After visiting John and Carolyn Brough last year to celebrate 60 years of the Citroën 2CV with their 2CV Sahara, we couldn’t wait to go back for a better look at the rest of their collection. Fifteen Citroëns and a lone Maserati make a very impressive shed-full

The Broughs’ car-owning career is long and varied. Carolyn all but wrote off their first car, a brand new Fiat 500. Soon after it was repaired John rang her to announce they were the proud owners of a 1927 Austin 12/4. They covered a lot of kilometres in the Austin and still owned it when they were able to afford something more modern. They went from one extreme to another — from the staid, upright Austin to a Sunbeam Tiger.

The Sunbeam was their daily car, and Carolyn told me a delightful story of how they once towed the Austin to Wellington with her driving the Tiger and John steering the Austin. The Tiger was handling the job so well that she forgot about the Austin when they were descending the Ngauranga Gorge, a very different road to the present one, and a pale, shaking John Brough emerged from the Austin at the bottom of the Gorge.

The Austin went to Carolyn’s brother for university transport and later the Sunbeam was sold. They can’t remember why, but it may have been a temporary cash flow problem, and it’s a car they regret selling.

An Alfa Romeo Guilia Ti and a practical Mini van were followed by their first D Series Citroën, bought in 1970. In the early 1970s they bought a Jaguar XJ6, and John decided to re-power it with a 5.7-litre (350ci) Chevrolet engine. Obviously he was a little ahead of his time.

Then it was back to Citroëns with a white DS21 that was the NZ Classic Car cover car in May 1997, and was later sold to Japan. Apart from their Maserati Biturbo and a Jeep Grand Cherokee to tow the boat, it has been Citroëns ever since.

French Passion

Their current 1920s car is a 1926 Citroën B12. They have owned this New Zealand-new car for about 10 years, and bought it in pretty much its present condition. John was keen to buy it because this model was one of the world’s first all-steel cars, and it’s rear wheel drive. The car was bought from a friend in Blenheim who was moving house, and couldn’t take the car with him. It needs a little upholstery work, a new hood, repairs to the instrument panel and a paint touch up to be ready for the road. John knows of one other B12 in New Zealand.

Their 1938 Light 15 spent its life with two owners in the Auckland area until John and Carolyn bought it over 15 years ago. It’s a Slough (UK) built Lux model, identifiable by its wooden dashboard and a few other features. The 1938 English models were the only ones without the trademark Citroën double chevrons on the grille.

They bought the car because it was so original, and used it for a while before deciding to have a small amount of rust removed and the engine and gearbox overhauled. New carpet and hood lining will see the car returned to its former glory. John had hoped to have the work finished in time for the national Citroën rally in January 2009, but ran out of time — something to do with dabbling in old aircraft and building a hangar at New Plymouth Airport to house their Gardan GY-20 Mini Cab (French of course) and two gyrocopters.

Their DS21 EFI is the second very original, one-owner DS they have bought from Tauranga. Its paint was tired and there were a couple of small rust spots, so it was stripped to bare metal and re-sprayed in its original golden sand colour. The engine was removed and checked over, but only the timing chain needed to be replaced. That was over 20 years ago.

To own a Citroën SM is a rare pleasure. To own a pair is almost unheard of, but the Broughs have ‘his and hers’ SMs. Carolyn’s 1973 automatic model was imported to New Zealand early in its life by a Kiwi who had been teaching in America. He traded it on a new Citroën CX at Adlam European in New Plymouth. The Adlam brothers owned it for some time before selling it to Carolyn in about 1992. She used the car frequently for some years, and still drives it occasionally.

John’s car is a 1974 five-speed manual. Both cars have the later 3.0-litre carburetted engines, and these are relatively rare in manual form. An unusual feature of John’s car is the carbon fibre wheels made by Michelin specifically for SMs. They bought it in America in about 1990. It was a one-owner Los Angeles car in very good condition. They used the car around LA before shipping it back to New Zealand. Its paint was a bit scratched so it has been fully repainted. Carolyn’s SM is still in its original paint.

Italian Interloper

The 1987 Maserati Biturbo S is the foreigner in this French collection, although it’s related to the SMs through its V6 engine. John and Carolyn bought it brand new when they were living in Los Angeles, and this low-kilometre example is in beautiful original condition. Being a Biturbo S, it has a slightly different grille, a Torsen differential, an intercooler and more power. John enjoys the fact it is possible to drive this special but ordinary-looking car without being noticed.

The 1979 CX Prestige was an embassy car in Singapore. One of just over 300 ‘high top’ models that Citroën made, it was imported by a New Plymouth car dealer. It had three more owners before being offered to the Broughs in 1992. They didn’t especially want it for their collection, but its rarity made it impossible to refuse. They drove it for about two years, and have collected up a few new parts for it. It has a 2.4-litre engine and a C-Matic clutchless manual gearbox.

John’s 1998 Xantia Exclusive was his daily car when they lived in Auckland. With its 24-valve 3.0-litre V6 engine it is a bit of a rocket ship, and its adaptive automatic transmission reacts to the driver’s mood — it will change from ‘Sport’ to ‘Economy’ just by sensing how the car is being driven, and has a manual shift capability as well.

Their other Xantia is a very unusual car, and the only Series II Activa in New Zealand. Its active suspension eliminates body roll and tyre squeal in corners.

John particularly wanted a Series II because they were fitted with a slightly ‘toned down’ version of the active suspension. The early ones could catch a driver out in the wet by letting go with no warning, whereas the Series II ensures the driver can’t generate those cornering forces. It took him two years of searching to find this 1999 turbocharged 2.0-litre model in Britain. He would have liked a 3.0-litre V6 version, but they are left hand drive only. He says the Activa handles unbelievably well, and there is no need to slow down for corners.

Tucked in a corner of the large shed was a blue Citroën GSA. Its first owner was former Prime Minister, Jenny Shipley, who put 200,000km on the odometer. The engine has since been overhauled, and it has now covered 320,000km.

Their 1990 BX GTi 4×4 is another unusual car. This four-wheel drive model was only made for the one year, presumably because of poor demand. As far as John knows, there is one other in New Zealand.

This one was bought in the UK in 1998, and it appealed to him because it was rare. They also have a 1988 BX GTi 16 Valve, a genuine 230kph car with handling to match, in superb condition. It was bought about 10 years ago, and had two prior Auckland owners.

A cute little 1990 AX GT is one of John’s favourites. Its 1400cc fuel injected engine gives it a great turn of speed with excellent economy, and John said it’s comfortable and a lot of fun. It looks the part with its plastic wheel arch extensions, skirts and spoilers. The car was first owned by Norton Moller, the Citroën importer, who used it to commute between New Plymouth and Auckland. He sold it to a doctor who commuted from New Plymouth to Hawera for a time, and the Broughs bought it from him. It attends every national Citroën rally, always driven by their friend Jenny, from Wellington, who happily forsakes her Mercedes Sportline to drive the AX.

Three to Four

For something completely different, the Broughs also have a bright yellow Lomax. This one was bought in the UK in 1998 and seems to be Carolyn’s favourite. Most 2CVs were seen as work horses, and were parked in the streets with little care or maintenance. In Britain the weather would eventually take its toll, and the Lomax was dreamed up by two Birmingham lads who pondered the question of what to do with the rusting 2CVs littering the streets. Their answer was a minimalist fibreglass body that evokes the style of 1930s to ’50s roadsters with a hint of three-wheeler Morgan. The formula was very successful, and Lomax 2CVs are relatively common on the roads of Britain and Europe.

Many Lomax cars were three-wheelers because of Britain’s tax laws. Adding a fourth wheel was relatively easy, a job that John undertook before they brought their car back to New Zealand. Carolyn drives the Lomax quite frequently. The car was away for some minor repairs on the day we visited, and she offered to drive it to me on another day, obviously happy to take any opportunity to get behind its wheel.

Probably the rarest car in their collection is the 2CV Sahara that we covered in detail in NZ Classic Car in November 2008.

Chapron Jewel

The jewel of the Brough collection is undoubtedly the 1965 DS Decapotable. This Chapron-built car was an incredibly lucky find. It was one of four bought in France and exported to America as investments. It never turned a wheel on the road in the US and, when the four cars were later sold, the proceeds were donated to a charity. The agent who arranged the deal was the founder of Rent-a-Wreck.

Chapron Citroëns suffer the ravages of time and weather more than most cars, which seems surprising considering they are the pinnacle for Citroën collectors. However, John pointed out that the early ones were only painted where the paint could be seen, so it’s no wonder they rust. He knows of two others in New Zealand, and both are in very poor condition. One is the car that Penn MacKay is keeping an eye on as it undergoes a major restoration, and the other is stored in South Taranaki.

The Broughs were fortunate to find a Chapron DS in good driveable condition. They bought it 10 years ago, and drove it to Long Beach to be shipped home. When John collected it he found the exhaust system lying on the ground because someone had dragged the car out of the container without lifting the suspension.

All hydraulic seals and the timing chain were replaced. A small amount of body work was required, including fitting two brand new front mudguards, before the body was repainted in its original colour. The interior was re-trimmed in leather to the original pattern and colour, and new carpets were fitted.

Since then the Chapron has done two trips to Auckland and two to Napier, plus numerous shorter trips. With 39,000km on the odometer, John says it drives like a new car. It starts instantly and the engine purrs. I imagine it would be a delight to drive.

With a large shed full of Citroëns it is unlikely that the Broughs would drive average cars on a daily basis. They have his and hers wagons — a Xantia for John and a BX for Carolyn.

At one time the collection numbered over 20 Citroëns, but they have been slowly whittling down the numbers. The ID Safari, H Van, AK400, Visa Club and 2CV have gone, sold by word of mouth or when a visitor decided they simply had to have a particular car. There are still a few they would sell, to have just one of each model, so an SM, a Xantia and a BX could be bought if you are interested.

Which one of the duplicates is sold would depend on the potential buyer’s preference. For example, if he or she wanted a manual SM, they would keep Carolyn’s automatic version or vice versa. The CX, GS and Maserati could also be bought, but whether the others are for sale might depend on how they feel on the day. One that is definitely not for sale is the Decapotable.
John is a retired airline pilot who started on DC3s and ended his career with 15 years as a Boeing 747 captain. Consequently he and Carolyn have been lucky enough to travel the world and spend some years living in Britain and America. They have lived life to the full and still do so. During that time they have gathered up a wealth of experiences, fascinating friends and some special cars from around the world.

It was an absolute pleasure to spend a few hours with John and Carolyn and their wonderful cars.

Words: Gordon Campbell Photos: Robin Campbell

Tim visits Classic Car Rentals in Hokitika to check out two simply stunning classic replicars

Alfa Romeo’s 8C 2900B has the wow factor. See one in the street, anywhere in the world, and you’ll drop your jaw wide open and be unable to communicate anything much more than a few expletives.

So, seeing this long and low silver bullet on New Zealand’s West Coast is more than little unusual. And it’s a race car for goodness sake — why did they need to make a race car so beautiful? Did it need to be this gorgeous to go fast? It was designed to race — and race it did, winning honours at many a Le Mans and Mille Miglia 24-hour race between 1931 and 1934.

The Alfa’s designer, Vittorio Jano, was a famous bloke, and with this one he designed a good one with an engine that would become arguably the 1930s’ best. Initially a 2.3-litre, it was made up from two twin-overhead cam four-cylinder engines, and first saw the race track in the Tipo B ‘P3’ Grand prix racers and the 8C 2300 sports cars. By 1935 it was up to just over 2.9 litres and in its finest hour it could chug out 190kW (255bhp), although for reliability a smaller 164kW (220bhp) version was used.

All this happened under the management of a chap called Enzo Ferrari, who ran Alfa Romeo’s race team until leaving in 1937 to set up his own little company. Alfa then concentrated on setting up Alfa Corse, as its own racing department was called, and in 1938 entered five 8C 2900 Bs in Le Mans — four of them fitted with spider bodies like the one featured here, and the other as a coupe. If you want to see a real one you’ll need to head to the Alfa Romeo Museum, but I rather doubt it’ll let you drive it. This one, however, is very driveable.

Auto Artist

This Alfa — actually called the SL Special — was built by auto artist Sam Lyle, of Gisborne. It doesn’t pretend to be a replica — instead this is a car in the spirit of the original. Many will want to debate the term that should be used to describe such a beast, but I don’t want to enter into that. Let’s just say it honours the original without pretence. Using a sturdy chassis and a seriously boosted Nissan VG20-DET V6 motor putting out some 186kW  (250bhp), it is with great pleasure and an unrestrained smile that I can tell you that the car is huge fun. With non-assisted brakes and steering, and tightly wound suspension, it feels surprisingly vintage until you boot it, and then a sheer excess of power and notable lack of grip from the rear tyres dominate the experience completely and utterly.

It’s sleek, sexy, and wild. It’s also basic and raw, and huge fun. The cockpit’s tight for a tall bloke and the tiny aero screens just about keep the bugs out of your teeth, but not much more. If you’ve any hair left this thing will put some wind in it. The open road speed limit comes up very, very quickly, but you won’t be tempted to exceed it for any long periods of time unless you’ve brought your goggles. It’s noisy, rumbustious, scary even. Altogether wonderful.

Barry Keenan, of Classic Car Rentals, is the Alfa’s keeper and has travelled extensively in the car. Comfortable it is not, and he confirms it’s all the better for it.

Tipping the Trident

For longer trips, you might like to consider this muscular, blood red Maserati 450S recreation; it’s certainly more civilized than the Alfa. In comparison with the silver Alfa, the lunging Maserati is an absolute softy, with power brakes and steering, suspension that soaks up bumps, and a torque-laden V8.

Again this is a recreation, though this time it was hand-built by Barry Keenan. It uses a modern car’s floor-pan with a carefully executed steel frame on top that holds up the hand-built fibreglass body. A sohc 16-valve, 4.5-litre V8 sends plenty of power to a five-speed transaxle creating the exact same layout as the original Maserati. The donor car also provided stunning brakes and a modern collapsible steering column. Guessed what the donor is yet? No it’s not Italian — it’s German.

After using a Porsche 928 as his daily driver for some time, Barry realised that underneath the body of this upper-class high-speed GT, there was an old racing Maserati trying to get out. Now at that point I’d speculate and dream lots of ‘what ifs’ and ‘that would work’ and tell myself to stop being silly. But Barry is an accomplished engineer, and was in a position to do something about it. And the result is amazing.

He hand-built a frame over the complete and unchanged Porsche floor-pan and hand fashioned a buck for a one-off Maserati-style body. It’s actually wider than the original, but that suited Barry — 1950s cars were narrow by modern standards and the extra width gives it the road-holding he wanted. Plus he can use modern tyres without looking all Cobra-like (am I the only person who finds the narrow-hipped early 289 Cobras much nicer than the flared-hipped 427s?).

My first drive of the Maser was toddling around at crawling speed in the Hokitika Santa parade. Ho-ho-ho — yeah! It poodled and doodled and generally refused to overheat or be temperamental, after all there’s still a top-of-the-line Porsche underneath. We waved and smiled and tried to stir the crowds with some V8 roar, whilst all the time wanting to hit the open road. Patience Tim, let’s get some history first.

450S History

Up to 1956 Maserati was doing very nicely in the smaller-engined classes with 1.5 and 3.0-litre engines, but had its heart set on taking on the much more powerful Ferraris, Astons and Jaguars. It needed a bigger motor and a chassis to suit. So its engineers simultaneously worked on both a 3.5-litre six-cylinder and a 4.5-litre V8 and just one new chassis. The new six was tried first in the 1956 Mille Miglia, but straight away proved underpowered and uncompetitive. There’s nothing like a bit of low key testing! The V8 therefore got the nod, and with development the quad cam V8 engine produced 298kW (400bhp), making the 450S the most powerful front-engine sports car around. It wasn’t until the Panoz prototypes in the late ’90s that it was beaten!¨The new 450S made its debut at the 1957 Argentine 1000km event driven by none other than Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss (talk about name dropping). It literally stormed away from the field until the clutch gave in, leading to transmission failure. However, the complicated engine was reliable, and at Sebring that March, in the hands of Fangio and Jean Behra, a 450S won. Maserati went into the final race of the season in contention for the World Championship, but it was not to be; the Venezuelan Grand Prix was one of the worst weekends in Maserati’s racing history. The day before the race, Maserati’s manager died. On the day Moss’s 450S was destroyed after a collision with an AC Bristol, and the two other Masers took each other out after Bonnier’s car blew up and careered right into Schell’s 450S. The rules for sports car racing changed for the 1958 season and left the 450S obsolete — cut out before it really made its mark. When it finished it won, and bad luck seems to have been its only downfall.

Designed for racing

What I’m most interested in is how the Maser looks! Like the Alfa, these cars were designed for racing and the body merely had to keep it all clean and slippery. Of course, Maserati and Alfa Romeo just didn’t know how to make an ugly car, and this 450S recreation is absolutely stunning.

As I’ve said, it’s not an exact replica — it’s considerably wider for a start, and obviously of totally different construction. What it does do is drive very well in a very modern way. The Maser is beautifully made; the doors open cleanly on big strong hinges, and close with a solid clunk. The seat slides seamlessly back and forth, affording an easy, comfortable driving position. It starts as you’d expect a modern Porsche to, and with less weight it pulls effortlessly like a train. Steering is light but meaty with feel, and the brakes are modern and strong. You can drive it like a modern without worrying too much about road irregularities, and other such things that set the Alfa jumping and changing course. But then that’s part of the fun of the Alfa!

On the road

Barry, the owner of these cars, and the creator of the Maserati, suggested we head off on one of the short routes commonly used by hirers, and this immediately shows the advantage of being in Hokitika; as soon as you leave town the roads are great. I started in the Maser, having already familiarised myself with it on the Santa parade. We headed east out of Hokitika towards a small township called Kaniere, where we veered right across the Kaniere bridge and along towards Woodstock (home of just one famous West Coast Hotel).

This used to be the main road heading South, and offers a great mix of short open stretches on which I could open her up a bit, and easy sweeping corners for fun. The Maser impressed with its integrity, easy driving characteristics, great road-holding, and safe handling. Anyone could drive this and flatter themselves. It’s fast of course, but there’s little drama or noise, more a turbine-like push. At Rimu we stopped at a lookout and swapped cars — I wanted a taste of the more vintage-style Alfa on these roads.

My timing was perfect, with several kilometres of uninhabited road winding around the back of Lake Mahinapua allowing me a taste of simple old-fashioned fun. I loved the Alfa on these roads — the noise and sudden turbo-boosted acceleration were great in squirts between corners as I learned about its road-holding and handling limits. I found that if I allowed her a bit of slack, let the steering move around while the back stepped out and jumped around, then everything went smoothly and easily — but ultimately I still needed to force the issue a few times and just turn her in despite objections. It’s hard work driving the Alfa — but you’re well rewarded for the effort.
We soon linked up with State Highway 6, which took us past both Lake Mahinapua and another famous hotel, The Pu Pub. This was featured in the Mainland cheese advert a few years ago.

Somewhere around here I swapped back into the Maser for a much quieter 10 kilometres of big, wide and long straight roads back into Hokitika. This was a great drive and a blast of fresh air and pure fun. So the next day, thanks to the need to get some photos to show our readers, we did it all again! It wasn’t hard.

Trying to summarise the two cars at the end I could only conclude that the Maserati Barry’s built is a far finer piece of kit. In specification, build quality, and driving sophistication it beats the Alfa hands down, as it should. The Maser is the one I would want to take home. But next time I’m over on the coast it’s the Alfa I’ll take out for a short blast. The noise, the vintage feel, and the completely unexpected and ridiculous turbo boost are just too much fun to ignore. The Maser is a better, quicker car, but my smile lasted longer in the Alfa.

You can rent either of these cars through the Hokitika Information Centre that Barry and his wife run, Barry rents them for half or one-hour rentals. In the past he has rented them for longer periods, but the quick squirt seems to suit people best. He has also had lots of other cars in the fleet, but is now sticking to these weird and lovely special creations, and he has some very cool ideas for future additions.

Words: Tim Monck-Mason Photos: Sean Craig

Up close and personal with Maserati’s first mid-engined sports car

What would you do if, while idly searching the internet, you discovered a tired Italian supercar sitting in a wrecker’s yard on the other side of the planet? Most of us would simply sigh, think ‘what if¦’ — then segue back into a day-dreaming state as we logged onto another site.

However, when the people doing the searching are acknowledged Maserati specialists — like father and son team, Gavin and Myles Hicks of Auckland — you can guarantee the end result will be far more positive.

From speculation to reality — in 2002, Gavin and Myles discovered a tired and neglected 4.9-litre Maserati Bora taking up space in a yard in Petersberg, Virginia. Painted in red, the Bora was a full US Federal specification car — as indicated by its ugly, 8kph impact bumpers. European Boras were fitted with smaller, more elegant chrome bumpers.

Under its previous ownership, the Bora had suffered the indignity of a minor engine bay fire — the damage being exacerbated by the eagerness of fire-fighters to open the car’s engine bay cover to quell the blaze. As a result, the Bora’s mighty V8 had been silenced and the rear of the car had suffered superficial damage.

However, with the remainder of the car looking to be in sound, original condition, Gavin and Myles began negotations and the Bora was shipped to New Zealand. While the pair busied themselves with other restoration projects, the US-sourced supercar languished in their workshop for several years as they slowly and methodically evaluated what parts would be needed to complete a total rebuild on the Maserati.

Perfectionists

Several years later, the Bora bobbed to the top of their ‘to-do’ list, and work began with a complete and thorough rebuild of the car’s 4.9-litre V8. Once finished, visitors to Gavin and Myles’ workshop were met with the sight of a beautifully restored Maserati engine — which was now attached to its separate sub-frame and, with the rear axle also fitted, the whole assembly could easily be rolled around. Anyone who knows Gavin and Myles also knows the pair are incapable of simply refurbishing a classic car — and the level of the Bora’s future restoration could easily be gained simply by glancing at the completed V8; a massive, alloy sculpture topped with a bank of gleaming, twin-choke Weber carburettors.

Slowly, over the next year or so, the Bora was gradually brought back to life. New mechanical components — still available through the Maserati factory, although definitely not cheap — were sourced. Replacement trim and body parts were harder to find, and involved many hours scouring the internet. Gavin and Myles were also lucky enough to discover a NOS rear screen for the car — the original having been damaged by the engine cook-up.

Virtually all the restoration work was carried our by Gavin and Myles in their own home workshop (although ‘home workshop’ hardly describes their professional-looking set-up), and even the final painting of the Bora was accomplished in their own spray booth.

It was at this point that Gavin and Myles diverged from originality and decided to repaint the car in blue, rather than its original shade of red — a colour they felt was too Ferrariesque for the Maserati. After searching old factory colour charts, they eventually settled on Blue Sera — a deep shade of blue which would show off the car’s brushed alumnium roof panel.

As well, the old black plastic battering ram-type bumpers were scrapped, to be replaced by a set of considerably more graceful European-spec bumpers.

Masters’ Class

As work on the Bora approached completion, Gavin and Myles set themselves a target — the 2007 NZCC Intermarque Concours, and they entered the car for Masters’ Class judging. This is an arena the pair are very familiar with, and their cars have scored top honours many times in the past. However, on the day before the Concours, Gavin and Myles were still working on the Bora; working well into the night to get the car ready for judging. By the time the Bora was rolled into the Ellerslie arena, both men were plainly exhausted and, after a brief chat, it also became evident that neither of them were totally happy with the Bora. It looked absoloutely gorgeous, but it just wasn’t good enough for perfectionists like Gavin and Myles. In the event, the Bora was pipped to the post by Frank Langridge’s beautiful MG TB (see NZCC, April 2007) and a comprehensively restored Ford Cortina MkI — although a mere 55 points seperated the MG TB from the third-placed Bora.

After the Concours, the Maserati once again disappeared into the workshop — and would not re-emerge until three months later, at which point work on the car was finally pronounced as being completed satisfactorily. For Gavin and Myles, the thrill of the chase and the subsequent restoration is the paramount consideration — Gavin admits he has driven no more than a few kilometres in the Bora.

With the finished Bora to one side, the pair turned their attention to their Renault Sport Spyder. Waiting in the wings is a recently acquired Mazda 110S Cosmo. Gavin and Myles may love their Maseratis (they also own another Bora, a Bi-Turbo, a Ghibli coupe and an Indy), but their passion for restoring classic cars knows no boundaries.

On the road

Only a few minutes behind the wheel confirms that the Bora does not share the skittish and tempermental nature of most Italian supercars of the same era — Maserati’s relatively unstressed V8 feels nothing like, for instance, Lamborghini’s edgily-tuned V12. In fact, once you have mastered the Bora’s Citröen-style olio-pneumatic brakes — which respond to progressive pressure rather than short, sharp applications — driving a Bora is remarkably easy. The truck-like ZF gearbox requires rather more muscle than mum’s hot-hatch, but drop it into third — which allows a speed range between 20 to 200kph — and you hardly need to swap cogs around town. And, with engine sounds deadened by a double-glazed rear bulkhead, the Bora is also surprisingly civilised — only at higher revs does the big V8’s snarl begin to signal its presence.

The Bora is a delight to drive, combining a firm but supple ride with well-weighted steering and powerful brakes. As you would expect, roadholding is also of a very high order although, with over 224kW (300bhp) on tap, it’s easy enough to kick the Bora’s tail out under power. Even an average driver would be capable of achieving epic point-to-point times in a Bora — all courtesy of Alfieri, who deliberately engineered the Bora to be virtually viceless.

This is one supercar which could easily be pressed into service as an everyday car as, despite its huge performance potential, the Bora is a remarkably well disciplined — as such, it could probably be seen as the very first truly modern, user-friendly supercar.

The Bora’s V8

The V8 used in the Bora originated with Maserati’s 1956/’57 4.5-litre V8 racing engine — however, it can be traced back as early as 1953 and Maserati’s four-cylinder 200SI engine. In effect, the 4.5-litre V8 is little more than two of these early engines joined together on a common crank.

Before the Bora, the V8 — now enlarged to 4.7 litres — was fitted to the gorgeous Ghibli, in which form it produced 246kW (330bhp). Because Maserati’s development weight target for the Bora was 1400kg, the V8 was slightly detuned to 231kW — although, by the time Bora production had begun, the car’s overall weight had gone up to 1800kg. The balance was redressed with the introduction of the 4.9-litre Bora (the additional capacity produced by lengthening the V8’s stroke), the result — 7kW more than the earlier, 4.7-litre cars.

Maserati via Citroen

No longer involved with Grand Prix racing, from 1958 Maserati concentrated almost entirely upon road cars, establishing a successful line of well equipped, front-engined models which began with the 1957 3500GT. However, the Bora marked a new direction for Maserati, and although it would not appear until 1971, its ancestry can be traced back to 1965.

At that time Citroën was expanding rapidly — just as Maserati was struggling — and a link between the two companies was suggested, with Maserati providing technical assistance for a new GT car Citroën was working on; the SM. By early 1968, this informal level of cooperation became official and Citroën effectively took over Maserati.

Guy Mallaret of Citroën put forward a suggestion for a mid-engined Maserati, and the idea was soon taken up by Maserati’s technical director, Giulio Alfieri. Along with Auerelio Pollio and Maserati’s chief test-driver, Guarino Bertocchi, Alfieri would develop the Bora to a level unheard of in supercar circles at that time.

As if to confirm Maserati’s decision to build a mid-engined sports car (previous Maserati GTs had all been thoroughly conventional front-engined cars with cart-sprung rear axles) Lamborghini introduced its ground-breaking Miura, setting the formula for all future supercars.

The appearance of the Miura led to a mid-engined flood — with Ferrari, De Tomaso and Monteverdi all announcing similarly-configured sports cars — but Alfieri would not be rushed, anxious to develop a convincing car. The Bora would be the Modenese company’s first fully independently sprung car, and Alfieri over-engineered everything — designing a rear sub-frame to carry both engine and rear suspension.

This approach would lead to a very finely developed sports car, albeit one that exceeded its original weight targets by a considerable margin.

Wearing curvaceous bodywork styled by Giugiaro’s Ital Design studio, the Bora created a sensation at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show — it was a magnificent confection comprising a race-proven V8 equipped with olio-pneumatic brakes, pop-up headlights, and seat and foot-pedal adjustment.

Alfieri’s efforts were not wasted and the Bora would remain in production until 1978, virtually unchanged apart from the later addition of a larger capacity engine. It even survived the Citröen-enforced liquidation of May 1975 and remained current after Maserati was taken over Alessandro de Tomaso.

The Bora also spawned a little brother — the V6-powered Merak, which would eventually outlive the Bora and survive until 1983.

1974 Maserati Bora

Words Allan Walton : Photos Jared Clark