Maserati Kyalami 4.900 1983 for sale

MASERATI KYALAMI 4.9 – 1983 Left-hand drive example – 1 of only 49 produced This rare Maserati Kyalami 4.9 is one of only 49 examples built with left-hand drive and an 8-cylinder 4.9-liter engine. First registered in Bologna in 1983 by the official Maserati dealer Autosport, the car was transferred on June 25, 1984, to its first owner, a collector from Treviso. It remained in his prestigious private collection for 34 years, meticulously cared for and maintained in excellent condition, before passing to the second owner in 2018. In 2003, the car received the coveted ASI homologation with gold plate, a recognition reserved for historic vehicles of particular collectible interest, with the issuance of the official certificate. The vehicle comes complete with the original warranty and service booklet, documenting the interventions and services performed over time. The current owner is a prominent figure in the Maserati world: a former high-level executive of the company, actively involved during the design and production period of the Kyalami model. Accompanying the car is a handwritten memory from him that we report in full: “In 1975, G.E.P.I. (Gestione Partecipazioni Industriali) acquired Maserati from Citroen, which had put it into liquidation, with De Tomaso. As a manager at Ernst & Ernst in Milan, I was tasked with reviewing the last balance sheet and verifying the accuracy of the data. Subsequently, I was offered by the same, with the approval of De Tomaso (I was already responsible for the audit of MOTO GUZZI), the role of assistant to the president for corporate restructuring, head of personnel, administrative and financial director with sole power of attorney for purchases and sales, effectively the general manager. I accepted and at 34 years old I went to Maserati. The goal was to demonstrate to the market that we were vital, so among the first projects was the one for the KYALAMI (whose name is inspired by the South African circuit where the Cooper with Maserati engine had won). At that time, it was customary for Maserati to name two-door Coupés after circuits where they had been victorious (Indy, Mexico, Sebring). We did an operation that is common today, but at that time never practiced. We used the chassis of the De Tomaso Longchamp and dressed it and re-engined it. The bodywork was designed by Frua (he also designed the Mistral), who used his design for the Maserati Quattroporte for the front end, built for the Turin Motor Show in 1972 and which mounted a 4.9-liter V8 engine. AGA KHAN saw it and ordered an identical example that was delivered to him in 1974. The sides, the lowered roof, and the tail recall the design of the Fiat 130 Coupé. Inside, it was completely redesigned and upholstered with fine Connolly leather. The engine, initially a 4.2-liter V8, was later replaced by the 4.9-liter V8 that had won so much. The first car was presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 1976, while the final version, coinciding with the start of production, was shown at the Turin Motor Show in 1976, where I convinced them to adopt the lightweight alloy wheels from Campagnolo, also installed on the Maserati Bora: one September day in 1976, Mr. Manfredini, head of vehicle production, rushed into my office, informing me that the Kyalami destined for the Turin Motor Show had arrived and that De Tomaso had had the Longchamp alloy wheels installed as he had insisted on doing for the Geneva Motor Show. I told him to remove the 4 rims from a Bora in storage and bring them without being noticed by De Tomaso near the car. I would distract him, and he would have to replace the four wheels. I went to the vehicle finishing department where the Kyalami was in metallic blue livery, and after greeting Mr. De Tomaso, I congratulated him on the beauty of the car being prepared for the Turin Motor Show. Then I invited him to...