Maserati has opened a new exclusive high-tech showroom in Kiev, the second the Modena manufacturer has opened in ''the land of wooden churches.'' The opening ceremony took place on May 18th in the presence of Maserati S.p.A. CEO Karl-Heinz Kalbfell, who travelled to Kiev from Modena to personally stress the importance of the Ukrainian market in Maserati's strategy of worldwide development.

Along with the rest of Maserati's line-up, the new GranSport MC Victory, the exclusive model that will be built in only 180 units worldwide, was on display for the first time in the Ukraine. In his remarks, Mr. Kalbfell reaffirmed to clients, collectors and the media the strategic importance for Maserati of new markets with significant potential. Since 2005, Modena Auto Ltd. – Maserati’s Ukrainian importer - has delivered 23 Maseratis to final customers in the Ukraine for a market share of 3% - a very good result indeed in a newly-entered market. The first Ukrainian showroom was opened in Dniepr in 2005.
 

Meanwhile, last weekend a fantastic 4CS-1100/1500 was the prized lot at the traditional sale organised by the Monegasque auction house. On Saturday 20 May, and for the 17th consecutive year, Bonhams adorned the prestigious auction house with classic sports and gran turismo cars. The auction house is known for its association with motoring and an enthusiastic public attended the ever-successful auction.

The undisputed star of the event was a 4CS-1100/1500 from 1935, designed to compete in the Mille Miglia. The vehicle formed part of the old Scuderia Subalpina and was sold for the astonishing sum of 643,000 euros. The extraordinary two-seater was the version employed in the road races in which the 4CM single-seaters competed and is one of the models from the legendary Briggs Cunningham collection. The level of the bids was very high both for collectors’ cars and for more accessible models. The sale price topped 200,000 euros for ten of the vehicles under the hammer with Italian racing cars heading the list.