1985 Ford Maya II by ItalDesign: The Reworked Mid-Engine Study

ItalDesign carried the Maya program into 1985 on its own after Ford’s Special Vehicle Operations withdrew for cost reasons. Giorgetto Giugiaro and technical partner Aldo Mantovani kept development active, ultimately accounting for about 35,000 labor hours before Ford re-engaged. After seeing ItalDesign’s Etna and original Maya prototypes, Ford USA returned to the table and requested an updated design and a version with a longitudinally mounted mid-engine.

Two derivatives emerged that spring/summer: the Maya II ES, a full mock-up, and the Maya II EM, a running prototype. The ES retained the principal Maya surfacing but appeared slightly more refined and less aggressive; its tail was more sharply contoured, and it was finished in Ferrari red for a clinic test with a selected audience. The car’s fundamental layout stayed as a high-performance targa-coupé with two doors and two seats.

The EM kept the original rear architecture but adopted a newly revised nose. Instead of a second side window, the bodywork featured three curved air inlets. The roof ribs flanking the engine bay were shortened, which created a flatter rear deck. The engine cover no longer hinged at the very back. Overall, the EM looked lighter and more modern and, despite its red paint, it resembled Maranello’s output less than before. Dimensionally, the EM measured a 251.5-cm wheelbase with 152.5-cm tracks and 425/187.5/116 cm for length/width/height, while the ES differed slightly at a 250-cm wheelbase and 427/187.5/118 cm for its external measurements.

Power again came from Ford USA’s 60-degree 3.0-liter V6, now installed longitudinally and boosted by twin turbochargers to roughly 300 PS at 6,400 rpm. ItalDesign completed the Maya II at the end of July 1985 and, after a brief phase of final coordination, shipped the car to Ford in Dearborn. In parallel, Ford developed the Cobra 230 ME concept, which debuted at the Chicago Auto Show in February 1986. Neither study progressed to series production.