Remembering the Maserati Boomerang

Some cars get everything right: the exterior, the interior, the sound, the passion. This is why you are a Maserati fan, because these things are important to you. I’d like to take a moment to look back at a concept car that never went into production. It’s the 1971/72 Maserati Boomerang.

The Maserati Boomerang was a concept car first revealed at the 1971 Turin Auto show. At the time it was more of a shell than a car, but Maserati turned it into a fully-functioning vehicle by the 1972 Geneva Auto Show. It was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, an Italian automobile designer who was awarded Car Designer of the Century in 1999. That award essentially means he is car designer of all time since the automobile was invented at the end of the 19th century. A few notable vehicles Giugiaro designed besides the boomerang are the 1966 Maserati Ghibli, 1971 Maserati Bora, the 1972 Maserati Merak and you can see similar cues in two other space-age styled vehicles he designed: the 1991 Subaru Alcyone SVX and the 1981 DeLorean DMC-12.

Giugiaro was beat to his angular space-age design by the Alfa Romeo Carabo, designed by Bertone.

However, who knows if the angular look would have ever taken off if Giugiaro hadn’t thrown a second amazing competitor into the arena with the Boomerang. When asked about his Boomerang design Giugiaro stated that the car was “drawn almost completely with a ruler” a 180 degree turn from car design up until that point. The motor supplied for the concept was borrowed from the Masarati Bora, a 4.7 liter 290 cubic inch rear-mid mounted V8. With 2 valves per cylinder and 8:5:1 compression, the motor was good for 306 horsepower and revved to 6,000 rpm. Mated to a 5-speed manual transmission and rear wheel drive, the Boomerang had an estimated top speed of 300 kmph.

The standout design feature found in the Maserati Boomerang was the protruding steering column that housed the steering wheel with all the gauges mounted in the middle. It’s definitely a dramatic approach that lent to the futuristic appeal of this car. The rest of the interior was luxurious yet minimal – perfect for a car that was dramatic from every angle.

We know where design went from here which you can see in cars like the Lotus Esprit and Lamborghini Countach. There was and is only one Maserati Boomerang and this vehicle is still seen in public and was recently at the Maserati 100 in Modena, Italy. The most recent sale of this vehicle was at Christie’s auction house and sold for 781,250 euros. It is signed on the rear by Giorgetto Giugiaro.

The Maserati Boomerang was also recently used in an ad campaign by Louis Vuitton juxtaposed with a lanky model who is no doubt 25 years younger than her photoshoot partner.

That’s the thing about beautiful cars – they will always command your attention whether you are into cars or not, and Maserati has always made beautiful cars.