Lot 128: 1976 Maserati Bora 4.7-litre Coupé

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 a special enlarged 4.9-litre V8 engine for export to USA. 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 particular example is currently in the hands of only its third owner and has covered a mere 9,800 kilometres since a restoration in England. Finished in red with superb black interior, the car is offered with UK Swansea V5 document, German registration papers and file with many restoration bills. The Bora is an important and quite rare model, of which this is one of the most attractive example.




À tout point du vue, la Bora fut et reste une supercar. Cet exemplaire actuellement aux mains de son troisième propriétaire n’a couvert que 9 800 km depuis sa restauration en Angleterre. De couleur rouge avec un superbe intérieur noir, elle est offerte accompagnée de son document V5 de Swansea (Royaum-Uni), de ses papiers d’immatriculation allemands, ainsi qu'un important dossier de factures de restauration. La Bora est un modèle important et rare sur le marché et celle-ci en est un des plus séduisants exemplaires.