Okay, say it. Roll the word around your tongue like you would with some vintage Chianti. Savour it. Quattroporte. Satisfyingly Italian, isn’t it? Like Sophia Loren or Gina Lollobrigida. Or even Pollo Arrosto, or Agli ‘o’ Lio Pepperonchino. There’s something about Italian names that makes the commonplace sound exotic. Remember the Ferrari Testarossa? Now imagine saying Ferrari Redhead. The magic just isn’t there. Which is why Maserati Fourdoor wouldn’t work. Four door, you see, is exactly what Quattroporte means.
This year, Mercedes, BMW, and Lexus have been given an Italian warning. And surprisingly enough, it’s from Maserati, who haven’t had a serious contender in the upper-crust luxury sedan segment for quite a while now. Not that this is the first Quattroporte of course. The first one came out way back in 1963, was powered by a handbuilt V8 and combined GT-style handling and performance, with sky-high levels elegance and luxury. Subsequent four door Masers weren’t as successful as the first Quattroporte and production of the last-generation Quattroporte was stopped in early 2001, but this fifth-generation car looks all set to change that.
The new Q has been designed by Pininfarina (Italdesign Giugiaro also bid for the job but didn’t get it) and looks impressive. Which is just as well, for Maserati spent in excess of US$ 250 million (not counting the money spent in revamping their Modena factory, where the Quattroporte will be built) in developing this car. About as long as a BMW 745i, the Quattroporte has undeniable presence. There are some references to retro Maserati design cues – that protruding oval grille, the bulging bonnet, the air-vents on the front flanks... But overall, it looks like the thoroughly contemporary luxury sedan it is. While the French have gone overboard with their eccentricity – witness the massively ugly and pointless Renault Vel Satis, and the Germans are going down the weird route, with all Bangle-BMWs, the Porsche Cayenne and the Mercedes SLR, Maserati have simply done the old-fashioned thing and made a beautiful-looking car. Beautiful and muscular, that is. Under the hood, there’s a 4244cc, 400-horsepower, all-aluminium, DOHC V8 which also powers the Maserati 4200 Spyder and Coupe. It’s rumoured that the Quattroporte can accelerate from 0 to 100 kph in less than 6 seconds and that could well be true.Transmission is high-tech.
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