Maserati Quattroporte: Spotted
If you thought an S2000 was cheap at £7.5k, wait until you see the Quattroporte that amount buys...
Here is a Quattroporte, and I know that your fingers will soon be hovering above your keyboard and smoke billowing from your ears when you read that it's got the ever-so-popular DuoSelect paddle-shift gearbox, so I shall play my trump card early - this hunk of leather and V8 is up for just £7,500.
That's a 2005 Maserati for £7.5k. With four doors, and room for the kids.
And I know what you're thinking, and you're probably right. Yes, it'll likely cost the same amount just to get it home, and double that to run it over the next year, but after all it's not a bloody Nissan Qashqai so what do you expect - 40mpg and a service plan?
Consider instead what you get for that dosh. It might be the length of an aircraft carrier but its sleek and elegant Pininfarina body still looks good today. Its engine is a characterful 406hp 4.2-litre all-aluminium V8 that bubbles with brio, which is strong enough to hurtle this huge honey of a luxobarge from 0 to 60mph in just 5.0 seconds and on to a top speed of 171mph. That's supercar quick, and it sounds fantastic, too.
The interior is so good you'll want to move in permanently, with plenty of space and wood stuff over there and soft Italian leather right here, comfortable seats and a vast array of totally illogical switchgear, and, of course, that lovely clock shaped like a, er, you know, something naughty.
On top of that it steers quickly and precisely and handles in a surprisingly neutral and sporty fashion - with verve, even, if you push it hard. In fact, tail-out action is quite possible in a Quattroporte. Not always deliberately, I know from firsthand experience, but it is at least quite easy to recover. It rides like a bastard, unfortunately, and there's no getting around that. It just does. It'll also be - potentially - unreliable.
In time they improved the Quattroporte's dynamics. They made the auto good, and the ride a bit better. But this car's still got a wonderful badge, looks lush and goes like stink and costs the same as a packet of crisps.
SPECIFICATION - MASERATI QUATTROPORTE
Engine: 4,244cc, V8
Transmission: 6-speed automated manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 406@7,000pm
Torque (lb ft): 339@4,500rpm
MPG: 19.2 (NEDC combined)
CO2: 340g/km
First registered: 2005
Recorded mileage: 88,000
Price new: £74,595
Yours for: £7,500 (!)
See the full ad here.
Mark Pearson
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