AboutThatCar.com
Maserati: Back & Better
Tuesday, February 5, 2008 
By Frank S. Washington 

DETROIT – Maserati is a well known brand but when it comes to the U.S. the Italian maker of luxury performance cars is but a bit player in the world’s biggest automotive market.

The motor masters from Modena left here eleven years ago with their tails tucked between their legs. Sales had plummeted and their quality was so bad that a derisive axiom about a Maserati was not whether it would break down but when.

Now, Maserati is back and it’s better. Much of the credit can go to its new virulent big brother – Ferrari. The two brands are part of the Fiat Empire. The short story is Ferrari now engineers Maserati products, mainly by providing motors for its cars.

Engines are the heartbeat of any performance car. What’s more we doubt that those Ferrari engineered engines are going to be dropped into a body that’s well, crap. Thus, quality, not performance, is an issue today when it comes to a Maserati.

Still, Maserati faces significant challenges in the U.S. How do you sell a niche vehicle (Maserati sold just 2,600 cars worldwide last year) in a mass market, especially without a big marketing budget?  Presence, exclusivity, superior products and limited production runs, that’s how.

Maserati has managed to get its products placed on popular TV shows like “The Sopranos” and “Entourage” and it’s not uncommon to see a Maserati in a music video or in a hip hop car magazine. What’s more, Jay Z and Beyonce requested a Maserati to motor around Hollywood during last year’s Golden Globe Awards. That’s not a bad thing.

Maserati recently inked a deal with Ferragamo to produce an exclusive six-piece set of luggage as an option for one of its models that cost close to $10,000.

Maserati doesn’t have the money to advertise on big budget media like TV so it focuses on events where people can see, feel and sometimes test drive its vehicles. With prices ranging from $100K to $150K, a Maserati is certainly not cheap. But it is a value.

There are models of German luxury sedans that cost more but Maserati argues that’s because those cars are optioned up in price. A spokesman said in so many words that a Maserati starts out as a $100,000 car; thus it is a better built car.
 
 This year, Maserati started its limited run program. Only100 of the automaker’s Quattroporte Collezione Cento will be built. Each has a numbered plate on the dashboard. The Cellezione is based on the Quattroporte GT S which is no slouch itself.

The sedan has a 400 horsepower V8, a six-speed automatic transmission and it delivers about 340 pounds-feet of thrust – 75 percent of it available at 2,500 rpm. What that means is press aggressively on the gas pedal and the Cellezione will haul tail from just about any speed.

However, the Maserati Collezione is about luxury and some of its equipment is expected while other stuff is impressive. The audio system can play iPods and MP3/WMA tracks. The car can handle a SIM card and it has a USB port so that passengers can view photographs, videos or listen to tracks contained in other peripherals as Maserati puts it.

Paint is ivory, the wheels are 20-inch polished rims and the Collezione has a honey combed grille and side ports. Its interior has Poltrona Frau “Cuoio” colored leather seats with diamond-shaped stitching and matching buttons in the center. There are polished Wengé wood inserts on the steering wheel, center console and receptacle. It even has mother of pearl inlays.

The armrest in the rear seats also features a built-in keypad for Internet browsing and email access. Two touch screens are built into the back of the front seats and there is a CD/DVD player built into the back of the center console. Have they forgotten anything?

For $147,000, if you’ve got the bucks, the Maserati Quattroporte Collezione Cento is a bargain.

Frank S. Washington is managing partner/editor of AboutThatCar.com