1978 Maserati Khamsin
Chassis: AM120*387*
Registration number: VYU 525S
• One of 71 right-hand drive examples.
• 4.9 litre quad cam, dry sump V8
• 320bhp @5,500rpm
• 5-speed dog leg ZF gearbox
• 40,000 miles
Writing about the Maserati Khamsin in retrospect in the legendary Supercar Classics magazine, the equally legendary L J K Setright waxed lyrically about the Khamsin’s lightness of touch, it’s hewn from the solid feel and it’s genuine supercar performance. He summed up the car as “coming as close to being seventh heaven as any performance car could.”
Conceived as the successor to the Ghibli and using a development of that car’s dry-sump V8 engine, the Khamsin was in some ways the pinnacle of Maserati’s Citroën period, utilising high-pressure hydraulic systems to power the brakes, headlight pods, steering, seat adjustment and clutch. Never before and rarely since has a supercar been so light and delicate to drive.
To further answer the Ghibli’s critics, Chief Engineer Alfieri designed new, independent rear suspension contained together with a limited slip Salisbury differential. For the gearbox, he chose once again a ZF unit, though an update of that fitted to previous Maseratis and with a dog-leg first.
For the styling, Maserati chose Bertone, who created an avant garde shape completely different to anything previously offered by Maserati. It was the work of Marcello Gandini, who’s genius is only now starting to be appreciated.
With a top speed of over 160mph and with 0-60mph time of 5.6 seconds, nobody would doubt that the Khamsin was a true supercar. However, like all manufacturers of exotic cars, Maserati were caught out by the oil crisis in the early 1970s and the subsequent reduction in speed limits. In the end, the Khamsin stayed on sale for a long time, from 1974 to 1982, but in that time only 430 examples were built.
Of those, only 71 were right-hand drive and of those, only 50 came to the UK. This particular example was supplied new by UK Maserati concessionaires MTC Cars in March 1978. It was ordered in the unusual colour of Marrone Colorado with a Connolly Vaumol leather interior in ‘fungo’ or mushroom.
The first owner was reputedly the musician Mike Oldfield, who was then flush with the success of Tubular Bells. However, a year later, it was advertised for sale again, this time by Rod Vickery in London, before finding its way into a large Italian car collection based in the North of the UK in 1989, where it would remain until 2003.
Offered for sale by Christies at auction in Nine Elms in June 2003, at that time showing only 25,700 miles and now painted Maserati red instead of the original ‘Marrone Colorado’, it was purchased by the current owner’s husband, who, as already the owner of a Citroën SM and CX, would later confess that it was the Citroen influence that attracted him to this particular Maserati.
From the auction, the car was transported to us at McGrath and a process of recommissioning took place. Years in a large collection had preserved the condition of the car, but it had hardly been used. At that time, the new owner lived in Monaco and once fettled, the Khamsin headed south, to share the garage with that Citroën SM. Both were featured in an article by Dale Drinnon in Octane magazine in 2006 and over the next three years, the Khamsin covered over 7000 miles.
Citroën people, perhaps even more than Maserati people, tend to gather as a tribe, and the owner was part of a conclave of ex-pat Brits with a French fancy. Arch Francophile and Citroën expert, the late Andrew Brodie was at the core of this group and therefore when writing his book, An Omelette and three glasses of wine, naturally he chose to include the Octane article on the Khamsin and its owner.
Over the next decade, more use, combined with the odd trip back to McGrath for servicing was the pattern. In correspondence on and off with Khamsin Registrar Marc Sonnery, the owner waxed lyrical about how good the car was to drive, far better than period road tests would have one believe and that he continued to enjoy it immensely.
In 2015, he retired back to the UK and so the Khamsin came home. Further servicing was carried out by us in 2019 and then in 2023, we undertook a complete bare-metal repaint to a very high standard, fitted a complete new stainless steel exhaust system and overhauled the rear subframe and suspension, a total of around £75,000 expenditure. Photos of the restoration work are available and show a bare body remarkably rust free. The interior was refitted, and is very original. Mechanically, it is ‘on the button’ and the engine runs sweetly as it should.
Sadly, during this period, the owner passed away and we are now offering the car for sale on behalf of his widow. It has not been driven since the last work was completed and therefore the benefit of all that expenditure will be enjoyed by the next owner. Notwithstanding that, it will also be serviced by us before sale and will come with a new MOT certificate.
Maintained by us for over 20 years with all invoices on file and with a total mileage now of just over 40,000, this represents a huge amount of Maserati for the money. Khamsins have always been undervalued when compared to their peer group. Perhaps the rarity has kept them off many buyers’ radar, or maybe unless you are already a confirmed Citroënista, the hydraulic systems put you off. All we can say is come and have a go. And then you’ll see what Setright was talking about.
