1972 Maserati Boomerang Concept

The 1972 Maserati Boomerang concept car (Wikipedia entry here) was one of several wedge-shaped designs that appeared in those days.  Styling was by Giurgetto Giugiaro, and the car was built by his Italdesign firm.

The Boomerang -- I have no idea why that name was selected, because it doesn't look like a boomerang -- was more practical than some of the other concept cars with wedge shaped front ends.  That's because it was 42 inches (1070 mm) high, compared for instance to the 1970 Ferrari Modulo whose height was 36.8 inches (935 mm).

The Boomerang still exists, and was auctioned for $3.7 million in 2015 by Bonhams, the source of the Boomerang images below.

Gallery

The Boomerang's design seems fussy in this side view, though Giugiaro's use of repeated angles helps maintain its angular theme.  That lower side window is problematic, though the upper one seems too narrow and, especially, highly placed to afford the driver adequate vision.  Lowering the beltline a trifle and eliminating the lower window might have fixed that problem and cleaned up the design as well.

The 1970 Porsche Tapiro concept by Giugiaro that pioneered features of the Boomerang.  It's a more attractive design.

Overhead side view revealing the amount of glass surrounding the passenger compartment.

The shape of the lower windows emphasizes the reverse angular tension created by the engine air intakes behind the doors -- a nice touch that adds clutter yet reduces potential blandness.

Like the Porsche 914 based Tapiro, the Boomerang is a mid-engine car.  It's hard to tell if that dark painted area on the sail panel is helpful or simply visual clutter.

Angularity is found on this frontal view as well as from side views.

The rear is nicely composed.