At the annual readers’ poll 'Best Cars' held by the respected automotive magazine Auto Motor und Sport, two models from Ferrari and Maserati gained first place in their categories.

The brand new V8-engined Ferrari F430 was voted the 'Best Imported Sports Car' at its first try.

The 'world premiere' of the new car was celebrated at Paris Motor Show last autumn. Replacing the 360 Modena, it signals the arrival of a new generation of Ferrari 8-cylinder models. This new car takes Ferrari's extraordinary achievements with aluminium technology, begun with the 360 Modena, to a whole new level, and offers a series of extremely significant innovations directly derived from the Ferrari Formula 1 racing programme.

Meanwhile, the Maserati Quattroporte – a vehicle with the soul of a representative luxury sedan and a dynamic Gran Tourismo model at the same time – repeated its victory in the Luxury Imported Sedan category.
 

The most widely accepted new Maserati for many years, it polled 32.3 percent of the magazine's vote, comfortably cruising to the top of the category standings, well in front of its competitors, the Bentley Continental with 18.1 percent of the vote and the Rolls Royce Phantom with 11.1 percent to claim the coveted trophy.

The Auto Motor und Sport poll was being held for the 29th time this year and more 108,000 readers took part in the voting.

The trophies were received, during an awards ceremony held in Stuttgart, by Amedeo Felisa, the Deputy Managing Director of Ferrari and Martin Leach, the Chief Executive Officer of Maserati.