Grand Tourers
The A6G series, first driven in anger in 1947, followed the Maserati tradition of developing successful racing cars and then encouraging sports car enthusiasts to buy modified versions of them to use on the road. The engine was a 2-liter straight six, with a bare and stroke of 72mm and 81mm, and a power output of 130bhp at a maximum rpm of 5,200. This gave the car a top speed of around 114mph. There was also a twin-cam version of this engine. The kerb weight of the early open cars was a light 670 kilos, and the handling was gradually developed as the years went on.
As time went on, this exercise became a little more sophisticated. Rather than just fitting a few cycle mudguards, the thing to do was to have a full body fitted. That way the car looked like a sports car even if it was still a racer underneath.
The 3500GT ( 1957-1964) represented the change from a racing car manufacturer to a maker of cars genuinely intended for the road. The 3500GT was very much a practical car, with most styles having a small back seat and a usable boot, as well as a storming performance. The 1962 3500GT put out 235bhp, and with the weight at a substantial 1,350 kilos dry, it topped out at 146mph. The 3500GT occupied Maserati from 1959 until 1964, with 2,000 of them built.
The Sebring (1963-1969 ) was developed from the Vignale-bodied 3500GT. It was built in steel and was available with the 3500cc 
engine or options of 3700cc and 4000cc engine sizes. Ferrari engendered a typical response from Maserati in the form of the 5000GT (1959-1964) , fitted with 450S racing engines. The V8 powered 5000GT with a top speed of 160 mph kept up Maserati’s reputation for making seriously fast cars, although only 36 were built.
The arrival of the Mistral (1963-1970) signalled a change in Maserati’s relationship with its coachbuilders. The Mistrale was designed by Frua, and was a sharp and elegant design, featuring a fastback with an opening glass hatch and long, low lines that were very modern for 1963 and made the Sebring look dated. The Mistrale’s body was steel, but every other panel was made in aluminium in an attempt to keep the weight down to a reasonable level. The 3,700 cc straight six produced 245bhp, giving the Mistrale a top speed of just over 150mph.
In the same year the first Quattroporte (1963-1971) was introduced, in the dual role of business and racing car, favoring the first condition. The four door was powered by the 4219cc V8 putting out 260 bhp.
The late sixties also saw the introduction of the Ghibli (1966-1973 ).The Ghibli was intended to change Maserati’s image by being the most beautiful and overall the best two-seater Grand Tourer Maserati could rome up with. The Ghibli was very long and very big at 4,590mm long and 1,800mm wide, taking up enough space for most full-sized family saloons.
The Mexico ( 1966-1973) was designed by Vignale, who changed the car into a smaller and very competent coupé. The body was understated and a mix of modern and classical, with the V8 and the front suspension mounted in a subframe and the rest of the body constructed as a monocoque.
The Indy (1969-1975) was either a big front-engined GT car, with a decent amount of luggage 
space and a roomy 2+2 configuration. The engine was a 90º V8 with two camshafts for each bank of cylinders, and in its first incarnation seen at the Turin motor show of 1968, the engine size was 4200cc. At the Geneva show a year later, the engine size had been upped to 4.7 litres 290bhp.
Throughout the seventies, Maserati concentrated on low volume, expensive exotics such as the Indy, the Ghibli and the Bora ( 1971-1979), Maserati’s first rear mid-engined, road-going supercar. The car was announced in November 1971 . Giugiaro produced a body in steel that 
combined muscle and delicacy, with a hunched, purposefully high rear and a curvy front end, suggesting the mid-engined configuration. The engine for the Bora was a light alloy 90º V8 with four overhead cams and a capacity of 4719cc. The engine produced 310bhp, and powered the car to a maximum speed of 168mph. Transmission was a 5-speed ZF. About 500 Boras were built, both in 4.7-litre and 4.9-litre formats.
The Merak ( 1972-1983) first appeared at the Paris show in 1972 . Essentially the car was a development of the Bora, redefined as a result of the involvement of Citroën in the company, and using a version of the engine Maserati had developed for the Citroën-Maserati SM, with the same gearbox as the one used in that model, but mounted the other way round in the car. The trademark rear pillars of the Merak followed something close to the line of the Bora’s rear end, but the actual rear window was a short vertical slit.
The redefined SM engine fitted to the Merak was a 2,965cc V6, producing 190bhp, enough for nearly 150mph in the light and streamlined Merak. As the car developed into the Merak SS, the engine was redeveloped by Alfieri to produce more power. At the same time, the car lost 330lbs in weight, so the later models were appreciably quicker. There was also a 2-litre version developed in response to Italian tax laws relating to engine size. A total of 1,700 Meraks were built by Maserati before production ended in 1983: overall, the car was a considerable success.
The Khamsin (1973-1983 ) went back to the traditional front-engine, rear-drive set-up. It still used the quad-cam Maserati V8. It had been developed 
from the basis of the De Tomaso Longchamp, taking advantage of Alejandro de Tomaso’s heavy involvement with Maserati. The Khamsin was intended to satisfy the buyers who had been interested in the Indy; those who may not have been excited by the idea of mid-engined supercars, but who still wanted a straightforward Maserati Grand Tourer. With the 4,930 cc quad cam V8 kicking out a substantial 320bhp, the Khamsin was nor exactly sluggish: top speed was around 170mph, and the 0-60 acceleration was recorded at 6.6 seconds. For a car this size, that is eminently respectable. In terms of pure numbers the Khamsin may only have reached 400.
The 1976 Kyalami was one of Alejandro de Tomaso’s ideas. Essentially it was a De Tomaso Longchamp, with minor bodywork alterations by Frua. The Longchamp’s Ford Cleveland 5,763cc V8 was replaced with the familiar Maserati 4,930cc V8 and the car was re-christened the Kyalami after the racing circuit. However, after 190 sales, the Kyalami version of the car quietly faded from sight, leaving the De Tomaso Longchamp to carry on in GTS and cabriolet forms.
The second Quattroporte ( 1974-1975) came back around in 1974 with the introduction of a Bertone-bodied five-seater saloon car available originally with a V6, of which only five were 
made, and later graduating to the V8, of which a couple of thousand were made. The idea was to provide serious luxury and high performance. with acres of padded leather and deeply veneered wood. It was followed by the introduction of the 280bhp Quattroporte III in 1976 and the Quattroporte Royale in 1986.
