There’s nothing new to see here, you might be thinking. After all, we’ve had an array of alluringly affordable examples of everyone’s favourite Maserati Quattroporte on PH before: see the eight grand Brave Pill, and what looked like a really nice 4.2 also at four figures in 2022. Cheap QPs have existed for a while, because folk are anxious about what it might cost in the long run; you’d imagine they might continue to be available for a while yet, but that’s surely been said about all manner of cars over the years. With Maserati having now made its final V8, and any future Quattroporte likely to be a very different prospect to what’s come before, interest in the M139 era is hardly likely to wane.
Anyway, the car in question. The keen will have already noticed that this isn’t a 4.2, because it looks a bit different to the early cars. But yes, for the avoidance of any doubt, this is a 4.7-litre, 430hp Maserati Quattroporte, available for £9,950. Which feels like a bit of a conversation starter.
Primarily, it could be argued, because with the larger engine came a ZF automatic gearbox in place of the original automated manual. The purists might decry the demise of the transaxle layout and the slightly more favourable weight distribution, but the regular ZF torque converter was widely regarded to be a better fit for the QP’s remit than the Graziano. Here is one of those cars, for thousands less than anything else similar on PH right now.
As might be reasonably expected as a result, it isn’t quite perfect - let’s be realistic. The most desirable of these 4.7s was the Sport GT S, with 440hp and different suspension; this is just a 4.7 S, with Skyhook damping and 10hp less. It’s being sold as too good to trade, with no warranty and the usual spiel, though it is on offer from Hofmanns of Henley; hardly some dodgy backstreet seller. It’d be a shock for them to offer up a pup.
This year’s MOT noted rusty springs all round and worn tyres; hardly the end of the world, and a great excuse for a proper suspension refresh to really bring the QP’s famed handling back to life. Nobody ever really loved Skyhook, anyway. Otherwise it looks in really good condition, wheels in particular very smart indeed and interior free from excessive wear after 70,000 miles. We’ve all seen worse, certainly.
Even fixed up and in fine fettle, a 4.7-litre, V8 Maserati is going to cost a lot to run. 18mpg and 365g/km will see to that, before thinking of any remedial work. But you knew that already. It’s the £9,950 for a 2009 car that might come as news. Amazingly enough, it is possible to buy a contemporary rival for similar money - see this 6.2-litre Mercedes S63 - but, well, it’s not a Maserati Quattroporte. And it isn’t less than ten thousand pounds. Do keep us posted if you take the plunge…
SPECIFICATION | MASERATI QUATTROPORTE 4.7 S (M139)
Engine: 4,244cc, V8
Transmission: 6-speed automated manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 430@7,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 361@4,750rpm
CO2: 365g/km
MPG: 18
Recorded mileage: 73,000
Year registered: 2009
Price new: c. £80,000
Yours for: £9,950
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