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MaseratiMaserati Quattroporte

Sixty years of the same argument: why shouldn't a four-door go as fast as a sports car?

Photo: Vauxford · CC BY-SA 4.0

The story

A defining chapter in Maserati history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Maserati Quattroporte, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

The name simply means four doors, and the idea behind it has survived six very different cars and several changes of owner. When the first Quattroporte appeared in 1963 it was, by a reasonable measure, the fastest four-door saloon in the world: a Frua-styled body over a Maserati V8 derived from the firm's racing engines, sold to buyers who wanted a Grand Prix drivetrain and room for their family.

2009 Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S · Brian Snelson · CC BY 2.0

Design and engineering

What followed tracked Maserati's fortunes with painful accuracy. The second-generation car of the 1970s, built under Citroën ownership with front-wheel drive and hydraulic systems, barely reached production. The third, from the De Tomaso era, was a handsome Giugiaro three-box saloon that ran into the 1990s. The fourth, launched in 1994, was a Marcello Gandini design on the Biturbo platform — compact, sharply creased, and burdened by the quality reputation of its donor.

1971 Maserati Quattroporte AM121 · MissionInn.Jim · Public domain

In production

The car that restored the nameplate arrived in 2003. Pininfarina styled it, the Ferrari-derived V8 sat behind the front axle with a transaxle at the rear, and the DuoSelect automated manual gearbox gave it a difficult reputation until a conventional automatic replaced it. It was the first Quattroporte sold in serious volume, and it re-established Maserati as a maker of large cars rather than a curiosity.

1974 Maserati Medici Show car · Alf van Beem · CC0

Legacy

The sixth generation, from 2013, grew again to compete directly with German executive saloons and ran until 2023, latterly built at Mirafiori. Across all of them the proposition held: an Italian engine, four doors, and no apology for the compromise.

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Produced

1963–1969

Body

4-door sedan

Technical specification

The Maserati Quattroporte, in detail.

Production: 1963–1969; 1971; 1974–1990; 1994–2001; 2003–2012; 2013–2023
Class: Full-size luxury car (F)
Body style: 4-door sedan
Assembly: Italy: Modena ; Italy: Grugliasco (Avv. Giovanni Agnelli Plant: 2013–2022) ; Italy: Turin (Fiat Mirafiori; Stabilimento Mirafiori: 2022–2023)
Manufacturer: Maserati

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