Maserati Quattroporte
Encyclopedia
The Maserati Quattroporte is a luxury four-door saloon made by Maserati
in Italy
. The name translated from Italian literally means "four doors". There have been five generations of the car, each separated by a period of roughly five years.
ordered a special Maserati 5000 WP, chassis no. 103,060, designed by Pietro Frua
. The following year, Maserati showed the first-generation Quattroporte of 1963, which bore a striking resemblance to the earlier drawing. While the design was by Frua, construction was carried out by Vignale
.
This, the 1963 'Tipo 107' Quattroporte, joined two other notable grand tourers, the Facel Vega
and the Lagonda Rapide
, which could comfortably do 200 km/h (124 mph) on the new motorways of Europe. However, the Quattroporte could be said to have been the first car specifically designed for this purpose.
It was equipped with a 4.1 L (4,136 cc/252 cuin) V8 engine
, producing 256 hp (SAE) (191 kW) at 5,600 rpm, and either a five-speed ZF manual transmission
or a three-speed automatic
. Maserati claimed a top speed of 230 km/h (143 mph).
Between 1963 and 1966, 230 examples were made.
In 1966, Maserati revised the Tipo 107, adding twin headlights (already on the US
model) and, from 1968, a 4.7 L, 295 hp (SAE) (220 kW) engine. Top speed increased to a claimed 255 km/h (158.4 mph). Around 500 of the second series were made, for a total of 776 Tipo 107 Quattroportes. Production stopped in 1969.
In 1971, Karim Aga Khan
ordered another special on the Maserati Indy
platform. Rory Brown was the chief engineer. It received the well known 4.9 litre V8 engine (Tipo 107/49), producing 300 PS. Carrozzeria Frua
clothed the car, the prototype of which was displayed in Paris 1971 and Geneva 1972. The car was production ready, even receiving its own chassis code (AM 121), but Citroën used their influence to have Maserati to develop the SM-based Quattroporte II instead. In the end only two were finished, chassis #004 was sold by Maserati to the Aga Khan in 1974 and the prototype #002 went to the King of Spain
, who bought his directly from Frua.
chassis, available since Citroën
had purchased the Italian company. It had sparse and slick Bertone bodywork, penned by Marcello Gandini
and fashionable at the time, and was the only Maserati Quattroporte to feature hydropneumatic suspension and front wheel drive. It also had the swivelling directional headlights à la SM/DS
. However, the 1973 oil crisis
intervened. This, combined with the collapse of the Citroën/Maserati relationship, made Maserati unable to gain EEC approval
for the car. Most of the cars built were thus sold in the Middle East and in Spain, where such type approval wasn't necessary.
Furthermore, the front-wheel drive layout and the modest V6 3.0L powerplant based on the Citroën SM engine didn't attract many customers. Its 210 PS at 5,500 rpm was barely enough to propel the 1600 kg (3,527.4 lb) car to 200 km/h (124 mph). Maserati's traditional customers simply wouldn't consider the car a true Maserati. Maserati made 13 Quattroporte IIs. While the prototype was built in 1974, the succeeding twelve cars were built to order between 1976 and 1978. The nearly stillborn Quattroporte II project was very costly for the small company, which found itself in debt to the tune of four billion lire by the end of 1978.
and his design staff in 1977. This was a rear wheel drive car, powered by a large V8 engine. It was important to de Tomaso that there be an Italian vehicle to compete with the recently launched Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9
. The Quattroporte III marked the last of the hand-built Italian cars. All exterior joints and seams were filled to give a seamless appearance.
In 1976, Giorgetto Giugiaro
presented two ItalDesign show cars on Maserati platforms, called the Medici I and Medici II. The latter in particular featured hallmarks which would make it into the production of the third-generation Quattroporte. At the 1977 Turin Motor Show, Maserati announced the Quattroporte III (Tipo AM 330), which took much from the Medici show cars, based on Maserati's Kyalami
coupé, which in turn was based on the De Tomaso Longchamp
. Special styling emphasis was placed on linearity, which was also useful to reduce tooling cost.
The Quattroporte III went into production in 1979, equipped with a 4,136 cc V8 engine (confusingly referred to as "4200" by Maserati) producing 255 hp (188 kW), later 238 hp (SAE) (177 kW). Also available was a 4.9 litre V8 (280 hp @ 5800 rpm). One distinguishing characteristic of the vehicle was its particularly lavish interior. The automatics initially used a three-speed Borg–Warner automatic transmission
, soon replaced by a Chrysler Torqueflite
gearbox. Manual gearboxes were ZF
-built 5-speeds. The smaller engine was phased out in 1985.
In 1986, the Maserati Royale, a handbuilt to order ultra-luxury version of the Quattroporte III, appeared. The engine was upgraded to 295 hp (SAE) (220 kW).
In all, 2,155 Quattroporte IIIs were produced, one of them for Italian presidential use. Production ceased in 1990. Turinese coachbuilder Salvatore Diomante
also offered a 65 cm longer limousine version, fully equipped with white leather, "abundant burr walnut", mini-bar, video recorder and many other necessities. The price of the Diomante limousine at introduction (1986) was a rather steep 210 million lire
.
The production figures for the Quattroporte are as follows:
, also known for penning the Lamborghini Countach
, Urraco
, Espada
, Miura
, Lancia Stratos
, and Bugatti EB110
.
The new car was smaller, very aerodynamic (0.31 cd), and featured Gandini's trademark angular rear wheel arch.
A 2.8 L twin turbo V6 was installed, producing 284 PS (209 kW), reaching a top speed of 255 km/h (158 mph) while the Italians even had a "tax special" 2 litre version producing 287 PS (211 kW) on their price list. Both engines came from the familiar Maserati Biturbo
engine catalog. The 2.8 was not even offered in the home market until a year after its introduction. A V8 3.2 L Biturbo was announced in 1995, coming from the Maserati Shamal
, developing 335 PS (246 kW) and reaching an approximate 270 km/h (168 mph).
After Ferrari
took over Maserati in July 1997, it introduced a Quattroporte Evoluzione for 1998. It featured 400 new or improved parts out of a total 800, and also benefitted from improvements to Maserati's manufacturing methods. The Evoluzione saw the famous oval Maserati clock disappear from the interior. Production ended in May of 2001.
started production of the Pininfarina
-designed Quattroporte, with the same dry sump
4.2 L engine as the Coupé, Spyder and the new GranTurismo
but improved to 400 PS. Due to its greater weight than the Coupé and Spyder, the 0-62 mph (0–100 km/h) time for the Quattroporte is 5.6 seconds and the top speed is 167 mi/h. The Quattroporte was unveiled to the world at the Frankfurt Motor Show on September 9, 2003 and made its US première at the 2003 Pebble Beach Concours d'Élégance
. It is a continuation of the long tradition of Quattroporte luxury saloons in the Maserati line-up.
The 47% front / 53% rear weight distribution (with the DuoSelect transmission) allows the large saloon to have very nimble handling. This weight distribution is achieved by setting the engine further back in the chassis behind the front axle to shift the load back towards the cabin, and the adoption of the transaxle
layout which sees the gearbox rear-mounted in unit with the differential. The Quattroporte's weight distribution maximizes traction and thrust during acceleration so that the car remains exceptionally stable and well balanced at all times. With the newer automatic transmission, the transmission is adjacent to the engine and weight distribution changes to 49% front / 51% rear.
The base level has a 4.2 litre V8 with 400 PS 460 newton metre.
and carbon fiber accents. The 4.7 litre V8 in the Quattroporte Sport GT S has 439 PS 490 newton metre.
in January 2006. It is based on a special Neiman-Marcus version, with 19 inch ball-polished wheels and an alcantara
suede interior roof lining. Other features include chrome
side and front grilles and a wood
-trimmed steering wheel. Included as standard equipment with the Executive GT version is a Maserati comfort pack with ventilated, heating, massaging rear seats
, retractable wood rear tables, and curtain
shade
s on the rear windows.
. It is a Ferrari based semi-automatic transmission
, located at the rear of the car, with the clutch located in a bell housing attached to the rear of the engine.
with 6 speeds (by ZF) was presented at the Detroit Motor Show in January 2007 with the first cars delivered right after the launch, marketed as the Maserati Quattroporte Automatica. The Automatica was made available with paddle-shifters
on the Sport GT model as standard, but on the base model and the Executive trim levels paddles became an optional extra. With the Automatica, Maserati completely redesigned the under pinning of the car to fit the new conventional automatic transmission and torque converter
right behind the engine. They also converted to a wet sump
oiling system for cost saving purpose.
. Its maximum power is 430 PS and maximum torque
is 490 newton metre. It went on sale at the end of 2008 and is currently available. The Quattroporte Sport GT S is also still available, with 440 PS of power.
In 2010, a Quattroporte hearse
served to carry the ashes of Polish President Lech Kaczyński
in his funeral procession
.
Maserati
Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The name translated from Italian literally means "four doors". There have been five generations of the car, each separated by a period of roughly five years.
Quattroporte I (1963–1969)
In the early 1960s, Maserati's reputation was at a high. With growing sales, Prince Karim Aga KhanAga Khan IV
Prince Karim, Aga Khan IV, NPk, NI, KBE, CC, GCC, GCIH, GCM is the 49th and current Imam of the Shia Imami Nizari Ismaili Muslims. He has held this position under the title of Aga Khan since July 11, 1957, when, at the age of 20, he succeeded his grandfather, Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan...
ordered a special Maserati 5000 WP, chassis no. 103,060, designed by Pietro Frua
Pietro Frua
Pietro Frua was one of the leading Italian coachbuilders and car designers during the 1950s and 1960s.-Early years:...
. The following year, Maserati showed the first-generation Quattroporte of 1963, which bore a striking resemblance to the earlier drawing. While the design was by Frua, construction was carried out by Vignale
Vignale
Vignale was an Italian automobile coachbuilder company. Carrozzeria Alfredo Vignale was established in 1948 at Via Cigliano, Turin by Alfredo Vignale in Grugliasco, near Turin ....
.
This, the 1963 'Tipo 107' Quattroporte, joined two other notable grand tourers, the Facel Vega
Facel Vega
Facel was a French manufacturer of automobiles from 1954 to 1964.The company was named after the original metal stamping company FACEL, and the company's first model, the Vega, named after the star, was introduced at the 1954 Paris Auto Show...
and the Lagonda Rapide
Lagonda Rapide
The Lagonda Rapide was a 4-door GT car produced from 1961 until 1964. Based on the Aston Martin DB4, it was David Brown's attempt to revive the Lagonda marque which he had purchased in 1948. It marked a revival of the Rapide model name which had been used by Lagonda during the 1930s...
, which could comfortably do 200 km/h (124 mph) on the new motorways of Europe. However, the Quattroporte could be said to have been the first car specifically designed for this purpose.
It was equipped with a 4.1 L (4,136 cc/252 cuin) V8 engine
V8 engine
A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
, producing 256 hp (SAE) (191 kW) at 5,600 rpm, and either a five-speed ZF manual transmission
Manual transmission
A manual transmission, also known as a manual gearbox or standard transmission is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications...
or a three-speed automatic
Automatic transmission
An automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
. Maserati claimed a top speed of 230 km/h (143 mph).
Between 1963 and 1966, 230 examples were made.
In 1966, Maserati revised the Tipo 107, adding twin headlights (already on the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
model) and, from 1968, a 4.7 L, 295 hp (SAE) (220 kW) engine. Top speed increased to a claimed 255 km/h (158.4 mph). Around 500 of the second series were made, for a total of 776 Tipo 107 Quattroportes. Production stopped in 1969.
In 1971, Karim Aga Khan
Aga Khan IV
Prince Karim, Aga Khan IV, NPk, NI, KBE, CC, GCC, GCIH, GCM is the 49th and current Imam of the Shia Imami Nizari Ismaili Muslims. He has held this position under the title of Aga Khan since July 11, 1957, when, at the age of 20, he succeeded his grandfather, Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan...
ordered another special on the Maserati Indy
Maserati Indy
Named to celebrate Maserati's two victories at the Indy 500, the Maserati Indy first appeared in 1968, at the Salone dell'automobile di Torino as a prototype by Carrozzeria Vignale that was to replace the ageing Mexico and Quattroporte....
platform. Rory Brown was the chief engineer. It received the well known 4.9 litre V8 engine (Tipo 107/49), producing 300 PS. Carrozzeria Frua
Pietro Frua
Pietro Frua was one of the leading Italian coachbuilders and car designers during the 1950s and 1960s.-Early years:...
clothed the car, the prototype of which was displayed in Paris 1971 and Geneva 1972. The car was production ready, even receiving its own chassis code (AM 121), but Citroën used their influence to have Maserati to develop the SM-based Quattroporte II instead. In the end only two were finished, chassis #004 was sold by Maserati to the Aga Khan in 1974 and the prototype #002 went to the King of Spain
Juan Carlos I of Spain
Juan Carlos I |Italy]]) is the reigning King of Spain.On 22 November 1975, two days after the death of General Francisco Franco, Juan Carlos was designated king according to the law of succession promulgated by Franco. Spain had no monarch for 38 years in 1969 when Franco named Juan Carlos as the...
, who bought his directly from Frua.
Quattroporte II (1974–1978)
In 1974, at the Turin Show, Maserati presented its Quattroporte II (AM 123) on an extended Citroën SMCitroën SM
The Citroën SM is a high-performance coupé produced by the French manufacturer Citroën from 1970 to 1975. The SM placed third in the 1971 European Car of the Year contest, trailing its stablemate Citroën GS, and won the 1972 Motor Trend Car of the Year award in the U.S. in 1972.-History:In 1961,...
chassis, available since Citroën
Citroën
Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...
had purchased the Italian company. It had sparse and slick Bertone bodywork, penned by Marcello Gandini
Marcello Gandini
Marcello Gandini is an Italian car designer, widely known for his work with the automotive design house Gruppo Bertone, notably his design of the Lamborghini Countach. Together with Giorgetto Giugiaro and Leonardo Fioravanti, Gandini forms a noted triumvirate of Italian car designers, all born in...
and fashionable at the time, and was the only Maserati Quattroporte to feature hydropneumatic suspension and front wheel drive. It also had the swivelling directional headlights à la SM/DS
Citroën DS
The Citroën DS is an executive car produced by the French manufacturer Citroën between 1955 and 1975. Styled by Italian sculptor and industrial designer Flaminio Bertoni and the French aeronautical engineer André Lefèbvre, the DS was known for its aerodynamic futuristic body design and innovative...
. However, the 1973 oil crisis
1973 oil crisis
The 1973 oil crisis started in October 1973, when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries or the OAPEC proclaimed an oil embargo. This was "in response to the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military" during the Yom Kippur war. It lasted until March 1974. With the...
intervened. This, combined with the collapse of the Citroën/Maserati relationship, made Maserati unable to gain EEC approval
Motor vehicle type approval
The new Framework Directive rules approval schemes of the new motor vehicles and their trailers in the European Union:*European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval , that applies to passenger cars...
for the car. Most of the cars built were thus sold in the Middle East and in Spain, where such type approval wasn't necessary.
Furthermore, the front-wheel drive layout and the modest V6 3.0L powerplant based on the Citroën SM engine didn't attract many customers. Its 210 PS at 5,500 rpm was barely enough to propel the 1600 kg (3,527.4 lb) car to 200 km/h (124 mph). Maserati's traditional customers simply wouldn't consider the car a true Maserati. Maserati made 13 Quattroporte IIs. While the prototype was built in 1974, the succeeding twelve cars were built to order between 1976 and 1978. The nearly stillborn Quattroporte II project was very costly for the small company, which found itself in debt to the tune of four billion lire by the end of 1978.
Quattroporte III/Royale (1979–1990)
Considered a "business man's Maserati," the Quattroporte III was presented by newly empowered Maserati chief Alejandro de TomasoAlejandro de Tomaso
Alejandro de Tomaso was a racing driver and industrialist from Argentina. His name is sometimes seen in an Italianised form as Alessandro de Tomaso. He participated in two Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on January 13, 1957...
and his design staff in 1977. This was a rear wheel drive car, powered by a large V8 engine. It was important to de Tomaso that there be an Italian vehicle to compete with the recently launched Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9
Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9
The Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 is a high-performance version of the S-Class luxury saloon. It was built on its own assembly line by Daimler-Benz in Stuttgart, Germany and based on the long-wheelbase version of the W116 chassis introduced in 1972...
. The Quattroporte III marked the last of the hand-built Italian cars. All exterior joints and seams were filled to give a seamless appearance.
In 1976, Giorgetto Giugiaro
Giorgetto Giugiaro
Giorgetto Giugiaro is an Italian automobile designer responsible equally for a stable of supercars and several of the most popular everyday vehicles driven today...
presented two ItalDesign show cars on Maserati platforms, called the Medici I and Medici II. The latter in particular featured hallmarks which would make it into the production of the third-generation Quattroporte. At the 1977 Turin Motor Show, Maserati announced the Quattroporte III (Tipo AM 330), which took much from the Medici show cars, based on Maserati's Kyalami
Maserati Kyalami
The Maserati Kyalami is an automobile which was produced by Maserati in Italy from 1976 to 1983.Named after the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in South Africa, it was a new model rushed into production after Alessandro de Tomaso took helm of the company...
coupé, which in turn was based on the De Tomaso Longchamp
De Tomaso Longchamp
The De Tomaso Longchamp is an automobile which was produced by the Italian automaker De Tomaso from 1972 to 1989.The Longchamp was developed from the De Tomaso Deauville four-door sedan, using a shorter wheelbase chassis with the same suspension, engine and transmission. The two models were the...
. Special styling emphasis was placed on linearity, which was also useful to reduce tooling cost.
The Quattroporte III went into production in 1979, equipped with a 4,136 cc V8 engine (confusingly referred to as "4200" by Maserati) producing 255 hp (188 kW), later 238 hp (SAE) (177 kW). Also available was a 4.9 litre V8 (280 hp @ 5800 rpm). One distinguishing characteristic of the vehicle was its particularly lavish interior. The automatics initially used a three-speed Borg–Warner automatic transmission
Automatic transmission
An automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
, soon replaced by a Chrysler Torqueflite
TorqueFlite
TorqueFlite is the trademarked name of Chrysler Corporation's automatic transmissions, starting with the three-speed unit introduced late in the 1956 model year as a successor to Chrysler's two-speed PowerFlite...
gearbox. Manual gearboxes were ZF
ZF Friedrichshafen
ZF Friedrichshafen AG, also known as ZF Group, and commonly abbreviated to ZF, is a German public company headquartered in Friedrichshafen, in the south-west German region of Baden-Württemberg....
-built 5-speeds. The smaller engine was phased out in 1985.
In 1986, the Maserati Royale, a handbuilt to order ultra-luxury version of the Quattroporte III, appeared. The engine was upgraded to 295 hp (SAE) (220 kW).
In all, 2,155 Quattroporte IIIs were produced, one of them for Italian presidential use. Production ceased in 1990. Turinese coachbuilder Salvatore Diomante
Salvatore Diomante
Salvatore Diomante is an automobile engineer and restorer, best known as Bizzarrini's factory manager in the 1960s.Diomante resides in Nichelino, Italy and operates Autocostruzioni S.D., where he keeps parts, special tools and original moulds from Bizzarrini P538s and Bizzarrini 5300s...
also offered a 65 cm longer limousine version, fully equipped with white leather, "abundant burr walnut", mini-bar, video recorder and many other necessities. The price of the Diomante limousine at introduction (1986) was a rather steep 210 million lire
Italian lira
The lira was the currency of Italy between 1861 and 2002. Between 1999 and 2002, the Italian lira was officially a “national subunit” of the euro...
.
The production figures for the Quattroporte are as follows:
- There were 1876 Quattroporte III's produced between 1979 and 1988.
- There were 1821 standard 4portes manufactured between 1979 and 1984.
- The remaining 55 or 53 cars were Royales, manufactured between late 1986 and 1990. These were US$80,000 cars that were built to order only.
Quattroporte IV (1994–2001)
The Quattroporte IV from 1994 was a restyled and updated version of the 430, the four-door version of the Biturbo coupe. It was designed by Marcello GandiniMarcello Gandini
Marcello Gandini is an Italian car designer, widely known for his work with the automotive design house Gruppo Bertone, notably his design of the Lamborghini Countach. Together with Giorgetto Giugiaro and Leonardo Fioravanti, Gandini forms a noted triumvirate of Italian car designers, all born in...
, also known for penning the Lamborghini Countach
Lamborghini Countach
The Lamborghini Countach is a mid-engined supercar that was produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini from 1974 to 1990. Its design both pioneered and popularized the wedge-shaped, sharply angled look popular in many high performance sports cars...
, Urraco
Lamborghini Urraco
The Lamborghini Urraco was a sports car manufactured by Italian automaker Lamborghini in the 1970s. It was introduced at the Turin auto show in 1970 but wasn't available to buyers until 1973....
, Espada
Lamborghini Espada
The Lamborghini Espada is a grand tourer which was built by Italian car manufacturer Lamborghini between 1968 and 1978.Based on the Marzal show car, displayed at the 1967 Geneva Auto Show, and the Bertone Pirana, a radically rebodied Jaguar E-type, it was to fill the spot of a true four seat car in...
, Miura
Lamborghini Miura
The Lamborghini Miura was a sports car produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini between 1966 and 1972. The car is widely considered to have begun the trend of high performance, two-seater, mid-engined sports cars...
, Lancia Stratos
Lancia Stratos
The Lancia Stratos HF, widely and more simply known as Lancia Stratos, is a car made by Italian car manufacturer Lancia. The HF stands for High Fidelity...
, and Bugatti EB110
Bugatti EB110
The Bugatti EB110 is a mid-engine sports car from Bugatti Automobili SpA. It was unveiled on September 15, 1991, in both Versailles and in front of the Grande Arche at La Défense in Paris, France, exactly 110 years after Ettore Bugatti's birth....
.
The new car was smaller, very aerodynamic (0.31 cd), and featured Gandini's trademark angular rear wheel arch.
A 2.8 L twin turbo V6 was installed, producing 284 PS (209 kW), reaching a top speed of 255 km/h (158 mph) while the Italians even had a "tax special" 2 litre version producing 287 PS (211 kW) on their price list. Both engines came from the familiar Maserati Biturbo
Maserati Biturbo
The Maserati Biturbo is a sports car introduced by Maserati in 1981. The Biturbo is a two-door, four-seater notchback coupé featuring, as the name implies, a two-litre V6 engine with two turbochargers and a luxurious interior.The car was designed by Pierangelo Andreani, an engineer from the De...
engine catalog. The 2.8 was not even offered in the home market until a year after its introduction. A V8 3.2 L Biturbo was announced in 1995, coming from the Maserati Shamal
Maserati Shamal
The Maserati Shamal is a compact, two-door coupé introduced by Italian automaker Maserati on December 17, 1989. It is named after shamal, a hot summer wind that blows in large areas of Mesopotamia. The Shamal was designed by Marcello Gandini, who is famous for designing the Lamborghini Countach and...
, developing 335 PS (246 kW) and reaching an approximate 270 km/h (168 mph).
After Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
took over Maserati in July 1997, it introduced a Quattroporte Evoluzione for 1998. It featured 400 new or improved parts out of a total 800, and also benefitted from improvements to Maserati's manufacturing methods. The Evoluzione saw the famous oval Maserati clock disappear from the interior. Production ended in May of 2001.
| Quattroporte IV | Units Produced | Production Period |
|---|---|---|
| 2.0i V6 24v | 587 | 1994-1998 |
| 2.8i V6 24v | 668 | 1994-1998 |
| 3.2i V8 32v | 415 | 1996-1998 |
| 2.0i V6 Evoluzione | 200 | 1998-2001 |
| 2.8i V6 Evoluzione | 190 | 1998-2001 |
| 3.2i V8 Evoluzione | 340 | 1998-2001 |
| Total | 2400 | 1994-2001 |
Quattroporte V (2004 – present)
In 2004, MaseratiMaserati
Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...
started production of the Pininfarina
Pininfarina
Pininfarina S.p.A. is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder in Cambiano, Italy.Founded as Società anonima Carrozzeria Pinin Farina in 1930 by automobile designer and builder Battista "Pinin" Farina, Pininfarina has been employed by a wide variety of high-end automobile manufacturers,...
-designed Quattroporte, with the same dry sump
Dry sump
A dry sump is a lubricating motor oil management method for four-stroke and large two-stroke piston internal combustion engines that uses external pumps and a secondary external reservoir for oil, as compared to a conventional wet sump system....
4.2 L engine as the Coupé, Spyder and the new GranTurismo
Maserati GranTurismo
The Maserati GranTurismo is a two-door 2+2 coupé produced by Maserati, it shares the platform of the Maserati Quattroporte V.-GranTurismo :...
but improved to 400 PS. Due to its greater weight than the Coupé and Spyder, the 0-62 mph (0–100 km/h) time for the Quattroporte is 5.6 seconds and the top speed is 167 mi/h. The Quattroporte was unveiled to the world at the Frankfurt Motor Show on September 9, 2003 and made its US première at the 2003 Pebble Beach Concours d'Élégance
Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is an automotive charitable event held each year on the Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California, considered the most prestigious event of its kind. It is the finale of a week long festival of classic cars events in the Monterey area every year...
. It is a continuation of the long tradition of Quattroporte luxury saloons in the Maserati line-up.
The 47% front / 53% rear weight distribution (with the DuoSelect transmission) allows the large saloon to have very nimble handling. This weight distribution is achieved by setting the engine further back in the chassis behind the front axle to shift the load back towards the cabin, and the adoption of the transaxle
Transaxle
In the automotive field, a transaxle is a major mechanical component that combines the functionality of the transmission, the differential, and associated components of the driven axle into one integrated assembly....
layout which sees the gearbox rear-mounted in unit with the differential. The Quattroporte's weight distribution maximizes traction and thrust during acceleration so that the car remains exceptionally stable and well balanced at all times. With the newer automatic transmission, the transmission is adjacent to the engine and weight distribution changes to 49% front / 51% rear.
Trim levels
The Maserati Quattroporte is offered in four configurations: the base Quattroporte, the Quattroporte Sport GT, the Quattroporte Sport GTS, and the Quattroporte Executive GT.The base level has a 4.2 litre V8 with 400 PS 460 newton metre.
Sport GT
The Sport GT version of the Quattroporte was introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2005. It features a reworked transmission, exhaust, 20 inch wheels, suspension modifications, and special interior and exterior accents including a mesh grille.Sport GT S
The Sport GT S version of the Quattroporte was introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2007. It features a revised suspension, 20 inch wheels, and larger rear tires for improved handling. The brakes received iron/aluminum rotors for greater fade resistance. Various interior upgrades include alcantaraAlcantara (material)
Alcantara is a tradename given to a composite material used to cover surfaces and forms in a variety of applications. The material was developed in the early 1970s by Miyoshi Okamoto, a scientist working for the Japanese chemical company Toray Industries, as a variation of their other product...
and carbon fiber accents. The 4.7 litre V8 in the Quattroporte Sport GT S has 439 PS 490 newton metre.
Executive GT
The Executive GT version of the Quattroporte was introduced at the North American International Auto ShowNorth American International Auto Show
The North American International Auto Show is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan at Cobo Center, usually in January. It is among the largest auto shows in North America.-History:...
in January 2006. It is based on a special Neiman-Marcus version, with 19 inch ball-polished wheels and an alcantara
Alcantara (material)
Alcantara is a tradename given to a composite material used to cover surfaces and forms in a variety of applications. The material was developed in the early 1970s by Miyoshi Okamoto, a scientist working for the Japanese chemical company Toray Industries, as a variation of their other product...
suede interior roof lining. Other features include chrome
Chrome plating
Chrome plating, often referred to simply as chrome, is a technique of electroplating a thin layer of chromium onto a metal object. The chromed layer can be decorative, provide corrosion resistance, ease cleaning procedures, or increase surface hardness.-Process:A component to be chrome plated will...
side and front grilles and a wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
-trimmed steering wheel. Included as standard equipment with the Executive GT version is a Maserati comfort pack with ventilated, heating, massaging rear seats
Car seat
A car seat is the chair used in automobiles. Most car seats are made from inexpensive but durable material in order to withstand as much use as possible.-Ergonomy: Lumbar and thigh support:...
, retractable wood rear tables, and curtain
Curtain
A curtain is a piece of cloth intended to block or obscure light, or drafts, or water in the case of a shower curtain. Curtains hung over a doorway are known as portières...
shade
Shade
Shade is the blocking of sunlight by any object, and also the shadow created by that object. Shade also consists of the colors grey, black, white, etc...
s on the rear windows.
Duo Select
The Duo Select transmission was available at the launch of the fifth generation Quattroporte, in 2004. Duo Select was an advancement of the CambioCorsa unit first used in the Maserati CoupeMaserati Coupe
The Maserati Coupé and Spyder are grand tourers produced by Italian automaker Maserati from 2001 to 2007. They have now been replaced by the GranTurismo. The two nameplates refer to the four-seater coupé and two-seater roadster versions, respectively. Both models were based on the 3200 GT, ...
. It is a Ferrari based semi-automatic transmission
Semi-automatic transmission
A semi-automatic transmission is an automobile transmission that does not change gears automatically, but rather facilitates manual gear changes by dispensing with the need to press...
, located at the rear of the car, with the clutch located in a bell housing attached to the rear of the engine.
Automatica
Because of reliability problems and rough shifting with the Ferrari based semi-automatic transmission, a full automatic transmissionAutomatic transmission
An automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
with 6 speeds (by ZF) was presented at the Detroit Motor Show in January 2007 with the first cars delivered right after the launch, marketed as the Maserati Quattroporte Automatica. The Automatica was made available with paddle-shifters
Semi-automatic transmission
A semi-automatic transmission is an automobile transmission that does not change gears automatically, but rather facilitates manual gear changes by dispensing with the need to press...
on the Sport GT model as standard, but on the base model and the Executive trim levels paddles became an optional extra. With the Automatica, Maserati completely redesigned the under pinning of the car to fit the new conventional automatic transmission and torque converter
Torque converter
In modern usage, a torque converter is generally a type of hydrodynamic fluid coupling that is used to transfer rotating power from a prime mover, such as an internal combustion engine or electric motor, to a rotating driven load...
right behind the engine. They also converted to a wet sump
Wet sump
A wet sump is a lubricating oil management design for four-stroke piston internal combustion engines which uses a built-in reservoir for oil, as opposed to an external or secondary reservoir used in a dry sump design....
oiling system for cost saving purpose.
2009 facelift
Images of the 2009 facelifted Quattroporte appeared on the Internet on 30 January 2008. The car made its official début at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show. Also making the debut was the Quattroporte S, featuring the same 4.7L V8 as the Maserati GranTurismo SMaserati GranTurismo
The Maserati GranTurismo is a two-door 2+2 coupé produced by Maserati, it shares the platform of the Maserati Quattroporte V.-GranTurismo :...
. Its maximum power is 430 PS and maximum torque
Torque
Torque, moment or moment of force , is the tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis, fulcrum, or pivot. Just as a force is a push or a pull, a torque can be thought of as a twist....
is 490 newton metre. It went on sale at the end of 2008 and is currently available. The Quattroporte Sport GT S is also still available, with 440 PS of power.
In 2010, a Quattroporte hearse
Hearse
A hearse is a funerary vehicle used to carry a coffin from a church or funeral home to a cemetery. In the funeral trade, hearses are often called funeral coaches.-History:...
served to carry the ashes of Polish President Lech Kaczyński
Lech Kaczynski
Lech Aleksander Kaczyński was Polish lawyer and politician who served as the President of Poland from 2005 until 2010 and as Mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 22 December 2005. Before he became a president, he was also a member of the party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość...
in his funeral procession
Death and state funeral of Lech Kaczyński and Maria Kaczyńska
Lech Kaczyński, the fourth President of the Republic of Poland, died on 10 April 2010, after a Polish Air Force Tu-154 crashed outside of Smolensk, Russia, killing all 96 aboard...
.