Khamsin Too Far Gone?

[allandwf]

1979 Maserati Khamsin

1979 Maserati Khamsin Maserati Khamsin RHD The Maserati Khamsin was only built 430 times. This is one of only 71 right...

www.carandclassic.com

Such a shame it's got to this state, multiple major panels holed with rust. A very brave restoration.

 

[Zep]

Too true. You’d have to be mad to but a project for which there are barely any panels available….

 

[philw696]

The Guys who restored Harry's Garage Lancia made their own panels so nothing is impossible.

 

[allandwf]

The Guys who restored Harry's Garage Lancia made their own panels so nothing is impossible.

Indeed, all down to cost.

 

[Doohickey]

Seems odd that all those photos appear to be in UK when the seller is in Germany so are probably from when they bought it in 2016. Makes you wonder what state it's in now.

 

[Tallman]

That’s just painful to see - the owner recently bought another Khamsin and has given up on this one - I can see why..

 

[Oneball]

This is what happens when you cover a car and leave it to sweat.

If it’d just sat outside uncovered it wouldn’t be a useless pile of rust.

 

[CatmanV2]

Brings a tear to your eye

C

 

[StuartW]

Compared to my Lancia, that's a minter, it's got to be worth saving though

 

[midlifecrisis]

Compared to my Lancia, that's a minter, it's got to be worth saving though

Depends on the depth of your pockets and equally, the length of your arms...

If the above is a minter, please don't post a photo of your Lancia, some people might be eating their lunch.

 

[midlifecrisis]

I think it's ironic that its next to the recycling bin...

 

[Ewan]

After a £200k refurb by a respected specialist you'd have a stunning Khamsin worth around £100k - £120k.
So not exactly an enticing project!

 

[Hurricane52]

I’d expect that to cost £100k to restore at a specialist, but you’d end up with a glorious car. Thing is, you would probably have to wait 18 months to get it done and most decent RHD Khamsins I’ve seen for sale over the past few years have been around the £120-150k mark, so you’d be better off buying one of those and enjoying it.

However, if you enjoy spannering and can find a keen and talented bodywork expert to help, you might be able to make it lovely again for half that. It looks quite complete, but again the process is going to take a long time.

I hope some romantic fool saves it somehow.

 

[Zep]

Compared to my Lancia, that's a minter, it's got to be worth saving though

So you bought it then?!

 

[StuartW]

So you bought it then?!

Yes, I bought back my much missed Lancia around 3 years ago - I am still scratching my chin somewhat as to how to tackle it. I swear if you stare at it for long enough, you can see the rust travel just that little bit further ...

 

[Tallman]

I’d expect that to cost £100k to restore at a specialist, but you’d end up with a glorious car. Thing is, you would probably have to wait 18 months to get it done and most decent RHD Khamsins I’ve seen for sale over the past few years have been around the £120-150k mark, so you’d be better off buying one of those and enjoying it.

However, if you enjoy spannering and can find a keen and talented bodywork expert to help, you might be able to make it lovely again for half that. It looks quite complete, but again the process is going to take a long time.

I hope some romantic fool saves it somehow.

When I was looking at one last year in much better state (no rust, engine running, I drove the car), I dropped in at a renowned Maserati restorer in Modena. He reckoned about €160k-180k. Parts are a big problem, even for such a well connected specialist right in Modena. So even if you got it for nothing it wouldn’t be worth it. Which is a tragedy….so for any restoration project the value of the car basically needs to be well beyond 200k for it to be worthwhile.

 

[Hurricane52]

It’s on AutoScout for 46,000 euros, so destined to remain rusty I fear.

There are four LHDs, one at 125k euros - not looking as good in bright red as its original Luci del Bosco. Two blue ones in Holland at 169k euros and 139k. There’s also someone flying a kite in Italy at 299k euros!

 

[Ewan]

I’d expect that to cost £100k to restore at a specialist, but you’d end up with a glorious car. Thing is, you would probably have to wait 18 months to get it done and most decent RHD Khamsins I’ve seen for sale over the past few years have been around the £120-150k mark, so you’d be better off buying one of those and enjoying it.

However, if you enjoy spannering and can find a keen and talented bodywork expert to help, you might be able to make it lovely again for half that. It looks quite complete, but again the process is going to take a long time.

I hope some romantic fool saves it somehow.

No chance you’d get that properly restored by a specialist for £100k. It would be at least double. You could get it done to a fashion for less at any number of other garages, but the end value would be lower also.
Have a chat to McGrath or Emblem (the two U.K. restorers of classic Maseratis to produce concours winning cars currently) and ask them what recent projects have cost. It’s eye watering.

Values of LHD Khamsins in the EU remain quite high (maybe EUR 150k), but a U.K. RHD car hasn’t made that much for the last few years. The market has dropped. There’s a very nice one thats been for sale for a year at £110k, but still no takers (and it was on at £160k about 4 years ago). I went to see it and the owner is as lovely as the car. But I’m jittery about the market and would want it at below six figures, and while I’ve not made that offer, that’s largely because I’m sure he’d say no.

My old gold one is also available, but now needs too much work for me to be able to offer the owner sufficient money, even though I’m really keen to buy it back. My guess is that he wants maybe £90k, while I see it as £70k tops in its current condition. Tricky, as again, the owner is so nice.
That said, he had it off me for £30k (all be it about 14 years ago), so he hasn‘t done too badly!

The bottom line is that the market for Khamsins in tiny. Indeed, I sometimes get the impression it’s only me that’s looking. And that’s not good!

 

[zagatoes30]

The bottom line is that the market for Khamsins in tiny. Indeed, I sometimes get the impression it’s only me that’s looking. And that’s not good!

If you're the only one prepared to put the money on the table that is good, it's just the owners need to realise a bird in the hand and all that.

Khamsin and Espada are the two cars that just did their own thing regardless of what was perceived as greatness and to me that is why they are still special today.

 

[3hcp]

Khamsin’s are special.
my parents bought one new in 1978 from Mario Condivi (MTC Cars Kensington) in similar colours to the one above, paid £28k if I remember correctly and a Merak ss was about £22k. Always felt faster than the 320hp it offered, got it up to an indicated 170mph once which it achieved pretty quickly due to its slippery shape. Though I have to say it was always a challenge to drive with the hydraulic brakes with zero travel it was impossible to Heel and toe and the self centring steering which returned to straight ahead every time you released any hold.
Having said that it is the one car that of all I have driven which felt the most special.