Karif

Maserati · on record 1994 to 2025

The Maserati Karif was a short wheelbase 2 seat coupe from the Biturbo family, using twin turbo V6 power in a compact and unusually muscular package. Built in small numbers, it was more specialised than the regular Biturbo coupes and saloons. Its rarity and unusual proportions make surviving cars particularly interesting to enthusiasts of the marque's 1980s period, although it remains little known outside specialist circles.

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED

Red List classification, from population, five year trajectory and survival against peak. Reviewed each census.

3 licensed vehicles
2025 census

18.8% of the peak fleet remains licensed

declared SORN

total surviving

peak 16 in 1998 · −1 vehicles a year, five year trend

Population history

Licensed and SORN vehicles at each census. The filters below apply to the family population, MOT and registration figures. They do not alter the generation history above.

Licensed SORN Latest census observation SOURCE DVLA VEH0120 / VEH0220

At the average decline recorded over the latest five years, the licensed fleet would reach zero around 2029.

Illustrative projection only; vehicle populations rarely decline linearly. Late fleets typically flatten as surviving examples enter preservation.

Inside the surviving fleet

AutoCensus parses every DVLA variant description, so the fleet can be read by fuel and specification rather than as one number.

First registrations by year

When surviving examples first joined the British fleet.

New registrations

Vehicles first registered each year. A fleet still being sold shows here; a finished one shows only imports.

MOT reliability

DVSA test results for this family, 2005 to 2025.

Pass rate by year

Failure reason	Failures	Share of all tests
An obligatory lamp inoperative or less than 50% of the light sources illuminating	15	7.2%
A major leak of exhaust gases from any part of the system	12	5.7%
A statutory seat belt missing	8	3.8%
Significant braking effort recorded on a road wheel, even though the brake is not applied, indicating that a brake is binding	8	3.8%
A stop lamp inoperative or less than 50% of the light sources illuminating	7	3.3%
A mandatory rear fog lamp inoperative or less than 50% of the light sources illuminating	7	3.3%
A direction indicator inoperative or less than 50% of the light sources illuminating	7	3.3%
The exhaust gas contains a carbon monoxide content exceeding the limit for a continuous period of 5 seconds	7	3.3%

Counted across every recorded test, 2005 to 2025. Advisories are excluded.

Where the Karif remains

Based on MOT test locations, 2025. Test location is a proxy: a vehicle is counted where it was last tested, not where it is kept.

Postcode area	Vehicles tested	Pass rate
LA	1	100%
OX	1	100%
EH	1	100%

How this record was calculated

LATEST CENSUS2025

POPULATION SOURCEDVLA VEH0220 annual

HISTORY SOURCEDVLA VEH0120 GB · to 2013

MOT SOURCEDVSA results · to 2025

FAMILY DEFINITIONMASERATI KARIF

PROCESSED20 Sep 2026

Full methodology

Population history combines DVLA VEH0120 Q4 census observations through 2013 with the annual VEH0220 census from 2014 onward. Figures before 2014 cover Great Britain only. Historical VEH0120 is used only when its overlapping UK observations reconcile to the current canonical family definition. Vehicles are grouped into this family using the DVLA GenModel together with durable routing rules for known inconsistencies.

Variant figures are parsed from raw DVLA model descriptions and the original string is always retained. Configuration is only assigned where the model description explicitly identifies it; a blank configuration is not treated as a two door Wrangler. Blank transmission fields are shown as manual because DVLA records the field for automatic vehicles.

MOT figures count tests, not vehicles, and geographic figures count each vehicle at its most recent test location. The decline projection is a straight line fitted to the latest five years and is illustrative only.