Maserati Biturbo Shamal gets a £500,000 restomod thanks to Modena Automobili

You might not have heard of Modena Automobili, but the firm is looking to make a statement in the restomod game with its new Maserati Biturbo Shamal. It’s known in-house as ‘Project MA-01’ and production is limited to just 33 units, with a wide array of alterations over the original. 

The Shamal was unveiled in 1989, with production starting in the nineties. As a rival to the BMW 850i, the Maserati had a twin-turbocharged V8 (instead of the regular Biturbo’s V6) that developed 326bhp. Modena Automobili’s car utilises a twin-turbocharged V6 from the Ghibli S, which boasts 500bhp and 550Nm of torque, and power is sent through an eight-speed automatic transmission to the rear wheels. 

Despite the significant increase in power, the performance figures aren’t all that different. The Shamal restomod can reach 0 to 62mph in five seconds (just 0.3 quicker than the original) and top out at 180mph (the old car managed 168mph). 

Modena Automobili hasn’t just fitted a more powerful engine and called it a day, though. There’s also a revised suspension set up with new MacPherson front and trailing rear arms, larger brakes with drilled discs and Brembo calipers, plus redesigned wheels that mimic the original Shamal’s and are fitted with Pirelli PZero tyres. 

The Marcello Gandini-styled exterior of the nineties car has been tweaked too. Using a combination of steel and carbon fibre to keep the weight down (a kerbweight figure hasn’t been revealed), there are wider wheelarches, with the angular rears slightly rounded off.  The front end features a lowered grille flanked by new LED headlights, plus a new splitter and enlarged air intakes. The bonnet’s air scoops and vents have been redesigned to accommodate the new V6 powerplant. At the rear you’ll find larger exhaust tips, a squared-off spoiler and typically retro lights sitting alongside a black horizontal band. 

A keyword for Modena Automobili while developing the MA-01 was “comfort”, so the original’s grand touring capacity has been retained. While the overall interior layout is similar to the Shamal’s, there are new Recaro sport seats and a modern digital instrument cluster to spruce it up. 

Pricing for the MA-01 Biturbo Shamal starts from 585,000 Euros (excluding taxes), making it almost half a million pounds.