Longchamp | Classic Italian Cars For Sale

Looking back at Maserati's history, it's rather remarkable that the cars with the Trident badge are still with us to this day. After a divorce from parent company Citroën in the mid 1970s, Alejandro DeTomaso came in to save the day and controlled the company into the 1990s. It was during this time that DeTomaso introduced the Longchamp, a GT coupe powered by Ford's Cleveland V8. Maserati was given their own version of this coupe, with its name coming from the famed South African racetrack. Instead of an American engine under the hood, however, you will find either a 4.2 liter or, in the case of our feature car, a 4.9 liter V8 from Maserati's own parts bin.

The Kyalami was a sharp looking car, and quite rare, with under 200 built from 1976 through 1983. As a result, this is a relatively obscure car to even the most hardcore automotive enthusiasts, which is a shame, given how capable this coupe was. For sale in Vienna, this restored Kyalami looks sharp in metallic red and offers a glimpse into the days when Maserati was on the edge of extinction.

1980 Maserati Kyalami

Perfectly restored collector's vehicle, extremely rare, recent service.

In comparison to its sibling, the Longchamp, the Kyalami usually brings just a bit more in terms of value. This is mainly a result of its Italian engine under the hood. A good example like this should run anywhere from $35,000 to $50,000. With a manual transmission and a good quality restoration such as this, I'd suspect this car is worth somewhere around $45,000.

-Paul

Known best for the Pantera sports car with Ford's 351 Cleveland V8 mounted amidship, De Tomaso was also in the business of producing luxury cars in the 1970s and 1980s. Relegated to automotive obscurity these days, the Longchamp was a personal luxury coupe based off the Deauville, a sedan which carried the appearance of a squared off Jaguar XJ sedan. The Longchamp featured the same Ford 351 Cleveland motor as the Pantera and most of the 409 examples built had a Ford 3 speed automatic transmission. De Tomaso happened to own Maserati during most of the Longchamp's production run, and the Maserati Kyalami, built from 1977 through 1983, was based on this coupe. Named after the South African Grand Prix track, the Kyalami eschewed Ford's 351 Cleveland in favor of the 4.2 liter or 4.9 liter Maserati quad cam V8 engines. This example for sale has had the same owner for 15 years and looks sharp in red over tan leather.

1976 DeTomaso Longchamp

1976 De Tomaso Longchamp Red with tan interior 81,000 kilometers, or about 50,000 miles. The engine is a Ford 351 Cleveland engine that produces 330 horse power fitted with an automatic transmission. The Top speed is 149 miles per hour. Suspension is independent front and rear with coil spring and wishbone suspension. Steering is power assisted rack and pinion with vented disc brakes all around, the rear discs being positioned inboard. The interior of the car is quite luxurious and is almost fully covered with leather and this car has the original Nardi wood steering wheel.

Handsome exterior designed by Tom Tjaarda of Ghia. Only 409 examples of this car were made making this car very rare. This example has had the same owner for 15 years, he carefully cared for it doing such things as rebuilding the power steering rack and having the wheels redone. Except for some minor cosmetic flaws, the car is in very nice condition. The great thing about these cars is that you can own what is truly an exotic and rare grand touring car but because they used an American engine in the car, you don't have to worry about expensive service or engine rebuilt costs. These cars are a great value, especially at $32,500.

The first time I laid eyes on a Longchamp, it struck me as a scaled up version of a Mercedes-Benz R107 SL with the European market headlights. Coincidentally, these cars had similar production runs; both cars were produced from 1972 through 1989. While I wouldn't file this car under cheap thrills, $32,500 is a lot less coin than one would pay for a similar vintage Ferrari or Lamborghini. With its Ford engine, drivetrain maintenance would clearly be more reasonable than those aforementioned Italian exotics.

-Paul