The Maserati Shamal, eh? Chances are that many car enthusiasts won’t recall this rare, unusual coupe from some of the darker times of Maserati’s long and glorious history. But its shape is still striking—angular, squat, undeniably muscular—and so it’s an inspired choice for, perhaps, a reboot. Meet Project Rekall, just a design sketch for now but maybe—just maybe—a reality for someone.
We say someone because as Maserati Fuoriserie’s Instagram post implies, the company’s hoping someone will commission them to build this thing. Fuoriserie is the company’s customization outfit, and as we’ve seen recently with a spate of high-dollar one-offs from other high-end automakers, all it takes to make Project Rekall into Project Reality is doing a deal with Maserati Fuoriserie.
A Maserati representative confirmed as such to MotorTrend, telling us: “All the [Maserati Fuoriserie] ‘projects’ and ideals featured [on this Instagram account] are design concepts that customers can bring to their Maserati through customization.” There you have it.
The vibe is a bit Cyberpunk 2077, but it’s also a shinier vision of a past-inspired future than in that game (or other classic cyberpunk properties). In some ways, the Rekall is even more retro than the original Shamal—check out the louver-effect applied to the head- and taillights, shining through the sort of foggy atmosphere you’d find on the finest 1980s bedroom car posters.
The digital dashboard is another play at 1980s nostalgia, as are the deeply bolstered and highly angular bucket seats. The seats look like something Giorgetto Giugiaro might have designed for a spaceship set in the Ridley Scott Alien franchise—Recaros from the future.
If the recent spate of retro homages has taught us anything, it’s that designers are really figuring out how to revive classic designs in artful—and not campy—ways. Maybe this reincarnated Shamal will see fruition, joining cars with similar briefs like the Aston Martin Victor. We hope so. If you want to make Project Rekall happen, drop Maserati a line—and check your bank accounts.
