1972 Maserati Boomerang Concept

Credit or blame it, this car inspired years of “folded paper” design

by Donald Osborne

The Maserati Boomerang was first displayed as a non-functional model at the Turin Motor Show in 1971. By the Geneva Salon of March 1972, it had been transformed into a fully operational vehicle, fitted with the race-bred, 4.7-liter Maserati V8, developing no less than 310 hp. It was claimed to be good for an indicated top speed of 186 mph. One journalist observed that it looked as though it was already doing 100 while standing still. Until 1974 it was successively shown at the Paris, London and Barcelona motor shows, and was unanimously praised for its audacity. It is often considered that this, the fourth sports car concept introduced by the young Italdesign firm after its inception, proved to be the most influential. Its unforgettable wedge-shaped body was the inspiration for some small series Maseratis and the Lotus Esprit, as well as the Volkswagen Golf. Unlike now, it was not uncommon at the time for manufacturers and coachbuilders to sell their...