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The Shamal Is the Greatest Maserati You Totally Forgot About
Few carmakers have had such extreme ups and downs as Maserati. In 1957, Maserati won the Formula 1 World Championship with Juan Manuel Fangio; by 1989, it was building rebadged Chrysler K-Cars. Unfortunately, that car, the Chrysler TC by Maserati, defines Maserati in the 1980s, which is a shame because it overshadows some genuinely interesting cars.
Cars like the Shamal, which you either completely forgot, or never heard of. Based on the unloved BiTurbo, the Shamal sported a 3.2-liter twin-turbo V8, and striking design courtesy of Marcello Gandini. It also has the distinction of being the last car from the 1980s, having debuted December 16th, 1989.
Its V8 was good for 326 horsepower, which it sent to the rear-wheels via a six-speed manual. More interestingly, though, is its Koni adjustable suspension that foreshadows today's adaptive dampers. Also, leather. Oh so much leather.
The always-excellent Harry Metcalfe takes an extremely rare right-hand-drive example for a test drive in this Harry's Garage video. Perhaps the Shamal is worthy of your consideration, since you probably forgot about it. I know I did.
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