Beschreibung:

The highlight of 1971 Geneva Salon was undoubtedly the sensational new Maserati Bora. With the Bora’s introduction, the great Modenese manufacturer followed other supercar constructors in going mid-engined, at the same time abandoning its traditional tubular chassis technology in favour of unitary construction. Named after a wind, the Bora was the work of Giorgetto Giugiaro’s Ital Design, 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. One of the first ‘new generation’ models to appear following Maserati’s acquisition by Citroen, the Bora used the latter’s hydraulic 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 around 160mph (258km/h) - and the Bora had acceleration and handling to match. By January 1976, Maserati’s management apparently had discussed shelving the Bora, but later that year decided to continue, though with an enlarged 4.9-litre V8 engine. Only some 25 Boras were made in all that year, and the total produced from 1971 to 1978 was only 571. The type was finally phased out in 1979. Motor magazine concluded its March 1973 road test thus: ‘The Bora impressed us as one of the best and most civilised mid-engined exotics we’ve tried, better developed than most of its ilk and immensely rewarding to drive, especially to drive fast on cross-country roads.’ What more could an enthusiast want? The Bora was a stunning supercar by any standards, both then and now. This outstandingly original example was purchased from its first owner, an important Italian private collector, by the current vendor and has covered fewer than 5,000 kilometres from new. Its first owner started the car regularly but used it only infrequently, whereas the current owner wanted to enjoy his nearly-new Bora so sent it to a Maserati/Citroën specialist for a compete service, including the installation of a new clutch, at a cost of more than €8000. Since then he has taken the car on tour with the Maserati Club of France, covering more than 1000 kilometres in the Perigord region, and reports that it is absolutely superb to drive. There can be few, if any, better examples in existence so this car represents a possibly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire a superb original Bora. La Bora était une impressionnante voiture de sport, et le reste encore aujourd'hui. Cet exemplaire en état d'origine exceptionnel a été acheté à son premier propriétaire, un important collectionneur privé italien, par le vendeur actuel et a parcouru moins de 8 500 km depuis sa livraison neuve. Son premier propriétaire faisait régulièrement démarrer la voiture mais la sortait rarement. De son côté, le nouvel acquéreur souhaitant profiter pleinement de sa Bora quasiment neuve, l'a envoyée chez un spécialiste Maserati/Citroën pour une révision complète incluant la pose d'un embrayage neuf, pour un coût de plus de 8 000 €. Depuis, il a participé avec le Maserati Club de France à une randonnée dans le Périgord, couvrant plus de 1 000 km, et il assure que la voiture est un enchantement à conduire. Il existe probablement peu, voire pas du tout, de meilleurs exemplaires survivants, ce qui fait de cette voiture une très rare occasion d'acquérir une Bora en superbe état d'origine.