ORIGINS AND EVOLUTION MASERATI V8 1 Left 乃 s れ 0 〃 d con-rod assemblies were classed 6 w g んな 0 〃 d sets 可 eight made レ〃ん ~ 〃怩 close tO lerances Below The イ asera V8 CO 〃 s なレ c 0 〃 at レ尾 d 田 cylinder liners ん 0 盟 e ル deck 0 r ゾ ac ん ets , / 〃 its 0 e piece 0 ん m m 6 あ c ん 59

Chapter 1 A belief in a certain type Of car One of the most remarkable qualities of the Bora is that it came t0 be held in greater esteem after the end ofits production run than it was during its career. Few parallels exist in history. ln its class, it is possibly a unique case. Something analogous occurred with such dis- parate cars as the R011s-Royce Phantom III and the Fiat 500 T 叩 ol 0. Neither was fully apprec- iated while they were available, new, from the factory. But afterwards, mmor cults have sprung up t0 honour them. B0th the big British luxury car and the small ltalian economy car were creations Of the mid-thirties, and its was only about 25 years later that their particular genius and values were recognized. The Bora, having arrived on the motoring scene 1 Ⅱ amoremodern era, andbeing averyrecent casualty, could not be expected tO acquire similar status for many years, but the phenomenon Of changing times, with re-ordered priorities forced upon the whOle industrialised world, seems tO have accelerated the process Of enhancing the Bora's reputation and raising the consclousness Of its worth among car enthusiasts everywhere. lts true character was widely misunderstood during the years 0f its production-life. Paul Fröre was probably the first one whO sensed and was able t0 express the need t0 try and correct the 1 Above 観ん er 可 the 召 0 / れ g. G 〃 0 Alfieri, as he な da ツ , ca レ g んれ his わレ office 観Ⅳレ 0 し 0 ん am わ orgん Right First production-model 召 0r0. カ as springtime 〃 the Em 〃 0- omag 〃 0 region 可カ 0 ん e the BO went i 〃〃 rod レ c 0 8

CHAPTER ONE 、 AS [ 貸 AT レ From the first Bora press release, the こん ree -4 リ ar r rear し e ) 0 / the Bora emphasized its wide stance 0 れ d lo ん e 愈ん 10 第 : を : を遥第 ⅢⅢり ⅢⅢ ITAL ロ ESIGN failure Ofthe car tO get 0 Ⅱ the same wavelength as its natural following, when he wrote in 1973 ethe Bora 1S perhaps the most underestimated Of the world's exotic cars'. That opinion IS Ⅱ 0 Ⅵー gen- erally recognised tO have been correct, and the Bora is indeed beginning tO assume its deserved rank as a genume masterpiece Of engmeermg and design. Finally, the Bora is respected for what it was, instead Of always being questioned by a broad section Ofthe public as t0 why it wasn't something else. Each individual had read into his view ofthe Bora some particular characteristic that he wanted tO see in it. Call it misconception, call it

ORIGINS AND EVOLUTION MASERATI V8 reduced to 3500 rpm, and the torque to 310 lb ft ( 41 mkg). Though the engine had lost something of its sparkle and notably its response, the driveability and performance levels were not noticeably reduced, and the clean-alr converslon Of the Maserati 、 / 8 must rate as a very successful one. The existence of the 4.9 litre engine, however, gave certain European customers the idea that the Bora could gain something ifit were equipped with a non-depolluted verslon ofthe larger power unit. That wish became reality ⅲ 1976 , when Maserati standardized the 4.9 litre also for Europe. That raised the Bora's maximum power output t0 320 hp at 5500 rpm, and its peak torque to 335 lb ft ( 49 mkg) at 4000 rpm. NO further changes 1 Ⅱ engme SIZe were made as long as the Bora remained in production. When e 工 or 〃 g the 召 0r0 the USA was decided, イ asera ん ad set リ〃 0 special rigfor s 〃 g e 工ん 0 レ st e 〃れ SS 乙 0 〃 S 81

CHAPTER FIVE dusted 0 the 420M (Eldorado) engine, bringing the bore down to 91 mm ( 3.58 ⅲ . ) so that it would come under the 4 litre limit, at 3994 cc, with retention of the 75.8 mm ( 2.98 ⅲ . ) stroke. This power unit delivered 360 hp at 7000 rpm in its original form. The following year, the Tipo 151 appeared with a new, lmproved version Of the Tipo 202 5-litre, with its output raised to 430 hp at 7000 rpm. Redesigned with chain-driven camshafts, coil springs instead Of hairpins 0 Ⅱ the valves, and numerous Other changes demanded for operation 1 Ⅱ customers' hands, this engine became a pro- duction unit in 1965 , and was first used in a four- seater coupé by Vignale. That was the prototype for the MexiC(), which in series production came equipped with the same 4.2 litre V8 (Tipo 107 ) as the Quattroporte. A point to bear in mind here is that the Tipo 107 engine had a four-bearing crankshaft, while the Tipo 202 and its derivatives came with a five- bearing crankshaft (one main bearing between each crank throw). The production version of the Tipo 202 marine- racing V8 was turned intO a car englne under the name 0f Tipo 115. lts 94 mm ( 3.70 in. ) bore was retained, but the stroke was shortened to 85 mm ( 3.35 in. ), bringing the displacement down to 4719 cc. lt was tuned to turn out 330 hp at 5500 rpm, and placed in the GhibIi. The Tipo 115 englne was in turn chosen as the power plant for the Bora. TO recapitulate, it was a smaller displacement production version of the 202 boat racing V8, a direct descendant of the 450S , which took its main features from the 200SI. The 107 V8 powering the Mexico and lndy stemmed from the same original source, but had gone a different route, via the 5000GT and the 104 (whose production reVIS10ns were made earlier). 78

CHAPTER FIVE superlor power and speed. Alfieri began design work on the V8 in mid- year, 1955 , and to keep the 300S ⅲ contention, he enlarged the six-cylinder engine tO 3 当 litres for the 1956 season. The big six did nothing to change Maserati's racing fortunes, so a 10t of hopes were pinned on the V8. The first V8 design had a bore and stroke of 92 x 82 mm ( 3.66 x 3.23 in. ) with a displacement of 4453 cc. Along the way, its dimenslons were slightly altered. The sports car engine, as built in 1956 , had a bore and stroke of 93.8 x 81 mm ( 3.69 x 3.19 ⅲ . ) with a displacement 0f4477 cc. This engine was installed in the 300S chassis and made its first raclng appearance in the Swedish Grand Prix of 1956. Heads, camshaft drive, the wet liners, cooling and lubrication systems followed the 200S construction pattern. There was one significant difference in the use of finger-type followers t0 open the valves. Tulip valve heads were used because Of their lightness. Each bank had its own coolant circulation system and its own water pump. Coolant reqmrement was 32 pints. The V8 was fitted with both magneto and coil- and-distributor ignition, two plugs per cylinder, four Weber 461DM two-choke downdraught car- burettors, and the lubrication system (which did double duty as part of the cooling system) held 50 pints Of 0 ⅱ . This magnificent power unit delivered 400 hp at 7000 rpm, and was capable of running to 7200. lndeed, it gave 0 任 100 hp at a mere 2500 rpm. ln C0n11 れ 0 Ⅱ with the smaller engmes, it was cammed for racing, With no concern for lower-end torque, so that the peak torque of 320 lb ft ( 46 mkg) was reached at 5300 rpm. During the winter 0f 1956 / 57 , Maserati built a series 0f450S chassis and fitted some with roadster 64

walking pace seems a small price tO pay for the excellence Of steering precislon at all Other speeds. Superior ride and handling usually go together with steering qualities of that kind. The Bora was Ⅱ 0 exception. Roadholding had always been a strong point with Maserati, even in the days of fairly primitive suspension design. lt would have been totally mcongruous ifthe Bora, with its elaborate suspen- S10 Ⅱ systems and weight concentration inside the wheelbase had not offered superb road behaviour. Because Of itS luxury-car interior and overall appeal tO a clientele ofgreat wealth rather than tO the professional competition driver, the Bora could not have been sold to drivers Of modest ability if it had had racing-car handling charac- 93

ORIGINS AND EVOLUTION MASERATI V8 bodies ; others were made intO coupés. During the 1957 season, the 450S showed fabulous accele- ration and speed, but also revealed a lack Of reliability, which became its downfall. The car had a sadly short career before being withdrawn, but the engine had proved thoroughly sound, and was tO find a better stage tO demonstrate its capabilities in boat racing. The 420M was created early ⅲ 1957 with shorter stroke: 93.8 X75.8 mm ( 3.66><2.98 in. ) giving 4190 cc. lt delivered 410 hp on alcohol- mixed fuel. Then it powered an lndianapolis racer in 1958 , and a revised verslon went into the Eldorado Special of 1959. The Orsi family and Giulio AIfieri were all highly aware Of the fact that Maserati was more than an engine supplier. lt was a small company, but it was a Ⅱ 10t0r car manufacturer, and itS new- found expertise in V8 engines ought tO be put tO S01 れ e commercial use. The existing ・ V8 , however, was pure racmg metal, and Ⅱ 0 direct adaptation seemed practicable. But perhaps a tOtal re-design was not the answer. Alfieri opted for a compro- mlse solution. The racing V8 with gear-driven camshafts and dual ignition was revised for use 1 Ⅱ a production car, With single ignition and chain-driven cam- shafts. The essential layout was not changed. The displacement was increased t0 4975 cc by boring out the block to 98.5 mm ( 3.88 ⅲ . ) , which, with a stroke of 81 mm ( 3.19 ⅲ . ) , gave a displacement 0f 4975 cc. This engine delivered 385 hp for street use. lt was first installed ⅲ the 5000GT 0f 1959 , a coupé with touring b0dY, built on the same basic 3500GT chassis that was then monopolising the assembly line in Viale Ciro Menotti. The 5 litre V8 did very little t0 solve Maserati's problem, which consisted 0f making money from selling its products. The 5000GT was bY nature 73

ORIGINS AND EVOLUTION MASERATI V8 and materials. lt had aluminium cylinder heads and block, with cast-iron wet liners, and a helical gear train for the camshaft drive. Maserati had plenty of experience with four- valve heads from before the war, but decided on a simpler design with one inlet and one exhaust valve for each cylinder. ln its initial form it delivered 120 hp at 7500 rpm with a 9.0 : 1 compresslon ratio. The marine verslon OfthiS engme was made tO run 0 Ⅱ a1C0h01 , which boosted its output 仕 om 138 to 150 hp. Maserati also built a 1.6 litre version of the speed-boat englne with bore and stroke of 82 x 72 mm ( 3.31 x 2.83 ⅲ . ). lt delivered 145 hp at 7000 rpm on high-octane petrol. The 150S made its racing debut at the Nür- burgring ⅲ August 1955 , where it had no diffculty in setting a new lap record for its class, and beating all rivals in the race. The 200SI also appeared ⅲ 1953. Basically, it was the 150S engine enlarged to 1994 cc by lengthening the stroke to 75 mm ( 2.95 in. ), the same as in the 250F , and boring out t0 92 mm ( 3.63 ⅲ . ). Here the included angle of the valve inclination was narrowed tO 60 degrees. With twin coils and dual distributors, two plugs per cylinder, breathing through two 45 mm Weber two-barrel carburettors, it delivered 186 hp at 7500 rpm. lts peak torque was 128 lb ft ( 18.5 mkg) at 6000 rpm. For a company like Maserati, it was not a big jOb to take two of these four-bangers, put them side by side, bend them over, and hook them to a common crankshaft. That is, in a nutshell, what was done. Why was it done ? Maserati's top sports/racing prototype in 1955 was the 300S , using a 3-litre engine enlarged from the 250F. lt was put up against the 3.8 , 4.1 and 4.4 litre Ferrar1s and other cars with bigger engmes with 63

を、を一を Maserati works in Bologna from the three brothers Ernesto, Bindo, and Ettore Maserati. Orsi moved it to Modena in 1940 , and after the departure 0f the Maserati brothers in 1946 , he placed his son Omer in charge of the day-to-day operations Of the Maserati car company. Omer Orsi was 1 れ ore Of a benevolent supervisor than a dynamic and forceful captain of industry. He allowed great freedom of action to his directors, respected their judgment, and was always con- scious of the fact that it was his father who had the final word in all important decisions. The conversation during the Geneva meeting was mostly concerned with Maserati's prospects. Bercot was well informed 0 Ⅱ the subject of Maserati's faltering finances, its resources, and its capacities. He treated Maserati and the Orsis with great respect, and they dealt with him openly and honestly. Bercot revealed to them that Citroén was planning a grand touring car. Soon 19