1972 MASERATI Bora

Background

Shortly after Citroen took a controlling interest in Maserati in 1968, the concept of a mid-engined two-seat sports car was proposed. Muira and Mangusta were already in production from Lamborghini and De Tomaso respectively and Ferrari were busy too.

In common with other Maserati cars of the era, it is named after a wind, Bora being the wind of Trieste. The Bora ended Maserati’s reputation for producing fast but technologically out of date cars, being the first with four-wheel independent suspension.

Unveiled to the public at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show in production form, deliveries began later that year. Maserati struggled after being bought by De Tomaso in 1975 and the Bora was discontinued after the 1978 model year.

Just 564 Boras were produced in total, of which 275 were fitted with the 4.9-litre engines, the rest specified with 4.7-litre motors.

The Bora was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Italdesign and has a super slippery drag coefficient of just 0.30. A number of innovative features distinguished the car from previous offerings, such as a hydraulically powered pedal cluster and a steering wheel that could be tilted and telescoped.

The car was civilised and practical too, with a generous front boot and unlike its competitors, the Bora used dual-pane glass to separate its cabin from the engine compartment.

The Vehicle

We are delighted to be offering for sale a 1972 Bora and one which has covered just 102,000kms in its 50-year life.

First registered in the UK in 1988, for the majority of the time on our shores it has been in the safe hands of our seller and one of his best friends.

The friend, a solicitor by profession, did some work for Ferrari and in a fit of madness had the Bora painted red. Some years later, and clearly seeing the error of his ways, it was repainted once more in its original colour.

The two friends had some adventures in the Bora together, taking it on road trips to Le Mans amongst other things.

Our seller became the Bora’s registered keeper in 2007, though it was in his safe hands a few years earlier.

A detailed history accompanies the car, which confirms the mileage and that proper maintenance has been carried out at regular intervals.

Our seller reports that the car drives well and predictably attracts a huge amount of attention wherever it goes.

Opportunities such as this don’t present themselves very often, so if owning a thoroughbred Italian supercar is on your bucket list, we suggest reading on for chapter and verse.

On the Outside

The achingly beautiful lines of the Bora are shown off well by the silver paintwork. From a distance the finish looks great, but being an older respray, there are some marks, bubbles and scrapes here and there. This car has not been tucked away, it has been driven and enjoyed.

There’s a mark on the front offside wing and some paint chips on the car’s front bumper. You will find chips elsewhere too, so spend some time looking at the pictures or better still come and see this lovely car in person.

The windscreen wiper arms look a tad jaded and the door mirrors have lost some of their sparkle. Both are easy enough to rectify we imagine.

Wheels look very smart and each is clad in a premium Pirelli P4000 tyre, all with plenty of tread. Care taken with tyre choice is usually a good indication of attentive and considered classic car ownership.

The Bora sports a very appropriate registration number, which will be staying with the vehicle. It will help the less informed to know what it is that you are driving, as you whiz past.

On the Inside

The black interior looks to be original to the car and is part of this car’s considerable charm. The heady aroma of nicely ageing leather greets when you swing open the door.

The seats are showing signs of age, with the drivers seat squab having a small hole in it and our seller did contemplate having them refurbished. He was quoted around £1,000 but in the end preferred to keep them original. We are inclined to agree. They are still comfortable and supportive.

The carpets too are worn in places, and we would have less qualms about replacing or repairing these.

We have also spotted some corrosion on the door bottoms, on the inside.

Ahead of the driver a comprehensive bank of instruments is a sight to behold – Olio, Benzina, you get the idea.

It should be noted that the manifold under the dash has been removed which controls the hydraulic movement of the pedals.

We can report however that the air conditioning is in working order, essential as without it the cabin gets rather hot from the engine heat.

The front boot is generous in proportions but does look a little tired in places. The carpet is a little threadbare and the area around the side and hinges could be improved.

Underneath

We always include pictures of a car’s undersides and that is the case here. We notice a little surface corrosion in places which we would advise dealing with as soon as possible, especially if the car is to be used all year round. A clean up and some more underseal should do the trick!

The engine bay shows plenty of signs of the careful maintenance we know this car has had over very many years. There are plenty of pictures for your delectation.

Our seller informs us that the Bora drives well and is a grand tourer par excellence. It can be a tad challenging on narrow country lanes, but it does its best work on fast A-roads and motorways. Le Mans, the Loire Valley and beyond, all places visited and enjoyed with the marvellous Maserati.

History Highlights

We always like to see reams of paperwork accompanying a car such as the Bora. And we can report that there is plenty, from old MoT certificates to comprehensive invoices.

The car was last MoTed in July. An initial failure due to leaking front shock absorbers was soon solved. The seller’s able mechanic rebuilt them, and a pass certificate was then issued.

The oldest certificate from 2006 gives a reading of 93,350km on the odometer.

A trawl through the invoices shows an engine rebuild in 2008, the princely sum of £5,297 being spent.

Our seller entrusted the Bora to John Hewat at Blaze Motorsports Ltd in Otham, Kent. We can see an invoice from August of this year for a little over £2,000 for replacing the front dampers, freeing up the brakes and fitting a new clutch master cylinder.

Rewind to 2020 and an engine oil leak was resolved by the fitting of new gaskets and a new Yuasa battery was fitted.

Some work to the air conditioning was carried out in 2019 and the windscreen washers were repaired.

Over £1,500 was spent with BML Ltd in 2016, the work included fitting exchange accumulators and adjustment of the Zenith carburettors.

Our seller informs us that the tyres are filled with Nitrogen, which is said to give a slightly more cosseting ride, amongst other things.

What We Think

Although we are lucky enough to sell a variety of interesting cars, just occasionally one comes along that makes more of an impression. The Bora is just such a car and we have been captivated by its charms and originality.

It is of course a matching numbers car, boasting an interior we believe is more or less untouched since it left the factory fifty years ago.

The perfectionist may wish to address some of the minor paintwork issues, but if it was us, we would just get on and enjoy this mighty fine car just as it is.

So, the burning question. How much will the Bora sell for? We estimate the hammer will fall somewhere between £95,000 and £105,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

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