1974 Maserati Khamsin

The Maserati Khamsin combines a Gandini-designed wedge with a front-mounted V8 and Citroën-era hydraulic engineering. Its show debut, production start and conflicting factory counts need separate labels.

History and verified programme identity

The maker describes a 1972 Turin show appearance and production from 1974 to 1982. The profile therefore uses 1974 as the production-programme reference, while preserving the workbook’s 1977 heading as an alias. The selected photo happens to show a 1977 example, making that distinction useful rather than cosmetic. Maserati’s page itself gives two counts: four-hundred-thirty-five in its narrative and four-hundred-thirty in the specification table. The article keeps both and leaves reconciled completed output unassigned. Either reference describes a low-volume complete programme, without inventing a narrower annual rarity subset.

Engineering and design

The heritage table specifies a 4,930 cc V8 and a 320 hp reference, while the narrative describes independent rear suspension and several high-pressure hydraulic functions. The wedge body and glass rear treatment are central to its design identity, but an individual car’s market equipment can differ. The supplied creator notes that the pictured US-market example was later converted from its original bumpers and rear-light arrangement to standard-style presentation. That is recorded as a change in this car’s history, not a new factory edition or evidence that all American Khamsins were delivered this way. The published specification describes the programme or the explicitly named configuration. An individual car can receive revised parts during use or restoration. Keep those changes dated when comparing it with other Maseratis, so current hardware does not silently rewrite the original engineering record. Weight and output figures also require their printed measurement convention and market context rather than being treated as measurements of the pictured vehicle.

The physical car in the supplied photograph

Mr.choppers photographed this source-identified 1977 US-market Khamsin at Lime Rock in 2021. The creator records later conversion of its bumpers and rear-light configuration; the photograph is not presented as an untouched original US specification.

How to identify and compare the programme

Khamsin documentation should include the original delivery market and hydraulic-system configuration alongside its chassis and engine identity. A conversion to another market’s appearance should stay dated in the individual file. Original bumper and lighting arrangements can be important when comparing photographs, and a current standard-style exterior does not reverse the original delivery history. Preserve the maker’s two production references rather than choosing whichever number seems more rare. The image supplies a real example and a transparent modification note. That allows the article to discuss design and provenance without assigning the photographed car’s changes to every member of the programme.

Collecting and chassis evidence

An individual Khamsin record starts with its original chassis identity, delivery specification and dated documents. Preserve the engine and body references separately where the car was coachbuilt or changed during competition. Original correspondence, build sheets and early photographs can establish details that a modern exterior cannot show. Record replacement panels, engine changes and restoration work chronologically. A present appearance may differ from the original specification without representing a second manufactured vehicle. For a numbered edition, retain its plate and allocation paperwork alongside the chassis file. Historical names and race numbers are useful search references, but they are not substitutes for permanent identity or a reconciled production register.

Related Maserati designs and meaningful comparisons

The Khamsin belongs to Khamsin / Tipo AM120. Compare it with the two linked profiles to follow how Maserati changed its engineering or its presentation. Their original model identities remain separate, even when a coachbuilder, engine family or anniversary theme connects them. Shared ancestry does not merge their manufactured quantities or make their photographs interchangeable.

Reading the sources

The programme sources and the photograph answer different questions. Manufacturer and custodial records establish the original model, Type, category and published production scope. The creator’s file establishes the pictured subject, setting and image permission. An individual chassis history can then add ownership, competition entries and dated repairs without changing the scope of the original programme. Build references are not survivor counts, and a later specification does not automatically become an additional newly manufactured vehicle. Where primary evidence does not establish a complete fabrication census, that field remains unassigned.

Specifications and rarity evidence

Frequently asked questions

What does the published rarity reference cover?

Manufacturer narrative reports 435 for 1974–1982 while its table gives 430. Both references preserved; no independently reconciled completion tally assigned. 1972 show debut, 1974 production and workbook 1977 distinguished.

How is Khamsin classified?

This is a named original Maserati road-car programme. Its qualified source references fall below the 7,500 screening threshold. Completed production, announced allocations and survivor counts remain distinct, with any unresolved differences explained in the article.

Which technical details are established for the programme?

The primary record supports show debut: Turin, 1972; production period: 1974–1982; engine displacement: 4,930 cc. These are programme or explicitly attributed photo references. A particular surviving car’s engine, chassis repairs and competition preparation require its own dated documentation.

Does the photographed appearance establish factory originality?

The caption records a real creator-identified Khamsin subject and its documented setting. It establishes the illustration’s scope, while original components, restoration work and individual race provenance require chassis-specific evidence. A competition number, current paint or museum display is not used as an originality certificate.

What rarity or archive scope is verified?

Manufacturer narrative reports 435 for 1974–1982 while its table gives 430. Both references preserved; no independently reconciled completion tally assigned. 1972 show debut, 1974 production and workbook 1977 distinguished.

Who photographed the supplied image?

Mr.choppers via Wikimedia Commons, under CC BY-SA 3.0. The original file and licence are linked with the image. Retain the creator, source and licence when uploading, exporting or reusing it; local retouching and synthetic enlargement have not been performed.

Related Maserati profiles

• 1988 Maserati Karif
• 1989 Maserati Shamal

Sources and photo credits

• Manufacturer or custodial programme evidence

Photograph: Mr.choppers via Wikimedia Commons original source, CC BY-SA 3.0. Original image or source-provided thumbnail supplied without local cropping, retouching or synthetic enlargement.