Deauville 1972–1984
The Deauville was designed to deliver high-performance luxury transportation for four. Tom Tjaarda developed a flowing-yet-muscular design, handsome from any angle, and retaining the inverted trapezoidal grill concept first seen on the Mangusta. The chassis, a full monocoque unit, employed fully independent suspension, the rear system featuring inboard disc brakes and dual coil-over shock absorber units patterned after the Jaguar design. Twin fuel tanks each with an electric fuel pump were fitted, with a dash-mounted switch and gauge so the driver could select which tank was being employed. The first Deauvilles were built in 1971 and the last one in 1985.
For power the Deauville relied on the same 5.7 liter (351 cu. in.) Ford Cleveland V-8 as employed by the Pantera but with the smaller 2V heads, rated at 300 horsepower (DIN) and mounted in front for this application. Starting in the early 80’s the Australia 351C engine was used. Backing the engine was a Ford 3-speed C-6 automatic transmission; no manual transmission was offered. The front suspension and brakes are from the later Panteras as were most of the gauges and switches. The sedan is 190 inches long, riding on a 108 inch wheelbase, and weighs approximately 4200 pounds.
The Deauville is noted not only for its on-road performance, but its interior comfort. The comfortable yet supportive seats could be had in a variety of leather and leather/cloth combinations (the leather options becoming available in 1978), and the dash and door panels were wood trimmed. Full instrumentation, factory air conditioning, power window lifts, power steering and power seats available starting in 1978. The center console extended into the rear of the passenger compartment, providing heat and air to the rear occupants.
Approximately 244 were constructed, making it the third-rarest production DeTomaso (next to the Vallelunga and Guara) and the only 4-door sedan built by the company; it was never officially imported into the United States market with about 20 imported by owners. In 1978 some minor changes were made including moving the engine a couple inches aft and the option for the leather/wood interior, referred to as the Series II cars. There were about 161 Series I cars and 83 Series II cars built. An interesting one-off design study was built in 1984, converting a standard sedan into a handsome estate wagon. The coachwork was hand-crafted by EMBO in 1984, though the model did not make production. This unique Deauville was owned by DeTomaso Modena. About 30 RHD cars were built. It is unknown why there is a jump in the serial numbers for the Series I cars, it occurred around the time DeTomaso purchased Maserati, it is possible the production was moved to a different location. There appears to be no differences in the cars.
DeTomaso bought the Maserati company in 1976 and to quickly bring a new model to market used the Deauville with some new sheet metal, grill, engine/transmission and bumpers calling it the Quattroporte III. It used the same suspension, brakes, steering and differential as the Deauville. 2,145 cars were sold from 1979 to 1990 with a manual transmission available.