And no, Maserati isn’t bringing back the Shamal
by Tudor Rus, onWe feel forced to interrupt our usual schedule for an absolute gem of a post uploaded on Instagram by Maserati Fuoriserie, the Italian carmaker’s arm that handles the sort of personalization that usually ends up in one-of-a-kind cars for supposedly very happy and proud customers.
In the said post, Maserati is actually asking for help to turn the so-called Rekall into reality and hoping it would spur the interest of (possibly wealthy) wannabe customers, it even dropped five photos of the design study.
Maserati’s post caption is very cryptic as we’re not sure if the Italians are asking potential sponsors to jump in on the project or whether it’s looking for feedback from fans and potential customers.
“We want this to turn into reality, and we’ll need your help to get there. So come along for the ride, join the resistance, help us make the hard choices and together we’ll see it through the end,” reads the post.
At the same time, we don’t get a lot of info about the Rekall itself other a brief description: “it’s a drivable love letter to that specific chunk of Maserati’s past that is so difficult to ignore.”
Well, we don’t know about you, but the renders ooze quite a hefty Maserati Shamal vibe from where we’re sitting. Designed by the great Marcello Gandini, the Shamal was named after a Mesopotamian wind and packed a twin-turbo, 3.2-liter V-8 with four camshafts and 32 valves sending 326 horsepower to a six-speed Getrag transmission for a top speed of 270 kph (168 mph).
| Engine | twin-turbo, 3.2-liter V-8 |
|---|---|
| Horsepower | 326 HP |
| Transmission | six-speed Getrag |
| Top Speed | 168 mph |
Just 369 Shamals were assembled between 1990 and 1996, and Maserati marketed the coupe as “one of the most extreme production cars ever made, and intended for skilled drivers only.”
The Shamal would eventually serve as inspiration for the Ghibli and looking at the Rekall sketches, we can’t help but spot the similarities inside and out. Sure, the Rekall has a certain Cyberpunk 2077 flavour to it, one that mixes with a 1980s-inspired take on the interior and dashboard.
We surely like it, but we also have a feeling that going home with the road-going version coming from these sketches won’t be cheap.
