Guide: Maserati Coupe 2+2
Background
After spells at Fiat, Bertone and Ghia, automotive stylist, Giorgetto Giugiaro, established his own firm, Ital Design, in 1968.
The new company made a big splash with its first car, the Bizzarrini P538-based Manta, which broke cover at the Turin Motor Show in October 1968.
More exciting concepts quickly followed and it wasn’t long before Ital Design began to receive commissions for production machinery.
In addition to early work for Alfa Romeo and Suzuki, one of Ital Design’s best customers was Maserati which, since 1968, had been owned by Citroen. Under Giugiaro’s watchful eye, the Maserati Bora and Merak were created in addition to the world famous Boomerang concept that debuted at the Turin Motor Show in October 1971.
Like the 1968 Alfa Romeo Carabo (Bertone), the 1970 Ferrari Modulo (Pininfarina) and 1971 Lamborghini Countach (Bertone), the Boomerang came to define the exciting Wedge Era of automotive styling. It generated massive publicity and Ital Design were subsequently rewarded with commissions for two further show cars in 1974.
At the time, Maserati and their parent company were in financial turmoil. The Oil Crisis (which had begun in late 1973) was ravaging sales and Citroen were ultimately declared bankrupt in late 1974. That December, the French Government bailed loss-making Citroen and Peugeot out with a $290m rescue loan and forced the companies to merge.
Maserati was cut adrift, but ultimately saved in August 1975 by Alessandro de Tomaso who was himself backed by a government loan.
By this time, the two Ital Design Maserati concepts had been unveiled at the 1974 Turin Motor Show which ran for ten days between late October and early November. The two bright metallic green cars were displayed side by side on the Ital Design stand; the Coupe 2+2 was conceived as a potential Indy replacement while the Medici was pitched as a cutting edge four door limousine.
Chassis
The Maserati Coupe 2+2 was based on the steel floorpan of a Maserati Indy. It retained the Indy’s 2600mm wheelbase which ensured plenty of space for up to four occupants.
Suspension was via independent coil sprung double wishbones at the front and a live Salisbury axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs at the rear. Telescopic dampers were fitted all round along with anti-roll bars at either end.
Brakes were servo-assisted ventilated discs at each corner.
15 x 7.5-inch Campagnolo starburst alloy wheels of the type fitted to the Ghibli and recently introduced Khamsin were used. These were originally shod with Michelin XWX tyres.
Track was 40mm wider at the front to maximise turn-in and footwell space.
Engine / Gearbox
The rolling chassis delivered to Ital Design was equipped with the latest 4.9-litre iteration of Maserati’s long-serving V8.
This all-alloy dual overhead camshaft 90° V8 was derived from the power unit first used in the formidable 450 S sports racing car of the late 1950s. It had famously been toned down for production in the 5000 GT, a model originally created at the request of the Shah of Iran who liked the straight six-powered 3500 GT but wanted the cachet of a race-derived V8 in the engine bay.
The engine used in the Coupe 2+2 employed two valves per cylinder, wet-sump lubrication, an 8.5:1 compression ratio, electronic ignition and four Weber 42 DCNF carburettors.
It displaced 4930cc thanks to a bore and stroke of 93.9 and 89mm respectively.
Peak output was 320bhp at 5500rpm and 355lb-ft at 4000rpm.
Transmission was via a ZF five-speed manual gearbox, dry single-plate clutch and Salisbury differential.
Bodywork
Compared to the Vignale-styled Indy, Ital Design’s concept was 60mm shorter, 112mm wider and 10mm taller. As was de rigueur at the time, it adopted a sharply creased wedge profile that, wheelarches aside, had barley a curved line anywhere.
The plane-like front hood incorporated a discrete power bulge to clear the engine and a single bank of cooling vents near the right-hand side of the front scuttle. More slatted cooling vents were located at the backs of the front fenders and behind the rear side windows.
At the leading edge of the pointed nose were retractable headlights and a slim satin black full width bumper. A similar bumper treatment was found at the back of the car, but Giugiaro resisted the urge to give the window frames, door handles and wipers a matching look; for these he chose a traditional plated metal finish instead.
Enormous windows including a fastback rear screen flooded the cockpit with natural light. The rear quarters swept down to a cut-off Kamm tail fascia that incorporated three custom light assemblies per side.
Access to the trunk was via a lift-up rear hatch complete with discrete integrated kick-up rear spoiler..
Overall, Ital Design’s Maserati Coupe 2+2 was a clean and handsome creation from a period before the worst excesses of the Wedge Era took hold.
Interior
As a potential candidate for production, Ital Design stuck with a fairly conservative layout for the cockpit.
All the instrumentation and most of the switchgear was laid out in a wide rectangular binnacle upholstered in black leather to match the rest of the dash.
The seats were divided by a thick tunnel that housed the gear lever, electric window controls, a cigar lighter and chrome-plated ashtray.
Well-padded seats were suitable for long distance cruising. Aside from the dash, headliner and floors, dark brown leather was used to cover practically every conceivable surface.
Thanks to thin pillars, large windows and good ergonomics, cockpit visibility was excellent.
Weight / Performance
Although no official weight or performance figures were ever published, it seems likely that the steel-bodied Coupe 2+2 would have been comparable to the Maserati Indy. This meant a circa 1600kg weight with a top speed of around 155mph and 0-62mph time of about 7.5 seconds.
Subsequent History
Unfortunately, as a result of the aforementioned poor trading conditions, the Coupe 2+2 was never seriously considered for production.
Following Alessandro de Tomaso’s takeover of Maserati in the summer of 1975, the Frua-styled De Tomaso Longchamp-based Kyalami was introduced instead.
What became of the handsome Ital Design concept is unknown. It has not been seen in public for many years.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Ital Design - http://www.italdesign.it
