When it comes to choosing a car with your heart more than your head, Maserati has to be one of the most evocative and charming names of the lot.
Steeped in romance and motorsport history, the Italian brand is one of the thoroughbreds -temperamental at times, but always deeply alluring. Even the names are cool – even if Quattroporte translates literally to ‘four doors’, it’s a very beguiling way of saying it.
The current and sixth-generation of he Quattroporte was introduced in early 2013, designed at a special Maserati-only department within the Fiat Group Centro Stile design centre, under the guidance of ex-Pininfarina designer Lorenzo Ramaciotti. It’s bigger than its predecessors to set it apart from the smaller Ghibli, and is powered by a choice of twin-turbocharged V6 and V8 petrol engines, as well as a turbodiesel V6.
This one is the entry-level V6 petrol, but there’s nothing basic about it. It’s still a car dripping with both charm and character, ad loaded to the gunwales with standard equipment. It is presented in gorgeous overall condition, having covered well under 15,000 miles from new.
THE HISTORY AND PAPERWORK
Three owners
Genuine low mileage
Full Maserati book pack supplied in soft Italian leather folder
Registered new to Dick Lovett Prestige Cars in Swindon, Wilts
Three stamps in service book
UK V5C
Will be supplied with new MOT
Original brochure/price list
THE INTERIOR
Rich Chocolate Brown hand-stitched leather
Alcantara headlining
Full multimedia touch screen system
Immaculate throughout
The cabin of the Quattroporte is a spectacle in itself, with styling as much on a feature of the inside as it is of the outside.
It’s the seats that do it – hand-trimmed in Chocolate Brown leather with raised stitching, they’re as fantastic to sit in as they are to look at.
The same colour scheme appears on the door cards and carpets, while the paler headlining is trimmed in opulent Alcantara.
All of the primary controls are intuitive, while the sat nav, infotainment, heating and car setting are controlled by a modern, sophisticated touchscreen that dominates the centre of the dash, beneath Maserati’s traditionally delicate and intricate shield-shaped clock, which has been a focus of all of its interiors since the 1950s.
THE EXTERIOR
Gorgeous Champagne Metallic
20-inch brushed chrome effect alloys
No dents or damage
Stunning styling
If one thing is really going to draw you into the Quattoporte, then it’s the car’s incredible styling. It was developed by a bespoke team in Turin alongside the Ghibli and shares a lot of the same architecture, but is longer, sleeker and more luxurious.
Traditional Maserati styling elements dominate – the triple air vents on each wing, the bold oval grille and the swooping flanks all evoking the company’s iconic sports cars of the Fifties and Sixties.
The car sits on beefy 20-inch alloys, which are in good order but have some minor deterioration.
Overall, the Champagne Metallic paintwork is in superb condition, with no notable marks or damage other than a handful of barely noticeable stone chips to the front end. It’s a gorgeous car, in remarkably lovely condition.
THE MECHANICS
3.0-litre twin turbo V6
330bhp
0-60mph in 5.0 secs, 177mph top speed
Drives flawlessly
Under the bonnet you’ll find a 3.0-litre twin turbo V6 known as the F160 and developed alongside Ferrari- few other cars can claim such provenance.
The 330bhp unit appears to be in rude health, running faultlessly and delivering its power with minimal effort. The performance is astounding and the soundtrack intoxicating, but you wouldn’t expect anything less from a Ferrari-developed unit, would you?
SUMMARY
If you want a striking, comfortable and sumptuously equipped luxury car but also want to be a little divergent from the norm, then the Quattroporte is the perfect left field executive choice.
It’s a car that’s as luxurious, well-equipped and prestigious as a BMW 7-Series or Mercedes-Benz S-Class, but which also oozes soul and character from every pore.
This one is made all the more charming by virtue of its stunning interior and appealing colour scheme, as well as its tiny mileage. It’s a very special car.
Notice to bidders
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