In the first year under Alejandro De Tomaso’s leadership Maserati unveiled a new model called the Kyalami which shared its basic layout and elements with the De Tomaso Longchamp coupé. Powered by Maserati’s reliable 4.2 V8, the Kyalami was seen as a transition model while the new management formulated their future plans. Even so, it proved worthy of the Trident badge.

Unveiled at the 1976 Geneva motor show, it revived a notchback four-seater coupé philosophy which had been discontinued with the last Mexico four years earlier, and fittingly took its name from the South-African race track where Pedro Rodriguez won the 1967 F1 Grand Prix driving a Cooper-Maserati T81. The Kyalami was Pietro Frua’s last creation for Maserati, crowning a successful collaboration initiated 25 years earlier.

The 4.2 liter V8 produced 265 hp (later reduced to 253 hp with a new exhaust) powering the Kyalami to a top speed of 235 kph (146 mph). The sub-frame mounted independent rear suspension descended from the Khamsin, with disc brakes installed.