In 1971 presented the Maserati Boomerang, one of the most irreverent concept cars in Maserati’s entire history. The Boomerang had an extremely futuristic design, conceived to be several years ahead of the Brand’s style, launching a wedge-shaped form which would later be used on several other cars, such as the Maserati Merak. Daring lines and a body that was very low (little moreover a metre above the ground), wide and aerodynamic: a real racing car conceived for the road.
The Maserati Boomerang was styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro, who drew inspiration from this prototype for the design of a succession of new cars. Initially, Maserati presented an inoperative mock-up of the Maserati Boomerang at the 1971 Turin Motor Show before exhibiting the definitive, road-ready version at the Geneva Show the next year. The single Boomerang built, registered for use on the road, was exhibited at a number of international motor shows before being sold to a private buyer in 1974.
Maserati was not satisfied with sophisticated technology and impeccable style: the Boomerang had to be the Brand’s symbol of excellence. The decision was therefore taken to create an unusual sporty, minimalist interior capable of underlining this concept car’s excellence. Giugiaro thus set out to style a totally innovative dashboard, with all the instruments in the centre of the steering wheel, on a panel which projected from the dashboard, and with the steering wheel itself only anchored around its rim, so that it could turn freely around the dials in the middle.
As well as providing the Brand with a stylistic template, the Maserati Boomerang also featured extremely sophisticated mechanics which attracted the attention of the public right from its debut. The concept car had a 4,719 cubic centimetre 90° V8 engine derived from the unit installed on the Maserati Bora and mounted in a rear-mid position. This engine, with bore of 94 millimetres and stroke of 85, was naturally aspirated and had two valves per cylinder, with a compression ratio of 8.5:1. The power of 306 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 46 Nm at 4,200 rpm enabled the Maserati Boomerang, with its rear-wheel drive and five-speed manual gearbox, to achieve a theoretical top speed of no less than 300 kilometres an hour.
| Engine | V8 |
| Valvetrain | DOHC 2 Valves / Cyl |
| Fuel feed | 2 Solex C42 DDHF Carburetors |
| Displacement | 4719 cc / 288.0 in³ |
| Bore | 93.9 mm / 3.7 in |
| Stroke | 85 mm / 3.35 in |
| Power | 231.2 kw / 310.0 bhp @ 6000 rpm |
| Specific output | 65.69 bhp per litre |
| Bhp/Weight | 221.43 bhp per tonne |
| Driven wheels | RWD |
| Wheelbase | 2600 mm / 102.4 in |
| Length | 4342 mm / 170.9 in |
| Width | 1860 mm / 73.2 in |
| Height | 1070 mm / 42.1 in |
| Transmission | 5-Speed Manual |
| Top speed | ~280 kph / 174.0 mph |
Text & Photo Credits: Maserati
