Introduction to Maserati
Prototypes and Concept Cars
Prototypes and Concept Cars During its history Maserati has inspired the worlds most important designers and coachbuilders to create some of their best designs. Some of the creations listed below were intended for production whilst others were meant as show cases strictly. Simun (1967) The Simun, named after a Sahara desert wind, was Giugiaro’s last work as head of design at Ghia. It was built on the mechanical basis of the Mexico but had a reduced wheelbase. The Simun was meant to be Maserati’s next four-seater GT car, with a less sporty nature than the current Ghibli. Yet its unremarkable design – it showed strong similarity with Giugiaro’s Thor concept for Oldsmobile – led to the decision to choose the Michelotti-designed Indy for production instead. This car is currently part of the renowned Panini collection.
Boomerang (1971-1973) Giorgetto Giugiaro stunned the world with the Maserati Boomerang concept of which a non-functional model was displayed first at the 1971 Turin motorshow. The fully functional Boomerang was launched at the 1973 Geneva motorshow and shared its mechanical parts with the Bora. In 1966, Giugiaro entered the public eye with his designs for Ghia, such as the stunning Maserati Ghibli, which was most unconventional for the period in its use of straight lines and large, flat surfaces. When he created his own design company Italdesign in 1968, Giugiaro continued to explore this new design medium. The Boomerang is by many regarded as the ultimate embodiment of Giugiaro’s design genius. It was without any doubt one of the most important concept cars of all time and its typical wedge shape influenced car design the next decades. The Boomerang has won numerous awards.
Maserati Academy
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