973, to Pietro Frua, who modified the design and created the Kyalami.
The original design of that modern GT was the work of Tom Tjaarda at Ghia. Sales of the Longchamp had been affected by the consumption of its American V8, but it stood out for its monocoque platform or its independent front and rear suspension: ideal for creating a new Maserati on it.
Frua modified its dimensions (increasing its width and length) and lowered its free height to the ground. The original rectangular headlamps were replaced with four more classic round headlamps, and other changes were made to the bodywork. Even so, when it was presented at the 1976 Geneva Motor Show, many said that it was not a “real” Maserati.
Inside, it had the comforts expected of a car of its type: air conditioning, electric windows, central locking, electric rear-view mirror on the driver’s side door, all as standard, as well as its elegant Jaeger timepieces.
Without a doubt, the biggest change from the Longchamp was under the hood. The Ford Cleveland V8 was succeeded by the Maserati V8 Tipo AM 107.21.42, a more advanced engine with four overhead cams (two per bank), four downdraft Weber carburettors. It delivered 262 hp at 6,000 rpm with 391 Nm of torque at 3,800 rpm and was mated to the reliable ZF 5-speed manual gearbox.
Maserati had the Kyalami in production from 1976 to 1983 with two main versions. First the 4.2-liter V8 then 4.9-liter V8. Not even for those did he succeed, they were barely made 200-210 units in the seven years he was there. And today, despite their rarity and scarcity, they are not highly valued.
And it seems that it does not interest. We have seen it in the unit that illustrates this article, an unrestored Maserati Kyalami, with a dark blue metallic body and a cream leather-trimmed interior… that went up for auction a few months ago and no one bought.
Source: Collecting Cars
