Do you want a classic 1970s Italian style sports car? Have you ever thought about the Maserati Khamsin? While not very well known outside of true Maserati fans, I think it’s the epitome of this style/look of car for said period, and since it’s built under the tutelage of Citroen, it’s also a comfortable cruiser, and quite advanced for its day, may I add.
Jay Leno uploaded his presentation of a 1975 US-spec example of the Khamsin, which has been given the classic Euro look – the car was all-but ruined from an aesthetic point of view by Stateside crash safety regulators with ugly bumpers and repositioned lights.
The Khamsin is not owned by Leno himself, belonging to a local California Maserati aficionado who bought the car, made the conversion as well as a few minor jobs on the car, but kept it very original. Even the bright yellow paint is exactly the same one it left the factory with all those years ago.
In addition, since Maserati was owned by Citroen at the time, the Khamsin, which was named after a hot wind from the Egyptian desert, gets lots of trademark touches by the French automaker. For instance, it has variable hydraulic power steering, which lightens up at low speeds and during parking maneuvers, yet weights up again as the speed of the car increases. The four-wheel disk brakes and clutch are also hydraulically-operated. Even the driver’s seat can be raised or lowered via hydraulics. Speaking of seats, Jay Leno praises them several times during his drive of the car.
Still, regardless of all the interesting technical solutions that make this car unique, it’s the Marcello Gandini styling that stands out. There is nothing really like it on the road, or that many of them as a matter of fact, as only 430 were built between 1974 and 1982, of which 155 were ruined for US export.
By Andrei Nedelea
VIDEO