Alejandro de Tomaso was an industrialist and tycoon first, and a car enthusiast second. Long on ideas but short on attention span, the Argentinian former racing driver had married into North American old money, had a feral business sense and was determined to build exotic road cars bearing his own name in his ancestorial homeland of Italy.
Having set up shop in Modena in 1959 as De Tomaso Automobili- and made his name in the early 1970s courting Ford with the Pantera - he was an irascible outsider who saw the chance to secure his legacy with the acquisition of noble but beleaguered Maserati in 1975.
Prior to Citroën's purchase of the Italian firm in 1968, it had prospered building small but significant quantities of refined, beautifully finished straight-six and V8 grand tourers. These cars traded on fading memories of the make's Grand Prix and sports-racing successes, and prioritised elegance and exclusivity over headline-making technical solutions.
Cart-sprung Salisbury rear axles and other off-the-shelf componentry prevailed well into the '70s at Maserati, and Citroën's attempts to integrate high-pressure hydraulics for brakes and steering had met with mixed success. In any case, they had little time to reach maturity before the Oil Crisis (and the Peugeot takeover) triggered the fire sale of Maserati in 1975.
With his feet under the table, de Tomaso's long-term plan was to build an Italian answer to BMW in the guise of the 1981-on Biturbo, a semi-volume-production 'executive' Maserati for the '80s that all but squandered the marque's reputation over the ensuing two decades.
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Denne historien er fra November 2024-utgaven av Classic & Sports Car.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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RAY HILLIER
Double-chevron oddity proves a break from the norm for this Crewe specialist
SHORT BACK & GLIDES
Eccentric enthusiast Captain RG McLeod's series of Manx-tailed Bentley Specials reached its zenith with this unique S2 Continental.
People's choice
The diminutive but multi-million-selling Fiat 850 packed a remarkable diversity of form and function into its compact footprint
PLASTIC BREAKS FROM THE NORM
Glassfibre revolutionised niche car-body production, but just occasionally strayed into the mainstream.
A SENSIBLE SUPERCAR
The cleverly conceived four-seater Elite secured Lotus a place at the big players' table, but has it been unfairly maligned since then?
"I had a habit of grabbing second place from the jaws of victory"
From dreams of yachting glory to the Le Mans podium, via a stint at the top of the motorsport tree, Howden Ganley had quite the career
Still going strong
Herbert Engineering staked its reputation on the five-year warranty that came with its cars. A century on, this Two Litre hasn't made a claim
One for the kids
General Motors was aiming squarely at the youth market with the launch of the Pontiac GTO 60 years ago, and its runaway success popularised the muscle-car movement
A NEW BREED OF HERO
Launched at the turn of the millennium, the GT3 badge has already earned a place alongside RS, CS and turbo in Porsche lore.
Brits with SIX appeal
The straight-six engine is synonymous with a decades-long legacy of great British sports cars. Six variations on the sextet theme convene for comparison
