Truth be told, like many, I am not a fan of today’s Maserati’s. In the old days, at least in Asia, Maserati was a brand of mystique, where only passionate car enthusiasts appreciated its racing pedigree and the significance of the brand in motor history. Today it is the complete opposite. The brand has gone full mass market, with only the upper middle class audience from countries like China in mind. Many who are part of Maserati’s new demographic have no interest in the brand’s history, its racing pedigree, or much interest in cars in general. They only view it as a classier alternative than a Lexus or Mercedes (a perception which, ironically, diminishes as the brand goes more and more mass market). This is reflected in the cars Maserati make today, from the diesel Levante to the depreciation rocket that is the Ghibli, none of which I have read any good reviews on before. To Maserati’s credit though, their cars continue to look good. I particularly like the Levante, I think it is one of the better looking luxurious SUV’s out there.
Growing up, I was always a fan of Maserati’s. I grew up with the bi-turbo models produced during the DeTomaso/Chrysler era of Maserati. We all know that was Maserati’s darkest time as all the bi-turbo cars were rubbish, but I thought they all looked so quirky and unique. Things started looking a little bit better (but nevertheless still rubbish) when Fiat invested into Maserati. The cars were better made and at the same time still retained the quirkiness. I had at one time owned both the 90’s Quattroporte IV and the Ghibli II, which was pretty much Maserati’s entire lineup during the original Fiat period, and I am happy to report that the ownership experience was pleasant (although it did of course involve some rides home in a tow truck, inevitably). My other favorite era would be the Ferrari-Maserati era during the 2000’s. I think some of the best Maserati’s ever made were from that period, including the MC12, Gransport, and Quattroporte V. I came close to buying a Gransport or Quattroporte V many times but that somehow never materialized. However, my dad owned the special edition Gransport known as the “MC Victory” for more than a decade and I have had many happy kilometers in it. The Gransport shared the same engine block as the F430, and while it drove nothing like the F430, it was nevertheless beautiful to drive in its own way. It had a lazier and lower-revving V8 compared to the Ferrari, but made a remarkable exhaust note and had enough torque and power to make it thoroughly enjoyable.
I am not old enough to have lived through or enjoyed the Adolfo Orsi era cars, which are universally recognized as some of Maserati’s most beautiful and successful models, such as the 3500GT and the first Ghibli. I was therefore delighted when the owner of today’s 1969 Maserati Quattroporte 1 Series 2 agreed to let us review his car. “Quattroporte” in Italian literally means four doors which was why Maserati used this name for their first ever four door saloon car. Already known for making great GT cruiser cars at the time, Maserati decided it was only right to produce a 4-door model for their customers to travel cross continent with family and friends more comfortably.
Commonly known as the Quattroporte 1, Maserati made two versions of it; the Series 1 was made from 1963 to 1966 and the Series 2 from 1966 to 1969. The car we have today is a Series 2. The easiest way to tell the difference between a Series 1 and Series 2 are the headlights. Whereas the Series 1 has two rectangular headlights, the Series 2 has quad circle headlights. However, it must be noted that U.S. version Series 1 cars had similar quad headlights as the Series 2 due to U.S. regulations at the time.
Maserati made a total of 776 Quattroporte 1’s, 500 of which were the Series 2. The car we are reviewing today is RHD making it even rarer and it is the only Quattroporte 1 registered in Hong Kong, if not the only one that resides here. Furthermore, this particular Quattroporte 1 was the actual show car that Maserati displayed at the London Motor Show in Earl’s Court back in 1969, which explains why it has eye catching options like a two-tone body scheme (with a black roof) and rearview mirrors on both sides (rare option for that era). The car’s historic identity is confirmed by its Maserati Classiche Certificate, which is another rare and special aspect of this car. We all know about the well-known Ferrari Classiche program but this was the first time I myself have heard of the Maserati equivalent. Fundamentally, it works similar to the Ferrari program where your car must be original and with matching numbers in order to obtain the certification.
Sitting inside the car, the comfortable leather and prestigious wooden trim were expected. However, there were a few interesting things that I did not expect. The dash layout is very similar to that of the Jaguar E-type, with all the buttons and switches gathered in the middle. The side indicator (and air horn) stalk is on the right side like a Japanese car. And finally, the gear stick that operates the Borg Warner 3-speed automatic transmission goes from Park to Drive from the bottom up, and not the other way around as in conventional cars.
The Series 2 Quattroporte 1 uses Maserati’s iconic Tipo 107 4.7 V8 engine with double overhead camshafts and four twin-choke Weber carburetors (earlier versions used a 4.1 engine) which was found in many of their subsequent models including the Indy that we reviewed previously. The engine generated 286HP, making the Quattroporte the fastest saloon car in the world at the time. Being a luxury saloon car intended for long distance travels, I feared Maserati would muffle the engine/exhaust note of that magnificent engine in exchange for comfort. Fortunately, that was not the case. The car sounded as assertive and as potent as the Indy did, which I loved. Same goes with the ride, Maserati did not make much effort to make it a comfortable saloon with hydraulic suspensions or anything like that. The Series 2 Quattroporte 1 does not have rear independent suspensions, Maserati opted for leaf sprung solid axle instead. The ride was therefore firmer than expected, but not uncomfortable. However, I wasn’t bothered at all by that from the driver’s seat in year 2021. It was such an experience to try out what was practically a 60’s Mercedes AMG 63 saloon. From the outside, the Quattroporte looks like a gentleman in an expensive Armani suit, but the moment you step on it the inner maniac of the car comes alive with that unmistakable Tipo 107 V8 roar followed by the backfiring pops and bangs – just brilliant!
As a classic Maserati fan, I am glad that (i) I had the rare opportunities to drive classic models such as the Indy and the Quattroporte; and (ii) neither of them have disappointed me in any way. That engine and that exhaust note are most memorable. Thanks as always to the owner for lending out his beloved car with such an interesting background and of course, the InstacarHK team for making this possible:
Alex (http://www.taipanmedia.com)
Dave (Email: david@lemonadeandgiggles.com)
Alex C. (IG: @nofishshark)
Adhiraj Rathore (IG: @supercarsofhongkong)
See our review video here: