STYLE

"By designing the Maserati Quattroporte I have fulfilled two of my personal goals: I have started to work with Maserati again after a long gap, and I have put my name to Italy's finest saloon.

"Perhaps not many people remember that in the late 1940s it was Pininfarina that designed the first Maserati road cars, followed by a number of special cars with a clarity of design and beauty of proportions that place them, in my opinion at least, amongst our most successful designs of the period. 

"In our design for the Quattroporte we have attempted to synthesise the spirit of a great Italian saloon in timeless shapes: the formal heritage of past experience provided the inspiration, which we have developed in strongly sensual lines and surfaces with a very modern dynamism. 

"Within the Quattroporte project, we have also worked hard to give in-depth attention to every facet of all the details that come together to create an impression of beauty and quality. 

"Today, at the car's launch and four years from the start of the project, I am absolutely convinced that this car expresses the guidelines we received from Maserati to perfection: a car which is sporty, elegant and clearly Italian, and above all immediately recognisable as a Maserati. The challenge of winning back Maserati's status amongst the great constructors is a demanding one, but I think everything is now in place for a well-deserved success."