06.09.2003  THE MASERATI QUATTROPORTE IS PRESENTED TO THE INTERNATIONAL PRESS IN VIALE CIRO MENOTTI

The car’s entry into the showroom was greeted by deafening applause, while, behind it, were five giant screens showing images of the car on the roads of Tuscany.

The first person to take the floor was the CEO of Maserati, Antonello Perricone. He eloquently described the importance of the new flagship car for the Modenese company: “This Quattroporte is much more than a mere car. It is actually the logical outcome of a return-to-the-market policy based on strong investments, not only in financial terms, but also structural and organisational, and especially in research and development”.

The story of Maserati’s return to a leading role in the sports car market was also recalled by President Luca Cordero di Montezemolo: “The Quattroporte is a unique, exclusive product and represents the closure of the first stage in the rebirth of Maserati. In five years we have revolutionised the plant, buildings and organisation, created three new cars, established synergetic relations with Ferrari, while maintaining the absolute independence of the management and the brand and expanding our sales network. This extraordinary effort now enables us to look to the future with absolute self-confidence. We have the greatest respect for our competitors, but Maserati and the Quattroporte are afraid of no-one”.

The President also expressed his wish for a wider consumer base for Italian products developed by companies which have demonstrated their ability to create winning cars for the race track and the market. “It has bothered me for several years that we had no indigenous car worthy of transporting our businessmen and politicians. Now such a car exists: the new Maserati Quattroporte, heir to a legendary name which will become the benchmark for luxury cars”.

Maserati is ready to take up the challenge with its new V8 400 Hp flagship combining exceptional performance with unbeatable comfort, over 5 metres long with ideal weight distribution: 47% on the front axle and 53% on the rear, due to the adoption of the transaxle configuration and the positioning of the engine behind the front axle.

Such extraordinary technical contents needed a style worthy of them, and Pininfarina was the obvious choice: “It was quite a challenge: to create a car that was comfortable and a top-level limousine throughout, but without losing its hallmark sports orientation and aggression, and completely avoiding banality. The interior owes its look and feel to yacht interiors, with an innovative use of wood and other materials, with an obsessive attention to detailing and the need for the passenger to feel completely at his ease in the car”. The press reaction was as enthusiastic as expected: “to die for”, “born to fascinate”, “the ambassador of Italian style” are just a few of the comments and headlines the journalists used in referring to the car.

The Quattroporte has already been presented informally at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2003, and its future success can be seen from the fact that many requests to purchase it have already been received.