Tuesday 1st September 2015

Maserati Quattroporte Evo: You Know You Want To

Because old Maseratis are cool, and even more so when they're cheap

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This was originally going to be a story on a Maserati Shamal because, well, when did you last hear anything about the Maserati Shamal? There are two on PH, they're incredibly rare and who wouldn't fancy a go at two turbos, a manual gearbox and short wheelbase?

Let's call the styling individual...

But both are in excess of £45K, which is a lot of money. Especially when a Quattroporte with a very similar twin-turbo V8 engine is £13,000. And that's for an immaculate low mileage car too, not some recently discovered moss-ridden 'project'.

Crucially this car is a Quattroporte IV Evoluzione, the Evo tag reflecting Ferrari's input after taking control of Maserati in 1997. But this wasn't just a case of signing a couple of contracts and business continuing as usual - oh no. Ferrari closed down the Maserati factory immediately after taking control for a complete refurbishment, so shocked at how it was being run. When production of the QP resumed in 1998, it was not only being built in freshly updated factory but also with hundreds of detail tweaks and hence the 'Evo' tag.

What changed little was the Gandini design. Yes, it's dated and the overhangs are quite ungainly but, to these eyes, there's something really charming about this QP. It's quite compact and modest, yet still recognisable as a Maserati. Or boxy and dull. Very perspective dependent!

Grigio Alfieri with Bordeaux? Noice!

To matters we can all agree on. The fourth-generation Quattroporte is a very rare car but, even still, you're unlikely to find a better example than this. Owned "for a number of years" by a Maserati Club member, it has only covered 41,000 miles in 15 years and understandably looks very fresh because of it. The colour combo is lovely and, as you might expect, the service record is impeccable. Here a more knowledgeable PHer can fill us in on how reliable a QP really is...

Given this car is being pitched as a YKYWT, we probably should discuss why you wouldn't in a little more detail. Put simply, it's because you might well want other Maseratis instead. If four doors aren't a requirement, then the 3200GT must be a lot more desirable to many. Still impossibly pretty, it can also be considered the first model of 21st century Maserati. Lovely. Furthermore this car's replacement, the Quattroporte V, is only getting cheaper. Sure, it will be an early one with the horrid automated manual 'box and quite a few miles, but it's hard to argue against when cars like this are £12K.

It would be great to see this Quattroporte appreciate like the Ghibli and Shamal as a reminder of Maserati's more eccentric times. Heck, if a Biturbo can be worth £15K then there has to be hope for some QP recognition. Long live the curio!

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MASERATI QUATTROPORTE EVOLUZIONE
Price: £12,950
Why you should: "Shall we take the Maserati?"
Why you shouldn't: "Is the Maserati working this week?"

See the original advert here.

[Sources: ClassicDriver]

[mrpushrod]

I was quite surprised to see this on here considering how much of a pasting it took from Clarkson on old Top Gear;

http://www.google.co.uk/url?url=http://www.youtube...

Ferrari must really have been through this car with a fine toothcomb. The pre-evo model sounded like a right dog.

Edited by mrpushrod on Tuesday 1st September 13:59