Maserati Bora

Vehicle Overview

Named after an Adriatic wind, the Bora was the work of Giorgetto Giugiaro’s ItalDesign, at least as far as its bodyshell was concerned; the mid-mounted engine was Maserati’s familiar four-cam V8 in 4.7-litre form, the five-speed transaxle came from ZF, and the all-independent double-wishbone suspension was penned by Giulio Alfieri, co-designer of the legendary 250F Formula 1 Grand Prix car. One of the first ‘new generation’ models to appear following Maserati’s acquisition by Citroën, the Bora used the latter’s hydraulics technology to adjust seats and pedals, raise the headlamps, and operate the excellent power-assisted brakes. A slippery shape plus 310bhp made for a very fast car – top speed was over 258km/h – and the Bora had acceleration, handling and braking to match. The subsequent 4.9-litre version was even faster.

By January 1976, Maserati’s management apparently had discussed shelving the Bora but later that year decided to continue. Only some 25 Boras were made that year, and the total produced was only 564, the 4.7/4.9-litre split being 289/235. The type was finally phased out in 1979. The Bora was a stunning supercar by any standards, both then and now.