# 10 Iconic Cars From Maserati | Otto Explains | AutoTronix **Section:** Otto Explains **Canonical:** https://autotronix.om/otto/maserati-iconic-cars **Language:** English **Arabic version:** https://autotronix.om/ar/otto/maserati-iconic-cars --- ## Short Answer Otto’s ten iconic Maseratis are the 8CTF, the 250F, the Tipo 60 and 61 Birdcage, the 5000 GT, the Ghibli, the Bora, the Khamsin, the Shamal, the MC12 and the GranTurismo of 2007. They run from Indianapolis and Formula 1 winners to grand tourers and a homologation special, and each is remembered for something specific: a victory, a first or a design that set a direction. --- ## How did Otto choose these ten cars? Each car is a model in its own right with a defining fact taken from Maserati’s own records, and together they cover racing cars, grand tourers and a limited edition from 1939 to 2007. Cars that changed Maserati as a company, such as the Tipo 26, the A6 1500 Gran Turismo, the 3500 GT, the Quattroporte, the Biturbo, the 3200 GT, the Levante and the MC20, are covered in Otto’s article on the legendary Maseratis. The order below is roughly chronological, not a ranking. --- ## Why is the Maserati 8CTF remembered? Bought by Mike Boyle and raced by Wilbur Shaw as the Boyle Special, the 8CTF won the Indianapolis 500 in 1939 and again in 1940. Maserati says it is still the only carmaker to have won the race with a car it built entirely itself, and it later named a road car, the Indy, as a tribute to those two wins. --- ## What made the 250F special? First known by the code 6C 2500, the 250F took its name from its 2.5-litre displacement (250) and the F of Formula. Maserati counts it among the longest-lived Formula 1 racing cars, and with Juan Manuel Fangio at the wheel it won the Formula 1 World Championship in 1954 and 1957. --- ## Why was the Tipo 60 called the Birdcage? Chief engineer Giulio Alfieri built the Tipo 60 for 2-litre sports car racing on a space frame of about 200 small-section tubes, and the car became known as the Birdcage, a nickname Maserati never used officially. At Stirling Moss’s suggestion the 3-litre Tipo 61 followed, and Tipo 61 cars won the Nürburgring 1000 km outright in 1960 and 1961. --- ## Why is the 5000 GT special? It was born from a request by the Shah of Persia. Presented in 1959, it was the first Maserati with a V8 engine, taken from the 450S racing car and fitted to a reinforced 3500 GT chassis. Only 34 were built, with bodies by coachbuilders including Touring, Pinin Farina, Allemano, Ghia, Bertone, Vignale and Frua. --- ## What made the first Ghibli stand out? Named after a desert wind and designed by a young Giorgetto Giugiaro at Ghia, the Ghibli was unveiled at the Turin Motor Show in 1966, with deliveries from March 1967. A Spyder and the 4.9-litre Ghibli SS followed in 1969. Maserati later revived the name for other cars, including the saloon of 2013. --- ## Why does the Bora matter? Launched at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show with a design by Giugiaro’s Italdesign, the Bora was Maserati’s first road car with its engine mounted behind the cabin. It was also the first car developed under Citroën, and the French company’s hydraulic system operated its brakes, retractable headlights, driver’s seat and pedals. --- ## What was the Khamsin? Shown at the 1972 Turin show and named after a hot desert wind of Egypt and Libya, the Khamsin was the first series-production Maserati designed by Bertone, by Marcello Gandini. It was also the last front-engined, rear-wheel-drive Maserati grand tourer until the 3200 GT. --- ## Why is the Shamal remembered? Named after a Mesopotamian wind and built from 1990 to 1996, the Shamal was the most extreme evolution of the Biturbo family. It had a body by Marcello Gandini and, in place of the family’s V6, a completely new twin-turbo V8 with four camshafts and 32 valves. Otto explains how [turbochargers work](https://autotronix.om/otto/turbocharger-vs-supercharger). --- ## What was the MC12? Its name means Maserati Corse, 12-cylinder. The road car existed to homologate the racer for international GT racing, which Maserati re-entered at Imola on 5 September 2004, and from 2005 to 2010 the campaign brought 14 FIA GT titles. The MC12’s technology was based on the Ferrari Enzo with substantial changes, only 50 road cars were made from 2004, and Maserati calls it its fastest road car ever, with a top speed of 330 km/h. Ferrari’s own landmark cars are in Otto’s [ten iconic Ferraris](https://autotronix.om/otto/ferrari-iconic-cars). --- ## Why is the 2007 GranTurismo on the list? Presented in 2007, it was a four-seat coupé developed on a shortened Quattroporte platform, with a Pininfarina design inspired by Maserati racing cars of the 1960s. The open GranCabrio followed in 2009, and the GranTurismo name continues in today’s range, now with Nettuno V6 and fully electric Folgore versions. Otto explains how a [V6, a V8 and other layouts differ](https://autotronix.om/otto/engine-designs-explained). --- ## Common Questions **Why aren’t the Quattroporte and the Biturbo on this list?** Because Otto covers them in the article on the cars that changed Maserati as a company. The first Quattroporte began Maserati’s line of luxury saloons, and the Biturbo, with 37,000 sold, became the best-selling car in Maserati’s history. **Which Maserati won the Indianapolis 500?** The 8CTF, raced as the Boyle Special by Wilbur Shaw, won in 1939 and 1940. **Did Maserati win the Formula 1 World Championship?** Yes. Juan Manuel Fangio won the championship driving the 250F in 1954 and 1957. **Why are so many Maseratis named after winds?** It is a Maserati tradition: the Ghibli, the Khamsin, the Shamal and the Levante all take their names from winds, and Maserati itself says many of its earlier cars were named that way. --- ## Related Otto Explanations - Horsepower vs Torque: What Do They Really Mean?: https://autotronix.om/otto/horsepower-vs-torque --- ## Related Services - AutoTronix PERFORMANCE: https://autotronix.om/performance - Performance Car Pre-Purchase Inspection: https://autotronix.om/performance/performance-pre-purchase - Performance Vehicle Health Report: https://autotronix.om/performance/vehicle-health-report --- ## Book a Service WhatsApp: +968 9966 8600 https://api.whatsapp.com/send/?phone=96899668600&type=phone_number&app_absent=0 Location: Mabellah Industrial, Street 7, Muscat — Saturday to Thursday, 9 AM to 9 PM