The Maya was a wedge-shaped, two-seat, mid-engined targa coupe designed by Ital Design as a realistic prototype intended for limited production of roughly 40 to 50 units per day, aimed primarily at the American market. It was conceived with production feasibility in mind, using industrial methods considered practical for a small-scale run. Ital Design stated that the project could have been brought into series production within 24 to 36 months without styling or design changes. The car originated in connection with plans for a sports coupe from Ford SVO (Special Vehicle Operations), and Giugiaro reportedly hoped a later version, the Maya II, might also be taken up by the automaker.
The body displayed an aggressive stance, with the rear track 6 cm wider than the front, giving the car a pronounced widening toward the rear. It featured a deformable soft-nose bumper made of polyurethane-filled plastic, extending along the flanks, in line with American safety requirements of the period. Hidden headlights under flaps and a steeply raked windshield contributed to a claimed drag coefficient of 0.28. The steel roof panel, painted to match the body, could be stored in the luggage compartment behind the mid-engine, converting the Maya into a targa convertible; the rear cover, hinged at the roof, opened upward together with the fastback side sections. Three transparent louvers between these rear sections, influenced by experience gained on the BMW M1, managed hot air extraction from the engine bay, while a hidden air intake was integrated into the rear side window. The body structure combined bent and pressed steel sheet for torsional rigidity and was assembled separately from the underbody for production reasons.
The transversely mounted mid-engine was an experimental Ford USA V6 of 2979 cc with a 60-degree bank angle and four valves per cylinder, producing 250 PS at 6400 rpm. A five-speed gearbox with a direct top gear rather than an overdrive allowed a top speed of 250 km/h, with 0-100 km/h achievable in 7.5 seconds. Rear suspension used five tubular struts mounted on a ball joint for individual tuning, complemented by dual spring units with coaxial dampers allowing adjustable spring rates. All four wheels had large ventilated disc brakes and Michelin TRX tyres, with engine cooling handled by an aluminium radiator with side tanks, three fans, and an oil cooler; the twin fuel tanks held 80 litres combined. With the spare wheel housed in the engine bay, front luggage volume reached 120 dm³, supplemented by storage behind the seats and in the rear compartment. The dashboard placed all controls within a fixed, non-rotating steering wheel hub, with digital speedometer and tachometer displayed as stacked bands. The car measured 421 cm in length, 183 cm in width and 114 cm in height, with a 241 cm wheelbase and track widths of 152 cm front and 158 cm rear.
