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2001 Maserati 320S (ItalDesign)

Maserati 320S (ItalDesign), 2001
Maserati 320S (ItalDesign), 2001
Maserati 320S (ItalDesign), 2001
Maserati 320S (ItalDesign), 2001
Maserati 320S (ItalDesign), 2001
Maserati 320S (ItalDesign), 2001
Maserati 320S (ItalDesign), 2001
Maserati 320S (ItalDesign), 2001
Images: ItalDesign
Rating:  28    -13    +41
The Maserati concept-car project known as the 320S was developed with the technical collaboration of Sparco and the styling by Italdesign Giugiaro and embodies various themes that will feature heavily in the future of the Marque.

One of the most important of these regards the development of racing cars for single-marque customer races, with respect to which the 320S aims to propose new ideas for the future, while being inspired by the tradition of the Maserati racing cars of the past.

The 320S also heralds Maserati's return to the United States, a market where the Marque will soon be present, and where it enjoyed a great racing past, a fact underlined by the car's light blue and white livery, in the tradition of the Maseratis that raced and won in the U.S.A. in the past.

And finally, the 320S, although it is still in the concept stage, offers a preview of the future Maserati Spider, with its open body and wheelbase that is shorter than that of the 3200 GT Coupé.

From a stylistic viewpoint, the 320S, which is the result of meticulous development by Fabrizio Giugiaro at Italdesign Giugiaro, stands out in particular for the design of the upper part of the body, which has a 'barchetta' type solution, with a small winscreen limited to the area in front of the driver, and a visible roll-over bar with aerodynamic fairing in the rear.

The passenger side is closed and faired, without a seat. These styling features, plus the single central rearview mirror, echo the best Maserati sports cars of the past, models like the 200, the 300S, the 450S and in particular the Tipo 60/61 'Birdcage'.

We have already mentioned that the wheelbase is shorter than that of the Coupé (by about 220 mm), measuring 2440 mm, and this too will be a distinctive feature of the styling of the future Maserati Spider. Other characteristic elements of the bodywork are, in the lower part, some modifications to the aerodynamic profiles, particularly on a level with the wing on the rear bumper, which is lower down and fitted with a supplementary nolder to increase the vertical load to the rear.

Where the engineering is concerned, this is borrowed from the 3200 GT Coupé (90° V8 turbo engine, with a capacity of 3.2-litres and a power output of 370 bhp at 6,250 rpm), combined with a manual mechanical gearbox, offering 6 speeds and reverse.

In view of the car's intended use on the racing circuit, significant changes were made to the braking system (with the adoption of racing brakes, 355x32 mm discs at the front, and 310x28 mm discs at the rear), to the suspension (special, stiffer springs, ground-hugging trim and adjustable racing dampers), and to the wheels, which are mounted at the limits of the wheel housings (9.5x18 at the front and 10.5x18 at the rear), with Michelin slick tyres.

The safety features were developed by Sparco and include an arc roll-over bar (with door diagonals and protection of the steering wheel area), rapid petrol filler cap on both sides, an automatic fire extinguisher system that meets FIA 2001 specifications and a battery cut-out switch, plus the racing seat made of composite materials and the 6-point seat harness. The cab interior designed with racing in mind, and is therefore extremely essential: all the panelling of the production coupé was removed as well as the climate control system and all the controls and components that are not necessary on the race track. The outfit is completed by digital instrumentation, Sparco racing steering wheel and pedals, starter button and racing switches.

The kerb weight, (excluding petrol) of the 320S is approximately 1,300 kg.

Maserati's partners in the 320S project are:

Italdesign Giugiaro: designed and built the Maserati Concept car 320S. The starting point of this one-off project was the 3200 GT Coupé which was designed by the same hand - Giorgetto Giugiaro - and launched in the second half of 1998.

Sparco: when fitting out the new 320S concept car, Maserati turned to Sparco, one of the world's leading companies specialising in technical and safety equipment - including seats, helmets, steering wheels, fire-proof racing suits and fire extinguisher systems - in the motor sports field, with lengthy experience in thje field of Formula 1, the World Rally Championship and the CART and NASCAR Championships in the USA. An Italian company, Sparco is based in Borgaro near Turin.

Michelin: for the past three years, Maserati's official tyre supplier has collaborated with the company's Master Gt driving courses for clients at the Variano de' Melegari track. The Concept-car 320S is fitted with Michelin racing slicks: 24/64 R18 front: 27/68 R18 rear.
Source: www.maserati-alfieri.co.uk
Coachbuilder: ItalDesign
1968 Alfa Romeo 33 Iguana (ItalDesign), 1968 Bizzarrini Manta (ItalDesign), 1969 Abarth 1600 (ItalDesign), 1970 Porsche Tapiro (ItalDesign), 1971 Alfa Romeo Caimano (ItalDesign), 1971 Volkswagen Karmann Cheetah (ItalDesign), 1972 Lotus Esprit (ItalDesign), 1972 Maserati Boomerang (ItalDesign), 1973 Audi Karmann Asso di Picche (ItalDesign), 1974 Hyundai Pony Coupe (ItalDesign), 1974 ItalDesign Medici 1, 1974 Maserati Coupe (ItalDesign), 1976 Alfa Romeo New York Taxi (ItalDesign), 1976 BMW Karmann Asso di Quadri (ItalDesign), 1976 ItalDesign Medici 2, 1977 BMW M1 (ItalDesign), 1978 ItalDesign M8, 1978 Lancia Megagamma (ItalDesign), 1979 Isuzu Asso di Fiori (ItalDesign), 1980 Fiat Panda 4x4 Offroader/Strip (ItalDesign), 1980 Lancia Medusa (ItalDesign), 1981 DeLorean DMC 12 (ItalDesign), 1982 ItalDesign Capsula, 1982 Lamborghini Marco Polo (ItalDesign), 1982 Lancia Orca (ItalDesign), 1983 Renault Gabbiano (ItalDesign), 1984 Ford Maya (ItalDesign), 1984 ItalDesign Marlin, 1984 ItalDesign Together, 1984 Lotus Etna (ItalDesign), 1984 Saab 9000 (ItalDesign), 1985 Ford Maya II EM (ItalDesign), 1985 Ford Maya II ES (ItalDesign), 1986 ItalDesign Machimoto, 1986 ItalDesign Orbit, 1986 Oldsmobile Incas (ItalDesign), 1988 ItalDesign Asgard, 1988 ItalDesign Aspid, 1988 ItalDesign Aztec, 1989 Seat Proto T (ItalDesign), 1989 Subaru SVX (ItalDesign), 1990 Bugatti ID 90 (ItalDesign), 1990 Jaguar Kensington (ItalDesign), 1990 Seat Proto C (ItalDesign), 1990 Seat Proto TL (ItalDesign), 1991 BMW Nazca C2 (ItalDesign), 1991 BMW Nazca M12 (ItalDesign), 1992 BMW Columbus (ItalDesign), 1992 Fiat Cinquecento (ItalDesign), 1992 ItalDesign Biga, 1993 BMW Nazca C2 Spider (ItalDesign), 1993 Bugatti EB 112 (ItalDesign), 1993 ItalDesign Lucciola, 1994 Fiat Firepoint (ItalDesign), 1994 Lexus Landau (ItalDesign), 1995 Daewoo Bucrane (ItalDesign), 1995 Lamborghini Cala (ItalDesign), 1996 ItalDesign Formula 4, 1996 ItalDesign Formula Hammer, 1996 ItalDesign Formula Legram, 1997 Alfa Romeo Scighera (ItalDesign), 1997 Alfa Romeo Scighera GT (ItalDesign), 1997 Volkswagen W12 Syncro (ItalDesign), 1998 Bugatti EB 118 (ItalDesign), 1998 ItalDesign Structura, 1998 Volkswagen W12 Roadster (ItalDesign), 1999 Bugatti EB 18/3 Chiron (ItalDesign), 1999 Bugatti EB 218 (ItalDesign), 2000 ItalDesign Touareg, 2000 Maserati Buran (ItalDesign), 2000 Seat Salsa (ItalDesign), 2001 Aston Martin 2020 (ItalDesign), 2001 Maserati 320S (ItalDesign), 2001 Volkswagen W12 Coupe Nardo (ItalDesign), 2002 Alfa Romeo Brera Concept (ItalDesign), 2002 Volkswagen Tarek Concept (ItalDesign), 2003 ItalDesign Moray, 2003 Maserati Kubang GT Wagon (ItalDesign), 2004 Alfa Romeo Visconti (ItalDesign), 2004 Toyota Alessandro Volta (ItalDesign), 2005 Alfa Romeo 159 (ItalDesign), 2005 Ferrari GG50 (ItalDesign), 2005 Mitsubishi Nessie (ItalDesign), 2006 Ford Mustang (ItalDesign), 2007 ItalDesign VAD.HO, 2008 ItalDesign Quaranta, 2008 SsangYong C200 (ItalDesign), 2009 ItalDesign Frazer-Nash Namir, 2010 Proton EMAS (ItalDesign), 2011 Volkswagen Gо! (ItalDesign), 2011 Volkswagen Tex (ItalDesign), 2011 Volkswagen Up! Azzurra Sailing Team (ItalDesign), 2012 ItalDesign Brivido, 2013 Audi Nanuk quattro (ItalDesign), 2013 ItalDesign Parcour, 2014 ItalDesign Clipper, 2015 ItalDesign GEA, 2016 ItalDesign GTZero, 2018 ItalDesign Zerouno Duerta, 2019 ItalDesign DaVinci, 2020 Nissan GT-R50 (ItalDesign), 2020 Voyah i-Land (ItalDesign), 2022 DeLorean Alpha5 (ItalDesign), 2022 Deus Vayanne (ItalDesign), 2023 ItalDesign Asso di Picche In Movimento, 2023 ItalDesign Climb-E, 2024 ItalDesign Quintessenza
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