Now let's go back to the glorious days and see how great the old Maseratis were....
 

Back in 1947, Maserati brothers lost control of the company to Adolfo Orsi due to financial trouble. The latter ran the company successfully until he sold it to Citroen in 1971. The new partnership with Citroen helped strengthening Maserati's finance a while, during which Maserati produced engines for the Citroen SM. However, heavy losses of Maserati and energy crisis led to the relationship to be broken in 1975. Then the "Professional Survivor" de Tomaso came and steered the company to produce more affordable coupes based on a single basic platform. Therefore today you can see so many look-alike Maseratis with different names - Biturbo, Spider, 222, 228, 420, 425, 430, Karif, 2.24, 4.24, Racing, Shamal, Ghibli and the latest Quattroporte. They were not great Maseratis, of course, but do help the company to survive.

In 1993, Maserati was bought by the giant Fiat. Since then a new marketing position was set - sportier then Lancia, more luxurious then Ferrari, and priced between them. A few years gone, Maserati was still losing money and the quality problem was not yet solved. As a result, it was assigned to be managed by Ferrari in 1997. Can Ferrari solve its deep-rooted problems with its talented engineers, quality control and manufacturing facilities? I think so. However, the real and independent Maserati age will never come back.

Unveiled in 1967, Ghibli was the first of the greatest Maseratis emerging during the 60s and 70s. Its Giugiaro-styled body was both civilised and handsome. Power came from a 4.7-litre V8, later grew to 4.9 litres. With in excess of 300 horsepower, performance was remarkable despite of the excessive weight.

Ghibli was usually being compared with Ferrari 365GTB/4 and Lamborghini Miura. All three cars were quick and beautiful. Moreover, all of them thought themselves the fastest on earth. In this legendary rivalry, Ghibli was most impressive in terms of quietness and spacious cabin, plus the refined way it went. It was not as swift and wild as the Ferrari and Lamborghini, but it was certainly the better as a Grand Tourer.

One year after the launch of Bora, in 1972, a cheaper version appeared. This car, called Merak, was fitted with a stretched version of Citroen SM's V6 engine (which was also built by Maserati) displacing 3 litres and
developing 190 hp. Due to the smaller engine, two tiny rear seats was added, thus created 2+2 configuration. Merak emerged at the right time, i.e., just before the oil crisis in 1973, therefore it was far more popular than its bigger brother during those difficult days.

In 1976, a sportier version called Merak SS, was added. Power increased to 220 hp while weight was reduced by 150 kg. At the same time, a 160 hp 2-litre version was unveiled, but only for the Italian market. After serving for 12 years, Merak died in 1983 and so did the glorious Maserati days.

Launched in 1974, Khamsin was the last proper Maserati. With the super sports car Bora already existing, it was designed as a 2+2 GT aiming to succeed the Indy. Although using the same engine that powered Ghibli, Indy and Bora, it still had sufficient power to thrill most drivers. Suspensions were a lot more advanced, since Citroen's independent hydraulic was installed to the rear. At least that was the first Maserati with independent suspensions at all corners.

The sharp look was styled by Marcello Gandini when he was serving Bertone. It was very stylish, with family resemblance to Gandini's another great design, Lamborghini Urraco. However, with little cabin space, accompanied with oil crisis and tough competition, it never duplicated the success of Indy.