Maserati themselves pitch the Quattroporte as an "Icon of Italian Elegance", even going so far as to claim that it is the "original race-bred luxury sedan". Since the Quattroporte's first appearance in the 1960s the segment has flourished with the BMW M3, Mercedes-Benz S63, Audi RS7 and Porsche Panamera and Maserati's claim is a bold one.
According to the marque's history page, the brand was established in 1914 in Bologna in a humble workshop. Recently the company have changed hands between Fiat, Ferrari and now the conglomerate Stellantis. According to Sports Car Digest, Enzo Ferrari began racing with the Alfa Romeo racing team before beginning Ferrari which would become Maserati's main rival with their headquarters only seven miles down the road.
Over recent years the brands have shared parts and working closely together to secure a future for Italian sports cars, in 2020 Road and Track reported that Maserati's newest V6 engine shared plenty with the engines found in Ferraris and Alfa Romeos. Car Magazine published spy photos of the Ferrari Purosangue SUV, the first four-door Ferrari, but since 1963 the Quattroporte has been the closest thing to a four-door Ferrari.
The four-door Maserati has had highs and lows but its an icon no matter what.
The First Car In A Legacy
Auto Evolution write that the first generation Maserati Quattroporte became the car for every successful businessman, they go on to describe the car as "Large, reliable and comfortable", a formula that still exists with sports sedans today.
This first car was no engineering slouch with "unibody steel bodywork" as opposed to a chassis-based construction keeping the weight down. Maserati opted for a V8 engine with 260 hp which easily beat the engines coming out of America and gave the car a top speed of 130 mph, making it the fastest saloon car of its day.
This first Quattroporte lay the foundations to the Maserati's looks implementing the quad-headlight set up which would stay with the nameplate until near the end of De Tomaso's ownership of the brand which by the accounts of local paper La Stampa ended in 1993. However, there is a hint of this design in the current car.
Awkward Middle Years
The second generation of Quattroporte was released in 1974 and this era of cars are peculiar, the brand had come under Citreon ownership and was hit by difficulties. By Maserati's admission, the second was a failure never being homologated for the European market and only 12 units being produced all of which went to the middle east. With less power than the previous car, it didn't perform to the customer's expectations as a racing-bred vehicle by the same company that backed Formula 1 legend Fangio.
The successor was released under De Tomaso, this car although an acquired taste did more with the traditional three-box saloon design than the Citreon backed model as well as restoring the car's performance and increasing the levels of luxury with plush leather seats. With production beginning in 1979 and ending in 1990, this car is an icon of the 1980s just like the Countach. Jalopy's article on the car speaks to the car's success appearing on TV and films as well in 1983 becoming the car of the Italian President, beginning a tradition which still occurs today.
This third generation of Quattroporte established the car once again as a true luxury vehicle, Jalopy claim that Maserati sold 2,145 cars over the production run, a remarkable improvement over the previous car. However, once more Maserati changed ownership and the Maserati IV was unveiled to the public in 1994 at the Turin Motor Show only now it was funded by Fiat. Designed by Marcello Gandini and described by Maserati as a "Sober but elegant design", the fourth Quattroporte was boxy in its design keeping a similar front fascia to its predecessor but the rear has a hint of the Fiat Coupe about it, unsurprising considering the brand's ownership.
A New Era
Ferrari took complete control of their long term rival Maserati in 1999, this marked a renaissance for the brand. Car Scoops reported that the Maserati MC12 is based on the Enzo, as Maserati's halo car which returned the brand to racing it showed Ferrari's commitment to the marque's heritage. A few years later in 2003 at the Geneva Motorshow the Quattroporte V was revealed with its Pininfarina designed bodywork it instantly became a sales success and received a facelift in 2008.
The current Quattroporte came to market in 2013 with the top of the line Trofeo version having 580 hp and a top speed of over 200 mph it has become the winner of awards for being the best luxury saloon on sale. Maserati's renaissance has continued recently with the release of the cheaper Ghibli saloon and the Levante SUV. This has meant that in the pursuit of increased sales numbers that Maserati's lineup staples like the Gran Turismo and Quattroporte, have been left without a refresh for a long time.
Car and Driver expect the new Gran Turismo to come in 2022. Auto Car reported that a new Quattroporte isn't coming this year either but instead a facelift is coming with a hybrid engine option. The same outlet's review found that the Quattroporte has interior fit and finish issues. However in the world of executive saloons nothing quite lives up to the Maserati, like all Italian cars it has a few issues but on the outside, the current car, like that first one, is a large, comfortable race-bred vehicle with an eye-catching design which stands apart from the German rivals.