Maserati 100 by Ken Ross

1914

100

2014

CONTENTS 100 Years & Counting .......................................................2 Family Guys...........................................................................4 The Classics ....................................................................... 12 High-performance Home ............................................... 14 Maserati Ghibli .................................................................. 16 Maserati Quattroporte ................................................... 19 GranTurismo ...................................................................... 22 GranTurismo Convertible ............................................. 24 Sailing with Soldini ......................................................... 25 People Behind the Badge .............................................26 The Factory........................................................................30 Commercial Success ..................................................... 32 Maserati Museum ........................................................... 34 Maserati Classiche ......................................................... 36 Trofeo Racing ....................................................................38 Polo Sport with La Martina.......................................... 40 Bowers & Wilkins 805 .................................................... 41 Quattroporte Ermenegildo Zegna............................. 42 Maserati & Bulgari .......................................................... 44 Gear ....................................................................................... 45 Looking to the Future .................................................... 46 Centennial Celebration ................................................. 48

Photo Credits: LAT Photographic, Renato Zacchia, Maserati, Getty Images, Bowers & Wilkins

MASERATI - 100th ANNIVERSARY

100 YEARS & COUNTING No matter who you are or what part of the world you’re from, the word Maserati means performance of course, but also a deep history on and off the racetrack, world-class design and engineering, and beautiful Italian craftsmanship. The 100-year story —how it all started in a basement and rose to today’s sought-after road cars—is an interesting one; it is a story of a family experiencing the highest highs and indeed some lows. It started in 1914, when the Maserati brothers’ determination turned their love of speed and all things mechanical into a race-car engineering company known for attention to detail and a drive to succeed. Over the years, the company built some of the finest performance cars in the world. Indeed, to this day, driving a Maserati is an emotional experience. It is

not transportation. And though the automaker began life in a local context, it’s become a major international player. This magazine relives Maserati’s enthralling history; through its pages you’ll get to know the people, places and cars that have made the brand famous. Today, Maserati creates automobiles for discerning, entrepreneurial clients. It is one of the hottest nameplates in the car world. In 2013, the company posted a 148-percent sales increase and is on pace this year for more of the same. The new Quattroporte and Ghibli are but two examples drawing inspiration from the 100-year history. The Alfieri concept dramatically shows what’s possible down the road. Maseratis past, present and future represent style, performance and elegance. They have personality. They are Italian. MASERATI - 100th ANNIVERSARY

FAMILY GUYS This story is about a family. It is also a story of determination. It is a story about skilled craftsmen with tremendous zeal and attention to detail, who are driven to succeed. It’s all of those things. On Dec. 1, 1914, three brothers with the last name Maserati founded a company. They built one of the world’s most-storied corporations, but they didn’t know it at the time. None of the brothers had a college education, nor did they have any real engineering schooling. What they did have, though, from the oldest to the youngest, was a passion for all things mechanical.

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And speed. In other words, they had a passion for the automobile. Today, 100 years later, the company still bears their name. The Maserati brothers’ first shop was located in downtown Bologna, half a mile from the University of Bologna, the oldest university in the western world. Alfieri Maserati, 27, was the family’s towering figure; Ettore, seven years his junior, and 16-year-old Ernesto looked up to him. Theirs was a family enterprise; Alfieri was recognized as the capable leader, assisted by his younger brothers. Over time, their tasks grew in significance, but they never

By Luca Dal Monte

second-guessed his leadership. A fourth brother had a keen interest in the automobile, too, but 31year-old Bindo preferred to stay in Milan with luxury carmaker Isotta Fraschini. Alfieri himself trained there as a sales agent, later working in England, the U.S. and South America. He rose through the ranks before returning to Bologna to start the family business. Love of speed ran in the family. A few years before Alfieri opened his shop, eldest brother Carlo was involved in designing and engineering an airplane. In fact, he’d designed all the plane’s parts except the

Alfieri Maserati moved to Bologna in 1913 and started a service center for Isotta Fraschini cars (above). His brothers joined him in the firm shortly thereafter.

René Dreyfus powers his Maserati 26M around the Nürburgring (above) in 1931.

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The Maserati logo in an early sketch (left). Georges Philippe’s Bugatti leads Guglielmo Sandri’s Maserati Tipo 26 in the 1929 Monaco Grand Prix (above).

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propeller–which is quite a feat for a young man with no specific design training. The Wright brothers had experimented with their “flying machine” only six years earlier. Tuberculosis took Carlo at 29. So Alfieri and his two brothers opened their shop in December 1914. World War I had started four months earlier. At that time, Italy was neutral, but neutrality didn’t last long. The three brothers were called up when Italy joined the madness. None was involved in the fighting. In fact, for Alfieri, the conflict presented an opportunity to experiment with technology; he designed and developed different

kinds of spark plugs, for example. Maserati made its own spark plugs for the next 40 years, a little known and rarely remembered fact today. When the brothers came home, they picked up where they had left off; it didn’t take long to realize the automobile business was quickly becoming their generation’s next big thing. The engineering and fabrication business was brisk, so the brothers moved to a much larger site, still in Bologna. Farther down the road from the city center, it was on the Via Emilia Levante, the old consular road Romans built around the time of Christ’s birth. After spending seven years working on

Raymond Sommer gets ready to go out on the track in his Maserati 8CM at the 1935 French Grand Prix.

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Diattos and Isotta Fraschinis, it was here, in 1926, that they designed and built the first car they could rightly call their own. They named it Tipo 26 in honor of the year of its creation. Alfieri, a talented racer, piloted his own Tipo 26 to victory in his first race. From that day on, the Targa Florio had a special place in Maserati’s heart. If the brothers might not have given much thought to naming the Tipo 26, the same can’t be said for the badge they designed. The badge went on the first car and subsequently stood for the company. Brother Mario was a successful painter in post-WWI Italy. He designed the Trident, which still graces Maseratis today. Why a trident? The inspiration came from the trident Neptune holds in Bologna’s famous and beautiful fountain in the town center. Lore has it the marquis Diego de Sterlich, a wealthy driver who had taken a liking to the brothers, suggested the idea of a trident. Legend also has it the marquis used his own money to finance them over the next 10 years. The Maserati brothers were haunted by scarce funds, but a lack of money did not affect their talent. By the end of the ’20s, Maserati was setting world speed records. On Sept. 28, 1929, Grand Prix driver Baconin Borzacchini drove the 16-cylinder V4 in Cremona, Italy, to a world record that stood until 1937, when the Reich-financed teams played a different game. Maserati was every driver’s favorite car–and team–in the ’30s. A Maserati 8CTF won the Indy 500 twice in a row (’39 and ’40), the only Italian car to do so. It was the first European brand to pull that off since Peugeot in 1916. Wilbur Shaw drove his Boyle Special to the ’39 and ’40 Indy wins. Alfieri, Ettore and Ernesto were not only good technicians but also good men.

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The legendary Juan Manuel Fangio pilots his Maserati 250F at the â&#x20AC;&#x2122;57 Monaco Grand Prix.

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The 1955 Brescia-Rome-Brescia Rally: Alberto Magi Diligenti and Ilfo Minzoni piloted a Maserati A6GCS.

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When Alfieri died in early 1932 of problems with his liver, the entire motorsports world mourned. In the late ’30s, Maserati ownership changed hands, as well as its home. The new owner, Adolfo Orsi, was a well-to-do entrepreneur from nearby Modena. He bought Maserati in 1937 and spent the next two years building the site where the company still stands today. The brothers stayed on, signing a 10-year contract with Orsi. Another world war came. All racing was suspended and no cars were produced in Modena, but the Maserati brothers didn’t stop designing. When World War II ended, they still had two years left on their contract with Orsi. They never did move to Modena. The brothers traveled every day by car, train, even bicycle. The working relationship with Orsi had been excellent, but Bologna was their home. The brothers were wavering: Once the contract expired, should they go or should they stay? In the end, they chose to return to Bologna, where they started another car company, Osca. Meanwhile, Orsi’s Maserati introduced its first passenger-car prototype, the A6, at the Geneva motor

show in 1947. The brothers’ fingerprints were all over it— it was the precursor to every Maserati to follow. To this day, the brothers’ determination and entrepreneurship is reflected in the cars Maserati builds and in the clients it serves; 100 years later, customers still appreciate the automaker’s quiet, understated appeal, and they demand stunning performance. Just as the brothers did.

At 27, Alfieri Maserati (top left) was the family’s leader. He had worked for luxury carmaker Isotta Fraschini. Tazio Nuvolari (Maserati 8CM) wins the 1933 French Grand Prix (top right). Luigi Villoresi leads Alberto Ascari–both in Maserati 4CLT/48s at the 1948 British Grand Prix at Silverstone. That’s how they finished the race (above).

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THE CLASSICS From the Tipo 26, the ﬁrst car to wear the name Maserati, to mounting a racing engine in a sedan and calling it Quattroporte, Maserati’s history is full of elegant, sporty, powerful cars. One can’t forget the Tipo 60, perhaps better known by its nickname, Birdcage. While Maserati didn’t race it oﬃcially, prestigious teams did. The Birdcage won the Nürburgring 1000 Kilometer in ’60 and ’61, to name but two. The cars pictured here are but a small sample, though they help illustrate Maserati’s role in the history of sports- and race-car emotion, culture and development.

1959 5000GT

TIPO 26 12

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1963 MISTRAL

1954 A6GCS

1959 TIPO 61 BIRDCAGE

1963 QUATTROPORTE

1966 MEXICO

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HIGH-PERFORMANCE HOME

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Though Maserati started in Bologna and has its headquarters in Modena today, the company’s real home—at least its spiritual home— is the entire area around Modena and Bologna. Called La Terra dei Motori, or Motor Valley, it runs for about 65 miles along the Via Emilia and is home to every high-performance Italian car- and motorcycle maker you can think of. In addition to Maserati and Ferrari, Lamborghini, Dallara and Pagani are located there; bike makers include Ducati, Malaguti and Bimota. The district is sometimes called “Land of Engines,” and it’s a large part of Northern Italy’s beautiful Emilia-Romagna province. Motor Valley’s world revolves around performance. Aside from the bike- and automakers, you can ﬁnd dozens of advanced performance research centers, racetracks, vintage race- and road-car restoration shops, performancetraining centers and museums. Two highlights: The Umberto Panini Museum of Vintage Cars and Motorcycles features one

of the most complete Maserati displays in the world, including an A6GCS Berlinetta Pininfarina— only four were built. (paninimotormuseum.it) And there’s the recently restored Ferrari Museum in Maranello, which tells the story of one of Italy’s mostprestigious Italian automakers. (ferrari.com) The Land of Engines takes its food as seriously as its cars and bikes: Prosciutto di Parma, dozens of cheeses (still made today in the way they’ve been made for centuries), tortellini— all are created here. And did we mention the wine? Lambrusco, Sangiovese, Albana, Pignoletto and Trebbiano are all from the region, as is traditional balsamic vinegar. Where else in the world do fast cars and great food and wine come together like this? We can’t think of another place with these kind of people, innovation, skills and craftsmanship. It’s a Maserati owner’s dream. (motorvalley.com)

Ghibli IN NEW YORK

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Introduced last year, the Ghibli has quickly become the global mainstay of the Maserati brand around the world, making an enormous impact everywhere it has gone. Some countries prefer the 3.0-liter turbodiesel; others tend to like the 3.0-liter twin-turbo gasoline motor and still more choose the security of the all-wheel-drive system combined with the power of the biturbo V6, which comes complete with 405 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque.

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For all the speed and handling sparkle across the board, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the silkiness of the eight-speed transmission and the interior combination of style, space and surprising practicality that has made the Ghibli the credible, non-German alternative for sports-sedan shoppers. It offers all the livability of the fastest versions of the 5-Series BMW, the Audi A6 or the E-Class Mercedes-Benz, but it adds an understated, elegant Italian flair they canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hope to match.

Quattroporte IN CALIFORNIA

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It’s often said you can have indulgent luxury or you can have raw speed, but you can’t have both. It’s a maxim the Quattroporte has a seven-generation habit of disproving. To deliver the handling, the latest generation has a sophisticated fivelink rear suspension. Two sophisticated engines (a 3.0-liter V6 or a 523 hp, 710 lb-ft 3.8-liter V8, both with twin turbochargers and both built by Ferrari) are in charge of the performance

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and the V8 surges past 62 mph in 4.7 seconds and on to 191 mph. For the luxury, there is a long, spacious cabin trimmed with leather so fine it’s usually seen only in premium Italian fashion shows. And, to ensure it all fits together perfectly, Maserati even had its new quality laboratory open in time for the Quattroporte’s market launch. It’s the flagship, after all, and luxury and raw speed are even more valuable with the best quality processes Maserati has ever had.

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GranTurismo IN MISSOURI, TENNESSEE, LOUISIANA

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Hailed as one of the most beautiful shapes in the automotive world, the GranTurismo continues to evolve. The car returns its core appeal. Its sumptuously trimmed cabin is the result of in-depth ergonomic research. Everything is within the pilot’s reach, and the amount of rear-seat legroom is surprising. The car’s comfortable cruising

The latest GranTurismo models feature redesigned headlights that are the same in profile, but get new internals with LED daytime running lights for added function and style.

and progressive handling comes courtesy of its ultra-long wheelbase and the saturating charm of the Ferrari-built atom V8. And, of course, it’s still one of the most beautiful shapes in the car world – perfectly proportioned, stylish, beautiful. Seeing one in person always gets hearts beating faster.

GranTurismo CONVERTIBLE

IN FLORIDA

The slightly softer, slightly morerelaxed convertible stablemate of the GranTurismo broke new ground when it went on sale late in 2012. It was easily the most comfortable fast four-seat convertible on the planet, thanks to its long wheelbase and active damping, and it continues to be a sales success. Maserati added the MC to the GranCabrio range last year, delivering a flagship that bellowed operatically beyond 62 mph in less than five seconds thanks to a naturally as-

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pirated 4.7-liter V8, producing 398 lb-ft of torque and 338 kW of power. It retains all the weight distribution benefits of the GranTurismo, with the rear-mounted six-speed gearbox helping it leave more than half its mass over the rear axle to deliver sharper handling. None of the soft-top GranCabrio family lacks for Maseratiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s usual interior craftsmanship, either, but the heart of their charm is that the sonorous V8 exhaust note is even more endearing with the roof down.

SAILING WITH SOLDINI Maserati means passion, performance, leading-edge tech and engineering, all wrapped up in a calm conﬁdence. That’s why the partnership with worldfamous ocean-yacht racer Giovanni Soldini is perfect. Soldini’s yacht—called “Maserati,” naturally—measures more than 65 feet long and has a 100-foot carbon-ﬁber mast. It features two rudders, an adjustable keel and a movable water ballast.

Soldini has more than 20 years racing ocean regattas, including two singlehanded around-the-world races (a win and a second place) and more than 40 transoceanic races. Onboard Maserati, his accomplishments include sailing 13,225 nautical miles from New York to San Francisco in 47 days, 42 minutes and 29 seconds. Most recently, Maserati and Soldini set a record in the Cape2Rio, the longest

race between two southern-hemisphere continents. They covered the 3,300mile route from Cape Town to Rio in 10 days, 11 hours, 29 minutes and 57 seconds, cutting more than two days oﬀ the record. Yacht racing is about eﬃciency, teamwork and performance, just to name a few things. Soldini, his diverse crew of nine members and the Maserati prove to be up for the challenge.

PEOPLE BEHIND THE BADGE

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HAR ALD WESTER Harald Wester wouldn’t normally be considered the obvious choice for Maserati’s chief-executive job. For starters, he’s not Italian. Secondly, he speaks softly and carries a big stick. But over time, Wester has morphed from a car-guy’s car engineer into an executive who knows the car business inside and out. The car thing still kicks hard for him, but he now has the responsibility to build and to maintain a solid foundation of organic growth to cement the long-term future of one of history’s most enigmatic car companies. When senior executives from German companies were scattered throughout the field at last year’s Mille Miglia rerun, Wester stayed in the office. Why, we asked? “Do you know how much work I can get done in three days in the office!?” he replied. So far, Maserati is trending nicely under his stewardship. He has been Maserati’s president and CEO for the last five years; he runs Abarth (the AMG or M of Fiat’s small cars) and Alfa Romeo. Since 2004, he has been the Fiat Group’s engineering and design boss. He’s chief technology officer of the entire Fiat Group; this helps him find and apply its best resources to Maserati. And you don’t survive long at that level simply by being good at your job. For the first time in its history, Maserati is actively going after the upper German brands, mostly run by people Wester knows well. He rose through the engineering ranks with Audi’s board member for technology, Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, and has been Magna Steyr’s chief technical officer.

During the 2009 financial crisis, Maserati found fewer than 6,300 buyers around the world. Wester wants 50,000 a year, and he wants them next year. It’s quite the leap. It sounds arrogant to say you’re the one to take a brand known for understated elegance as much as performance and increase sales almost tenfold in less than a generation. Still, when Wester explains the plan’s broad strokes, you think he might be onto something. It started with the Quattroporte; it delivered a foundation at the top end of town. Next came the midsize Ghibli. The Levante SUV arrives in the second half of next year. “We have the orders, and it’s proof what we’ve been doing in recent years–fixing quality issues, re-creating the brand awareness–it’s all working. And the cars are being extremely well received by our customers, who are looking for a real alternative to what they have been driving over the last decades,” Wester said recently. “When the new Levante SUV arrives it will help us achieve those targets. When that car is on sale in all markets, with all the versions, it should sell–and I’m being conservative here–25,000 a year.” Those numbers require the highest automation level in Maserati’s long history, but Wester isn’t worried about hurting exclusivity. “The benefits of automation far outweigh any negative connotations because the increases in build quality make up for anything else. [Besides,] our cars are still trimmed by hand in the finest luxury materials, so they will still feel and smell the same as they do now.” And there’s Harald Wester in a nutshell. He’s no romantic, but he knows what makes romantics tick. And he intends to give them what they want.

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PEOPLE BEHIND THE BADGE

LORENZO RA MACIOTTI Maserati’s long history has given the auto world far more design classics than its relatively exclusive volumes suggest should be possible. From the first four-door sports sedan to the impossibly perfect Birdcage race car, from the A6 GCS to the MC12 supercar, Maserati has a proven track record of extracting the elusive combination of emotion and execution from its designers. Lorenzo Ramaciotti is the latest in the celebrated lineage. The Italian left his retirement to join the Maserati family three years ago, striking immediate gold with the latestgeneration Quattroporte. One important point Ramaciotti makes: He’s not actually a designer. He’s a mechanical engineer who graduated from Turin’s Polytechnic in 1973 and went straight to legendary design house Pininfarina. But even if you aren’t a trained designer, you learn a few things over 32 years. Ramaciotti rose through the ranks to become Pininfarina’s general manager in 1988. He picked up enough to lead design teams for legendary Ferraris—including the 456, the 550 Maranello, the 360 Modena, the Enzo, the F430 and the muchargued-about 612 Scaglietti. His Maserati history is rich, too. He had his name attached to two of its most significant cars in the new era: He led the 2003 Quattroporte design teams, in addition to the team behind the Birdcage 75th Anniversary model in 2005. The Quattroporte laid the foundation for today’s Maserati.

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Acclaimed as one of history’s mostbeautiful four-door sedans, it singlehandedly brought Maserati prestige and credibility with its glorious V8 powerplant, sharp handling, opulently hand-stitched interior and ultra-long wheelbase. The Birdcage was no less important. A concept car, it presaged future Maserati design language in the typical Maserati way: clean and fuss-free, more about proportion than glitz, elevating classy timelessness above instant gratification. Built on the MC12’s carbon-fiber architecture, the V12 Birdcage was built to celebrate Pininfarina’s 75th anniversary. But it also showed Maserati’s future, as clearly seen in the later GranTurismo. Ramaciotti resigned from Pininfarina in 2005 to work on personal projects. His semi-retirement period lasted until 2007, when Sergio Marchionne persuaded him to return to lead Fiat Centro Stile, as

well as to taking personal responsibility for Alfa Romeo design. Now he oversees design for anything wearing a Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Ferrari, Lancia, Abarth, Chrysler, Dodge, or Jeep badge. He has quickly moved from semi-retirement to the rigors of bi-continental multibrand design. But the 2003 Quattroporte gives him a special link to Maserati. At motor shows, you tend to see him spending most of his time on its stand. At this year’s Geneva auto show, he had a special reason to stand with Maserati: the Alfieri concept. Like the Birdcage, it was designed to mark Maserati’s design future. “The Alfieri is a transition point between 100 years of history and the future that is opening up before us,” Ramaciotti said. “I sincerely can’t say that we’ll see this car in production in two years time, but I’m certain we’ll see something very similar.”

PAOLO MARTINELLI It seemed inevitable that Paolo Martinelli would end up running Maserati’s engine department. He was born in Modena, after all, beneath the Tridents, in 1952. The trouble with that theory, though, is Modena also features Lamborghini, Ferrari, Ducati, De Tomaso and Pagani within a 20some mile radius, so it wasn’t as clear-cut as it might seem. He didn’t stray far from home early on, studying mechanical engineering at the University of Bologna. Founded in 1088, it is often claimed to be the world’s oldest university. He joined Ferrari in 1978, working on production-car V8 and V12 engines, learning his craft from Maranello’s masters. By 1994, he was respected enough to be pulled to the Formula One team and given the unenviable task of analyzing whether Michael Schumacher’s racing cars should be using V8, V10 or V12 engines. He was astute enough to decide on the V10 for 1996; it led the team to five drivers’ championships, six constructors’ titles. He was also skilled enough to drive the decision into reality. That shouldn’t be underestimated in a company where “V12” was the default answer to just about every question. It says a lot for Martinelli’s original decision that Ferrari stuck to his V10 layout until the FIA mandated smaller V8 engines for 2006. He proved no less radical in his decision making when the Fiat Group, Ferrari’s parent company, made him the executive in charge of

engine development in late 2006. One of his first moves: developing Fiat and Alfa Romeo’s MultiAir engine range, cleverly repurposing existing engine bits and pieces to deliver direct-valve control. The system is ingenious: It can be brought to production in less than six months, and it can bolt to any gas or diesel engine. It also boosts torque 10 percent while reducing emissions at least as much. The idea floated around Fiat’s powertrains for years, but it needed Martinelli’s political muscle and clout to push it through. Then he went more radical. Others were downsizing small-car engines, but Martinelli out-downsized them all. He delivered a twocylinder TwinAir with MultiAir and turbocharging for the Fiat 500, the Alfa Romeo MiTo and the Fiat Panda. It won awards all over Europe. This all helped enormously when Martinelli was handed the keys to all Maserati powertrains in 2011. He already knew every available and future technology across the Fiat Group, including Ferrari’s. He knew all the right people. He was on top of cutting-edge turbocharging technology. When Maserati’s turbo V6 and V8 engines needed final polishing, Martinelli was handed the buffing wheel. The result gave Maserati’s Quattroporte a cutting-edge V8, one liter smaller than its predecessor, but it has 18 percent more power, 39 percent more torque and far better fuel economy. If you want an engineering man who knows everything about the politics, people, brains and ability from Modena, Maranello and Turin, you call Martinelli.

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ITALIAN EXHIBITION Maserati’s Turin factory is somewhat of a contradiction in time: While many buildings’ exteriors date to the company’s early years, the interiors are brightly lit, with streaming natural light coming through the roof-mounted windows. Throw out the preconceived notions you might have of a dark, noisy, smelly plant—this is the opposite. Stroll through the main assembly areas now and you are struck by how eerily quiet they are at times, and how spotless—to the point they could be mistaken for a hospital operating suite. The contrast of heritage and modernity can be seen throughout the grounds. This is a manufacturing showcase, pure and simple. It speaks to Maserati’s essence and ethos; the technology updates are perfect and unique illustrations of what Maserati is accomplishing now and in the future. Want to take a tour? Your local Maserati dealer can arrange it for you.

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Maserati’s next 100 years begin with one of the best-received Super Bowl commercials in 2014, called “Strike.”

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Master Italian photographer Francesco Carrozzini shot â&#x20AC;&#x153;Beyond the Swimsuit.â&#x20AC;? It features model Heidi Klum with the Quattroporte Zegna Limited Edition, Ghibli and GranTurismo MC Trofeo race car.

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MASER ATI MUSEUM Mired in one of its once-regular financial crises, Modena, Maserati’s home city, was fretting in an almost un-Italian way. And Maserati, long considered Modena’s car company, was not immune. Many feared the Maserati Collection of historic race and road cars would be sold at auction and scattered around the world. Maserati had been rescued from bankruptcy in 1975 by Alejandro de Tomaso, with substantial assistance from the Italian government. With limited resources, de Tomaso sold the performance and luxury automaker to Fiat in 1993, but he didn’t sell the car collection. In 1996, Fiat wanted de Tomaso’s Maserati Collection removed from Modena’s Maserati complex. Rather than relocate the collection, de Tomaso tried to force Fiat to buy it. When Fiat refused, de Tomaso spirited away the collection and listed it to be sold at auction in May 1997. But things aren’t that simple in Italy, not with history and pride at stake. Word of the auction leaked out, and Modena rose up as one in a burst of outrage, including former racing drivers to the Modena Commune right up to Italy’s Minister of Culture. The outrage grew louder and louder until a local businessman,

Umberto Panini, stepped in to buy the entire collection. He then built an air-conditioned museum next to his home to display it all. Panini made his money printing football cards, the European equivalent of America’s baseball card phenomenon. The auction house got a payout, de Tomaso was happy and the 23 Maseratis remained in Modena. Panini’s son, Matteo, still runs the museum. It includes everything from the 1936 Tipo 6CM Maserati to the ultra-rare T4 250cc motorbike. There are also Grand Prix winners, road-car models and several one-off prototypes, as well as three cars under restoration. Unlike most for-profit museums, the Museo Panini isn’t open for regular hours. Instead, you book ahead (paninimotormuseum.it/ prenotazioni-en.htm), but the museum is only open from March to October, excluding Italy’s traditional month off in August. While not recognized as the Maserati museum, you can also try the Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari. It is less than two blocks from Maserati’s head office, and it regularly shows rotating exhibitions of both Maserati and Ferrari displays.

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CLASSICHE Not so long ago, Maserati enthusiasts around the world formed their own group to gather and to discuss details of old Maseratis. They regularly called and wrote each other to share information. A hardcore collection of folks at the network’s center kept data on the ownership of especially rare models, in addition to data on race and service histories. Those really in the know targeted their go-to guys at Maserati HQ. With the upsurge of interest in Maserati, those go-to guys got swamped. And Maserati Classiche was born. Maserati Classiche has replaced the go-to guy with a whole go-to department, creating a one-stop, everything-you-need-to-know repository of information. Of all the 100-year-old car companies, Maserati’s history is perhaps the least known, something the automaker wants to change with the Classiche department. Maserati has thrown open its doors for clubs and owners, granting them access to historical documentation for individual Maserati models. Enthusiasts are allowed to scan for parts in Maserati’s historic inventory and, of course, to look for memorabilia. Classiche also hopes to bring clubs and enthusiasts together, wherever they might be around the world. The department also sells faithful reproductions of merchandise and model cars from different eras in Maserati history, all signed by the in-house historian. Maserati has transferred its treasure

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trove of documents from the Maserati Historical Archive to Maserati Classiche so that it can deliver historical documentation on cars upon request. One of Classiche’s first customers was Maserati itself. It asked Classiche to dig through the archives to find a document signed by co-founder Alfieri Maserati. Then Maserati used the signature as the Alfieri concept badge at this year’s Geneva motor show. Cool, huh? Classiche can also track down and deliver certifications on any Maserati’s production date, chassis and engine numbers, capacity and fuel system, gearbox, original wheels, tires and body type, paint code and its original interior color, right down to the leather. The bilingual service, operating in Italian and English, also provides certificates to confirm first owners, dealers, order dates and delivery locations. It can also deliver copies of documents such as technical data sheets, test data sheets, and internal order and delivery documents for individual cars. There’s also a series of five Maserati Classic kits. Classiche truly outdid itself here: Each kit is filled with original parts catalogues and reprints of manuals, in addition to each model range’s homologation papers, a 1:43 scale model, a sketch of the car and copies of the original sales brochures. The kits cover the 3500GT, Mistral, Khamsin, Ghibli and Biturbo.

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MASERATI TROFEO RACING Think you have what it takes to race? Here’s your chance to find out. Following last season’s success, the Maserati Trofeo MC will return in 2014 for its fifth season, once again racing on the world’s best circuits and further underscoring Maserati’s beginnings as a race-car maker. The concept is simple: You purchase or rent a Trofeo car, register for either a single race or whole season and go racing. Maserati organizes everything, and the packages are all-inclusive. Each weekend has three races: two 30-minute sprints and a longer 60-minute finale, the latter requiring a pit stop and driver’s change. You also get two 45-minute practice sessions and two 15-minute qualifying sessions. In an interesting twist, the fastest drivers in the two 30-minute sprints will get time extensions during the longer race’s driver change. The idea is to give everyone a shot at the win. Your entry will include the GranTurismo race car, an available spare car and parts, four sets of tires every weekend, a dedicated technician and data analysis with a race engineer. And, of course, it grants weekend access to the Maserati Hospitality. Virginia International Raceway, the Hungaroring, Silverstone Circuit, Virginia International Raceway, Shanghai International Circuit and Abu Dhabi are on the schedule. Sound like a plan? Head to maseraticorse.com for more details.

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POLO SPORTS WITH LA MARTINA La Martina, the prestigious Argentinean polo equipment and clothing company, is known for its attention to detail, its passion and its quality materials. Sound familiar? Exactly. That’s why La Martina and Maserati have joined forces to create the Maserati Centennial Polo Tour. The Tour comprises four strategically located tournaments; in 2014, the site locations are Palm Beach, Fla.; China; England; and the United Arab Emirates. The first

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event was held at the International Polo Club in Palm Beach, when Maserati and La Martina competed in the 110th U.S. Open Polo Championship, America’s most prestigious polo event. The newly created grounds in the port city of Tianjin, near Beijing, host May 30-June 2 in the Maseratibranded edition of the Metropolitan Polo Classic. On June 15, it’s off to the U.K. for the celebrated Jerudong Park Polo Trophy, supporter of the HRH

The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry’s charities. The Cirencester Park Polo Club, inaugurated in 1894 and one of the oldest and most-prestigious English polo clubs, hosts the event. The United Arab Emirates hosts the finishing touch in the fall. A fifth event is being planned for early next year. If you can’t make it to any of these events, you can follow all the action in photos and updates at maseratipolo.com.

BOWERS & WILKINS 805 MASERATI EDITION Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series Diamond range is known for audio and design innovation, making it the speaker of choice for the world’s demanding ears and minds. And the 805 Maserati Edition has several audiophilegrade technologies, including B&W’s Diamond Dome Tweeter to deliver a listening experience synonymous with both brands’ culture and heritage. Indeed, the 805 Maserati Edition is crafted from materials reflecting the partnership. The bird’s eye maple-wood veneer and black Maserati leather reflect Maserati’s luxurious interiors. The speaker stand is ﬁnished with the same polished wood veneer and features the Maserati Trident.

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QUATTROPORTE ZEGNA LIMITED EDITION To celebrate its relationship with Ermenegildo Zegna, Maserati and the 104-year-old Italian fashion house are collaborating on 100 limited edition Quattroportes. The Zegna edition has special paint, materials and trim, all chosen to embody the personality, quality and exclusivity linking Zegna’s and Maserati’s histories and traditions. The exterior is Platinum Silk, a color developed exclusively for this car. The finish uses extra-fine aluminum pigments creating an effect that looks like metal with the soft look of silk, creating a sensation of unlimited depth. The wheels are also finished in Platinum Silk. An Ermenegildo Zegna plate is on the B pillar. The cabin is finished in new colors—dark brown and a light gray

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and sabbia (sand) mix. Materials include leather and silk, inspired by Zegna’s menswear collections, with contrasting stitching on the dash and upper-door panels. Leathers blend into Ermenegildo Zegna fabrics specially created for this car. The roof lining and sun visors are covered in a fine light-gray silk fabric; Ermenegildo Zegna designed it specifically for this car. As in a Zegna suit, the inside of the sunshades carry the label, “Ermenegildo Zegna Exclusively for Maserati,” confirming not just the Maserati-Zegna partnership but also discreetly reminding the client of the car’s attention to detail in the design and finish. The same fabric covers the central-door panels; they also feature diagonal double stitching.

The seats are covered in an exclusive-to-this-car 100-percent silk-chevron weave. It’s a bright, soft, velvety-smooth fabric produced at Zegna’s historic wool mills in Trivero. The fashion house said that developing a Zegna automotive fabric with the look of formal menswear presented the most interesting design challenge. The fabric needed a masculine pattern typical of the best traditional weaves, but it also needed to have the feel, softness and prestige typical of Zegna cloth. Chrome surfaces are specially treated to produce a distinctive satin finish. They provide striking contrast to the fabric. A brass “Limited Edition One of 100” plate is set in the central console. The radica walnut trim with its natural-wood feel

and open-pore surface look fantastic with the interior’s other materials. Ermenegildo Zegna also designed an exclusive Owner’s Collection kit for sale with the car. It contains a generous assortment of 19 refined articles, including leather items, personal accessories and a 3.5-meter cut of Zegna silk decorated with the seats’ chevron motif. Only 100 kits exist. The car also has an exclusive Bowers & Wilkins Premium Sound System with 15 speakers, including

a powerful subwoofer, a 1,280-watt amp and QuantumLogic Surround technology. Standard equipment includes steel pedals with rubber inserts, a removable ashtray in the front cupholder and an 18-inch spacesaver spare. The mighty 530-hp (523 lb-ft of torque) twin-turbo V8 powers the car, good for 4.6 0-60-mph times and a 190-mph top speed. Nice! Production starts in July.

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MASERATI & BULGARI: UNITING THE VISION When two of the world’s mostprestigious Italian brands combine values, you’re likely to get reﬁnement, prestige and emotion. Such is the case with Bulgari and Maserati. They’ve chosen to share ideals, epitomized in the innovative Bulgari Octo Maserati watch.

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The Octo Maserati merges the two firms’ expertise, precision, performance, style and elegance. In their respective fields, the companies’ histories are marked with luxury-defining innovations. The Octo Maserati expresses this shared vision.

The automatic watch has a stainless-steel case and features a blue lacquered dial and unique blue leather strap with stainless-steel folding buckle. The Maserati Trident badge is featured on the transparent case back.

THE GEAR Maserati’s style and flair can be seen in its merchandise. All are unique items in exclusive collections made with the automaker’s typical attention to detail. You’ll ﬁnd a mix of design, technology and craftsmanship in every item. Here are a few samples. See it all at maseratistore.com/us_en

1. The MC12 Sport Mid sneakers help showcase Maserati’s strong racing ties. The Trident logo is featured prominently, as it should be.

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2. Maserati calls this gorgeous thing the Boston Bag, crafted in dark brown deerskin leather with the Trident logo stamped on the center. [2]

3. This men’s lined long full-zip softshell jacket celebrates the automaker’s huge racing spirit. 4. The made-to-order cycle is hand-built and comes in Maserati 8CTF special colors.

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THE FUTURE ALFIERI Maserati’s A6 GCS-53 was one of the most famous, decisive and influential cars in history. It brought sports-racing technology directly into a road-car body for wealthy owners in the 1950s. And the “A” in A6 GCS-53 stood for “Alfieri,” one of the founding Maserati brothers. Just as it was a turning point in Maserati’s road-car history in 1953, the new Alfieri concept, unveiled at March’s Geneva motor show, marks Lorenzo Ramaciotti’s vision of where Maserati’s future road-car designs are headed. With the Quattroporte, Ghibli and Levante dominating headlines of late, you would be forgiven for thinking Maserati was turning into a performance and luxury limousine maker. Company leadership felt it needed to send a powerful message: It’s still in the sports-car business, and it’s there to stay. The 2+2 Alfieri is sheer Italian

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style, wrapped menacingly and, Maserati insists, fitting perfectly over the next GranTurismo’s stillsecret mechanicals. That might be the case if an Alfieri derivative reaches production, but the concept sits on a GranTurismo MC Stradale chassis. Maserati cut 9.5 inches from the wheelbase for a 180.7-inch car with

a 106-inch wheelbase. It’s 76 inches wide and 50 inches high, all weighing in at less than 3,085 pounds. The Alfieri visually promises to deliver tremendous speed. Indeed, the concept uses the proven (and fast) GranTurismo mechanicals, including the rear-mounted transaxle gearbox and 4.7-liter engine. In Alfieri trim, it produces around

465 hp and 383 lb-ft of torque at 4,750 rpm, all pumped through a handmade exhaust system. Ramaciotti requested the design look aggressive but understated to celebrate Maserati’s centenary while still giving hints to Maserati’s future designs. The concept keeps the long, low hood line common to all modern Maseratis, fronted by a vertically divided, concave grille, with Maserati’s signature clean-panel sculpting. “Maserati doesn’t change,” said Ramaciotti in Geneva. “Maserati is always Maserati.” Maserati received strong support for turning the Alfieri, considerably shorter than the GranTurismo, into a production car, but it has yet to make up its mind.

LEVANTE Maserati’s biggest effort in becoming an across-the-board alternative to the premium Germans isn’t the Ghibli. It isn’t the Quattroporte, either. It’s the Levante. The big SUV, on sale early next year, will be based on the same chassis as the Ghibli and Quattroporte after Maserati decided it wasn’t possible to turn Jeep Grand Cherokee architecture into a sharp-enough handler to wear the Trident. Besides, the Jeep’s off-road capacity was probably far more hardcore than necessary in the Levante. Levante uses all three Maserati powerplants, including the 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6, the Biturbo 3.0-liter gas V6 and the Biturbo 3.8-liter V8. Levante also uses a development of Maserati’s applauded eight-speed automatic transmission, a sophisticated five-link rear suspension and active suspension to keep the machine level and comfortable even under extreme driving conditions. More than 196 inches long,

which is about 6 inches longer than a Grand Cherokee, the Levante’s goal is to deliver the Ghibli’s sumptuous cabin atmosphere in a robust, go-anywhere five-door package. Maserati is also emphatic that it achieves the conflicting goals of sports-sedan handling and genuine, light off-road ability. Maserati has been trying to build this machine for more than 10 years. You can argue that the Italian automaker kick-started the current wave of large, luxurious SUVs back in 2003 when it showed the Giugiarodesigned Kubang. Maserati didn’t have the resources to develop an all-new chassis for it, though, and it mothballed the project. The 2011 Frankfurt motor show changed all that when Maserati showed a new-generation Kubang. This time, its production future was guaranteed, thanks to Fiat Group boss Sergio Marchionne saying that Fiat was placing a big bet on building Maserati into a top-level prestige brand. The rest, as they say, is history, much like the Kubang name. Nothing is stopping the Levante now.

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SURPRISE!

Detailing Maserati’s unexpected New York auto show unveiling Hot on the heels of the Alfieri Concept stunning the Geneva motor show, Maserati continued its 100th anniversary celebration in the Big Apple, revealing two new cars, the GranTurismo MC Centennial Edition coupe and convertible. The cars’ performance, luxury and style pay homage to the company’s generations of closed and open cars. Peter M. Grady, Maserati North America’s president and CEO, called the Centennial range “vibrant offerings which reference the storied passion and romance of the Maserati tradition. “Along with the Ghibli and

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Quattroporte sedans,” he continued, “which have found a welcome reception in the market, the sporty new GranTurismo MC Centennial Edition coupes and convertibles are for those who desire inspired automobiles,” he said. Both models feature three special new three-layer color schemes, in addition to the four already available for the GranTurismo MC. Each of the seven exterior finishes has a specific interior finish. The leatherupholstered seats are gorgeous, with contrasting inserts (red, white and blue). The color scheme extends to the headrests and surrounds the

embroidered Trident logo, and the colors mimic the laser-engraved details on the wheels. Carbon-fiber inserts on the dash, seat surrounds and a kick plate enhance the interior. The three-layer paint colors include magma red and inchiostro blue—two colors meant to emphasize the sporting nature of the more-extreme MC versions of the GranTurismo and GranTurismo

INTRODUCING THE NEW GHIBLI APP

convertible. The two colors are the traditional colors of Bologna, where the company was founded in 1914. Maserati’s 4.7-liter, 454-hp V8 powers the Centennial range, mated to a ZF six-speed automatic transmission, providing a 185-mph top speed. Dual-cast Brembo brakes and sport-tuned MC suspension are standard. Sales are due to begin in July.

An all-new app for the Maserati Ghibli—designed for iPad, iPad 2, iPad Mini, iPhone and iPod—oﬀers a special preview of the stunning new Maserati Ghibli, proving this luxury sport sedan truly is the opposite of ordinary. The app’s high-performance features match the car’s style and capability. “We kicked oﬀ 2014 with the launch of one of the best-received Super Bowl commercials, ‘Strike,’ featuring the all-new Maserati Ghibli, and extended the brand to another massive cultural icon, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 50th Anniversary Issue. Now it’s time to bring the Maserati Ghibli experience online via our brand-new Ghibli app,” said Grady. The app includes a thorough description of the car’s features and functionality, full 360-degree

views, a car exterior colorizer, safety and security features, and trim-level comparisons. An augmented-reality feature allows you to photograph a Ghibli placed anywhere you might be and share it through various social-media channels. There’s also a Ghibli picture gallery and video content you can save and share. Want to know where the closest dealer is? Want to schedule a test drive? It’s all here. And of course you can build your own Ghibli in your favorite color and interior trim. Download the new app on iTunes.

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