{"id":49495,"date":"2017-11-29T16:40:34","date_gmt":"2017-11-29T16:40:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.influx.co.uk\/?p=49495"},"modified":"2022-06-15T13:07:56","modified_gmt":"2022-06-15T12:07:56","slug":"good-karif","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adrianflux.co.uk\/influx\/cars\/good-karif\/","title":{"rendered":"Good Karif, is this car now the desirable brute it always wanted to be?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’m a child of the ’80s. The early ’80s.<\/strong><\/p>\n

And that puts me in an awkward position. As I was growing up and developing a taste for cars – identifying badges and body shapes from my bedroom window whilst watching the era’s square-shouldered cars belch out 4-star fumes as they passed – I was forming opinions on which cars I thought were good, and which were not.<\/p>\n

That means I was introduced to Maserati in the early ’90s. I remember my dad cooing over something white that, to me, looked like a Cortina with dubious panel gaps and a garish trident ruining the grille.<\/p>\n

\"Maserati<\/a><\/figure>\n

I don’t know whether the first one I saw was a Ghibli (AM336, launched ’92, not the original), or a Biturbo, or maybe a very rare Karif like the one here. I don’t remember because I didn’t particularly like it and bother to commit it to memory. I’d made curvier cars out of five bits of Lego.<\/p>\n

It wasn’t until I learned more about F1 history and Maserati’s involvement (and trailblazing) in the early days of Grand Prix racing, further bolstered by the boomerang-tailed 3200 which appeared in ’98 that it clicked – Maserati was a cut above normal cars. And was supposed to be desirable and otherworldly.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/figure>\n

Looking back now, the design of that Cortinesque triple-box had appeared outdated in an era when even the Micra was getting curvy, and sales were so poor in the UK I can’t help but think others must have agreed. What was this great brand doing?<\/p>\n

Now, though, as middle-aged people are in a position to finally buy the cars they yearned for as a child and desperately reach back to rose-tint-enhanced days gone by, we see sharp-edged cars of the ’80s being cool. A Mark 3 Escort is now, amazingly, a cool design. We recently featured an MG Maestro<\/a>, and even more recently the Renault 5<\/a>. These cars are now desirable.<\/p>\n

Which brings us to the Karif that Coys had in their showroom recently.<\/p>\n

Am I right in thinking this car is now incredibly cool? Is it actually a really desirable vehicle to own?<\/p>\n

A rare Italian car that isn’t in bits is kudos aplenty from the start; and the Maserati brand is now very strong and holds its head high in the hierarchy of car marques, for sure. This car affords those benefits plus a little bit of the “I knew about Maserati before it was cool” bragability. Add that to the fact that these square-edged designs are now so rare due to the rise of aerodynamics and pedestrian safety, means you’ll get the finger-pointing from young kids that, secretly, sports car owners actually love.<\/p>\n

\"Karif<\/a><\/figure>\n

Throw in the fact that this 285 bhp Karif can (or could) hit 60mph cleanly in under 5 seconds whilst cosseting you in a cosy interior means you’re actually looking at a car that’s ticking all the key boxes.<\/p>\n

Maybe now, finally, after almost 30 years of waiting its turn, this Maserati Karif is suddenly the desirable car it was always intended to be.<\/strong><\/p>\n