Maserati returns to seriousness with the 2005 Quattroporte sedan.
It's a kick in the pants from the boot of Italy.

Los Angeles Times
By Dan Neil
Times Staff Writer
February 11, 2004

FLORENCE, ITALY — Tourists who come to the capital of the Italian Renaissance can become so overwhelmed by beauty that they are thrown into a hysterical state known as Stendhal's syndrome, named after the French novelist who, in 1817, was so unmanned by Giotto's ceiling frescoes in Santa Croce he could barely walk home.

But maybe I shouldn't talk. When I first saw the 2005 Maserati Quattroporte sedan in Tokyo a few months ago, I just about keeled over. This, ladies and gentlemen, is one sensational-looking motorcar, 16.7 feet of automotive aristocracy whose sinuous lines start at the front bumper and continue right up the back of your neck.

Warm, rich, quietly grand, the car — designed by blue-chip Italian coach builder Pininfarina — has this wonderful sense of inevitability about it. Although it won't arrive in the United States until September, the Quattroporte ("four doors," if you haven't already parsed it) seems as if it's been around forever, an instant classic.

You've got to love Italian sculpture that can go 170 mph...

The design brief called for a prestige sedan — you may say "executive saloon" if you clench your teeth in that just-so Old Greenwich way — more than 5 meters in length, which provides plenty of room to be graceful.

.. Cars with the Quattroporte name were produced at the red-brick factory on Viale Ciro Menotti in Modena from 1963 to 2001, the best of them being the Quattroporte I, Series 2, designed by Pietro Frua. The original Quattroporte took advantage of two facts: first, that the modern Italian autostrada system was becoming functional, creating a market for high-performance saloon cars; second, that Maserati had a superb four-cam, all-alloy V-8 engine it could easily adapt to the purpose, as it had for the 5000 GT coupe.

What is it about the new Quattroporte? First, the tone-perfect grille, stately, sincere and ineffably Old Europe, with horizontal chrome strakes embellished with the Maserati trident. Second, the harmonious proportions, with a ratio of length to wheelbase of 1.64:1, very close to the Pythagorean "golden section." Third, the gently rising shoulder line, a sine wave of increasing amplitude playing out front to back that gives the silhouette a propulsive energy. Fourth, its sports-car width, more than 75 inches, which accounts for the car's terrific, predatory stance, the big wheels clutched by flared fenders.

If gazelles being chased by lions had rear view mirrors, the view would be much the same.

The width also contributes to the car's staggering lateral grip. Maserati says the Quattroporte generates 1.12 g on the skid pad — that is, on a circular pad of asphalt, the car can orbit with more sideways force than the force of gravity (32 feet per second squared). If this number holds up, it could be a record for a sedan...

I drove the car pretty aggressively in the hills from Volterra to San Gimignano (this is known in the trade as creative understatement), and the car was superb. The chassis felt like granite, the steering was knife-thrower precise, and the big Brembo brakes shed velocity like a cargo chute. I found the Quad surprisingly agile for a big car, superbly balanced, with plenty of front-tire grip in the turns, which yields to predictable and progressive understeer. With the system on "sport," it's a breeze to kick out the car's rear end with the 400 horses and throttle-steer it sideways.

It's your basic four-door Ferrari.(In case you didn't know, Ferrari acquired Maserati in the late 1990s.)

Inside, the cabin is lovely, a spacious, sober and sophisticated design, loaded with conveniences and amenities...

The base price of the car will be about $90,000, which is a tremendous deal, in my estimation. But I would plan on spending an additional 10% or so to equip and livery the car just like you want it. Maserati is very keen that people think of the Quattroporte as a bespoke car.

This will be a low-volume vehicle — which means that for all you Hollywood animals tired of being parked nose-to-tail in a succession of BMW 7-Series, your breakout car is at hand. Maserati will deliver only 1,200 to 1,500 a year to the States. Order early and often.

The Quattroporte is reason to celebrate another Italian's renaissance.

Times automotive critic Dan Neil can be reached at dan.neil@latimes.com.
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Velocità dell'arte
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/highway1/
la-hy-maserati11feb11,1,7873834.story?coll=la-news-highway_1

2005 Maserati Quattroporte
Wheelbase: 121.5 inches
Length: 16.7 feet
Curb weight: 4,246 pounds
Powertrain: 4.2-liter, 32-valve V-8, six-speed transaxle, electrohydraulic shifter, rear-wheel drive
Horsepower: 400 at 7,000 rpm
Torque: 332 pound-feet at 4,500 rpm
Top speed: 170 mph
Acceleration: Zero to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds
Fuel economy: Not yet rated. About 14 miles per gallon city, 18 mpg highway
Base price: About $90,000
Final thoughts: My Gear in Tuscany
Source: Maserati