Built between 1989 and 1996, the V8-powered Shamal supercar was the ultimate expression of Maserati’s long-running Biturbo family.

Maserati’s mainstream model throughout the 1980s, and the first series-production road car to employ a twin turbo-charged engine, the Biturbo saloon debuted in 1982.

Designed by the Maserati Design Centre in collaboration with ex-Bertone stylist Marcello Gandini, a man with an enviable selection of the world’s most desirable cars to his credit, the Shamal was powered by a compact 3,217cc 32-valve V8 engine producing 325bhp, good enough for a top speed within a whisker of 170mph.

To fully utilise all this power within a relatively small, front-wheel drive package, Maserati turned to class-leading technology in the form of electronically controlled, driver-adjustable active suspension, developed in conjunction with Koni.

Allied to this was an ingenious Ranger differential, which Maserati claimed offered traction comparable to that of four-wheel drive syst...