There really is no better way to travel across the Continent in style...especially when your purpose is a date with a supermodel
Meeting the Kidds............
It was very early in the morning – 5.00 am to be exact – yet somehow the pain of early rising in the grim dull urban heaviness of the South East London air was eased somewhat by the purpose of my efforts. The destination was Switzerland, and the popular ski-ing resort of Klosters, the purpose was to link up with The Kidds - -that’s supermodel Jodie of course, and her Polo loving brother Jack Kidd, who will be playing for Team Maserati in the first International Polo on Snow Challenge.
But for the moment that was not the cause of my excitement, it was more to do with how we planned to get there; not by plane, nor train, but by a very special luxury Italian automobile, the sleek and sophisticated Maserati Quattroporte.
Mystery
It’s 6.30 am now, and the Quattroporte looks sleek and mysterious parked on its own, bang in the middle of our large office car park. Yet the car had such presence that it almost commanded your attention should you look in its direction. Its shiny black paintwork, smooth Pininfarina lines, and subtle chrome finish to door handles, doors, and side air vents, matched to fat aluminium alloys–looked alluring; an artist’s contrast of beauty against grey urban mass. As I walked towards the car, it’s tinted glass added more to the growing sense of seductive mystery – a little like those wild sci-fi films where the car is possessed and driven by its own spirit.
It was only the sight of two DVD screens flashing various high resolution images through the tint of the rear window that hinted to the presence of a human being inside the car. That person was Silvia Pini, Maserati’s UK head of Public Relations who had just driven over from Kensington with the car.
Silvia was to be our host and co driver for the journey, and was busily sorting out the Sat Nav directions for the trip.
Silvia is of course Italian. She was brought up in Modena, the Italian home of Ferrari and Maserati, and has worked for both Companies for many years, first in Italy and then the UK – you could say she has been groomed and nurtured by the Ferrari/Maserati family to be a public relations Ambassador for the brand. What’s more, she is the kind of Italian woman you would expect to see behind the wheel of a Maserati or Ferrari. Somehow it all seemed to fit.
And that is very much the Italian Way – you grow with the brand and live its passion. Ferrari owned Maserati from 1997 until April 2005. The Quattroporte was launched at the Frankfurt motor show in 2003, while the Company were still under Ferrari ownership. In 2005 Maserati became independent of Ferrari and became a fully independent brand, whilst remaining part of the corporateFiat group . In Italian culture, and as an owner of a Ferrari or Maserati you also buy into Italian culture. And that means a passion for beauty, art, design, fine clothes… and in this case fast, gorgeous looking cars.
Performance with passion
That link to ‘passion’ was made the very moment I turned the ignition key. The Quattroporte’s 400 hpV8 barked into life, with what has to be one of the finest exhaust notes ever to grace a production car. Bar appearing to be a sad anorak, one is tempted to start the engine repeatedly just for the aural pleasure alone. But time was pressing, we needed to get to the Channel tunnel, and there was no time to play little boys.
The Quattroporte has a rear mounted six speed sequential gearbox with paddle shifts mounted on the steering. It’s easily easily converted to automatic shift when required at the press of a button on the centre console. It was not my first time behind the wheel of the Quattroporte, so familiarity allowed me to push on, flicking paddles up through the gears until we settled into a nice sixth gear cruise down to Dover.
The Quattroporte is such an easy car to drive. It’s a ‘big’ car of course, weighing 1970 Kg, and with a top speed of 171 mph it has supercar performance, yet this Maserati is not in the slightest bit daunting behind the wheel, and by no means requiring that ‘tame the Italian Stallion’ driving style of my own Maserati 3200 GT. Things have moved on somewhat for Maserati, and this Quattroporte simply oozes refinement.
There’s hardly any traffic on the A20, and it’s increasingly tempting to play with that 171 mph performance. But prudence says no; not yet anyway. The roads are empty, it’s 6.30 am in the morning, a tad over 70 mph wouldn’t hurt a fly, and with a car of such safe high speed cruising ability (the natural cruising speed of the Quattroporte is well into three figures) and capable of stopping on a sixpence, it took a lot of self discipline to remain a law abiding citizen. In fact it got so hard that I had to reluctantly pass the responsibility to cruise control whilst turning my attention, for the first time, to appreciating the interior cabin of our luxury cruiser.
Elegance
It’s all sumptuous handcrafted elegance. You are bathed in fine Poltrona Frau leather. There’s power-adjustable front seats with no less than fourteen different possible positions. The driver’s seat can memorise three different settings, and boasts a special Easy Entry feature which raises the steering column and slides back the seat to facilitate getting in and out of the car. There’s power-adjustable rear seats too, and the passenger on the left rear seat can electronically slide the front passenger seat forward up to 22 cm for extra legroom.
The dash of our car is a combination of leather trim and highly polished mahogany. A centrally located binnacle houses the Sat Nav, DVD, TV, and hi fi controls, with light and heating controls located in a neat cluster underneath. There’s also a GSM telephone connection as part of your additional options list. Sound quality comes courtesy of a highly impressive Bose Hi-End digital audio system.
Cabin appraised, we turn to ride quality. The Quattroporte has what is referred to as a ‘Skyhook’ suspension system designed to give the car dynamic handling whilst ensuring sumptuous ride quality. Anti-dive and anti-squat characteristics prevent the nose diving under braking and the tail-end dipping under acceleration. What’s more, the system delivers automatic damping control by monitoring the movements of the wheels and the car’s body, adapting the calibration of the dampers to suit. It actively controls the suspension’s responses and thus the reactions of the car itself. The driver has the choice of two ways of enjoying this: The Normal setting, (the one we’re on now) for maximum comfort, or Sport (the setting we try a bit later on) for a more engaging drive.
Consummate long distance cruiser
I am soon woken from my preoccupations by directions to the Channel Tunnel, and within 45 mins we are gracing the shores of Calais en route to Switzerland and Klosters. Our journey takes us some 850 miles of mainly motorway terrain. Time prevented the temptation of opting for various cross country alternatives, but there would be ample time to explore the handling characteristics of the Quattroporte over the next few days. Instead, we were very happy to simply appreciate the tremendous long distance cruising ability of this car, making a long motorway haul anything but boring, a true compliment to the car when you cruising for this distance with a tight timetable to meet.
As the pilot of a Quattroporte on a long motorway haul, you have the option of indulging in passive conversation with colleagues, family, or friends, or to simply relax and enjoy the luxurious ambience of this car whilst listening to either one of the two Hi Fi’s – the first being the exhaust note, and the second the Bose. Selfishly I go for the second option first, which means enjoying the incessant and linear urge of the Quattroporte under acceleration, and the way the torque and power combine to create blistering overtaking ability when needed. You can ‘set’ the car to whatever speed you comfortably desire, whilst enjoying the various tunes and melodies of that tremendous exhaust note.
With a good ten hours of motorway driving Silvia, photographer Garth Dale and I managed a fair bit of conversation too, finally arriving at the Sunstar Hotel Albeina, Klosters close to midnight. It was snowing, we were tired, yet there were no aches or strains from the ten hours behind the wheel – testimony to the long distance touring comfort levels achieved in this car.
Dining with the Kidds
Next day we were due to meet the Kidds; supermodel Jodie, and brother and Polo-enthusiast Jack for the pre match dinner at a local restaurant. We were a place short at the dinner table, Josie refusing to take her seat until the whole of our group were sorted. It was a night filled with joviality and fun, not least when Jodie was chided by the Manageress serving our table for requesting another slice of bread when she hadn’t yet finished her first portion. Now there’s customer service for you!
Playing
Next day, and prior to the Polo match in the evening, photographer Garth Dale and I had a little time to ‘play’ with the Quattroporte. Where conditions allowed we took advantage of the snow tyres fitted to the car, pushing the handling to the limit on the bends, the traction control flashing away. The Quattroporte has tremendous balance when asked to change direction quickly, feeling as taut as a well sorted hot hatch when driven hard.
We were lucky to stumble across an empty but drivable plot of land, bathed in ice and snow. It was flat, unused, and deserted; not a person in sight, providing a perfect opportunity to explore the handling of our plush Italian saloon! With camera ready for action I drove the car fast through a concentric circle, gradually building up the speed but keeping the line until it lost traction. It didn’t. Traction control took charge of our wayward behaviour and kept the car bang on line, testimony to the view that a high performance supercar can be extremely safe and fun, even with an idiot behind the wheel.
Match time
We weren’t the only Maseratis to turn up for the Polo match that night– Maserati were one of the core sponsors so the local dealers put a few cars on display. The match was truly exciting, and I soon found myself cheering, clapping and jeering with the crowd despite not having a clue about the rules of the game itself. Jack, a very serious, committed, and skilful player lead Team Maserati to Victory, beating Team Prodigal 7-5 in the final.
After the ceremonial trophy prize giving, it was time to celebrate….. ‘Party Time’ at which we wined, dined, and danced until the early hours of the morning. At something like 5 O am, Jack mentioned that our party might go on to another venue, but as my plane home left in three hours time, somehow it didn’t seem wise.
It was indeed with a tinge of regret that we left our party loving hosts. And equally as hard to leave the Quattroporte. Someone else was to have the privilege of piloting her home. Only two days ago I had spent 12 hours behind the wheel of that car…the experience had proved so rewarding. What better way can there be to step from your doorstep, and travel in unrivalled luxury to the far points of Europe than this? Do it Quattroporte style, and you have well and truly arrived……..
Kevin Haggarthy
1,955 words
Specification
Engine and Performance
Type 90 deg V8
Displacement 4244 cm³
Max. power output 295 kW (400 CV)*
Top speed 275 km/h (171 mph)
0 to 100 km/h (0-62 mph) acceleration 5.2 s
Braking 100km/h to 0 (62-0 mph) 36.9 m
Fuel Consumption
Urban cycle 12.2 mpg
Extra-urban cycle 24.6 mpg
Combined cycle 17.9 mpg
CO2 emissions (combined cycle) 370 g/km
Insurance Group 20
Price £74,595
Meeting the Kidds............
It was very early in the morning – 5.00 am to be exact – yet somehow the pain of early rising in the grim dull urban heaviness of the South East London air was eased somewhat by the purpose of my efforts. The destination was Switzerland, and the popular ski-ing resort of Klosters, the purpose was to link up with The Kidds - -that’s supermodel Jodie of course, and her Polo loving brother Jack Kidd, who will be playing for Team Maserati in the first International Polo on Snow Challenge.
But for the moment that was not the cause of my excitement, it was more to do with how we planned to get there; not by plane, nor train, but by a very special luxury Italian automobile, the sleek and sophisticated Maserati Quattroporte.
Mystery
It’s 6.30 am now, and the Quattroporte looks sleek and mysterious parked on its own, bang in the middle of our large office car park. Yet the car had such presence that it almost commanded your attention should you look in its direction. Its shiny black paintwork, smooth Pininfarina lines, and subtle chrome finish to door handles, doors, and side air vents, matched to fat aluminium alloys–looked alluring; an artist’s contrast of beauty against grey urban mass. As I walked towards the car, it’s tinted glass added more to the growing sense of seductive mystery – a little like those wild sci-fi films where the car is possessed and driven by its own spirit.
It was only the sight of two DVD screens flashing various high resolution images through the tint of the rear window that hinted to the presence of a human being inside the car. That person was Silvia Pini, Maserati’s UK head of Public Relations who had just driven over from Kensington with the car.
Silvia was to be our host and co driver for the journey, and was busily sorting out the Sat Nav directions for the trip.
Silvia is of course Italian. She was brought up in Modena, the Italian home of Ferrari and Maserati, and has worked for both Companies for many years, first in Italy and then the UK – you could say she has been groomed and nurtured by the Ferrari/Maserati family to be a public relations Ambassador for the brand. What’s more, she is the kind of Italian woman you would expect to see behind the wheel of a Maserati or Ferrari. Somehow it all seemed to fit.
And that is very much the Italian Way – you grow with the brand and live its passion. Ferrari owned Maserati from 1997 until April 2005. The Quattroporte was launched at the Frankfurt motor show in 2003, while the Company were still under Ferrari ownership. In 2005 Maserati became independent of Ferrari and became a fully independent brand, whilst remaining part of the corporateFiat group . In Italian culture, and as an owner of a Ferrari or Maserati you also buy into Italian culture. And that means a passion for beauty, art, design, fine clothes… and in this case fast, gorgeous looking cars.
Performance with passion
That link to ‘passion’ was made the very moment I turned the ignition key. The Quattroporte’s 400 hpV8 barked into life, with what has to be one of the finest exhaust notes ever to grace a production car. Bar appearing to be a sad anorak, one is tempted to start the engine repeatedly just for the aural pleasure alone. But time was pressing, we needed to get to the Channel tunnel, and there was no time to play little boys.
The Quattroporte has a rear mounted six speed sequential gearbox with paddle shifts mounted on the steering. It’s easily easily converted to automatic shift when required at the press of a button on the centre console. It was not my first time behind the wheel of the Quattroporte, so familiarity allowed me to push on, flicking paddles up through the gears until we settled into a nice sixth gear cruise down to Dover.
The Quattroporte is such an easy car to drive. It’s a ‘big’ car of course, weighing 1970 Kg, and with a top speed of 171 mph it has supercar performance, yet this Maserati is not in the slightest bit daunting behind the wheel, and by no means requiring that ‘tame the Italian Stallion’ driving style of my own Maserati 3200 GT. Things have moved on somewhat for Maserati, and this Quattroporte simply oozes refinement.
There’s hardly any traffic on the A20, and it’s increasingly tempting to play with that 171 mph performance. But prudence says no; not yet anyway. The roads are empty, it’s 6.30 am in the morning, a tad over 70 mph wouldn’t hurt a fly, and with a car of such safe high speed cruising ability (the natural cruising speed of the Quattroporte is well into three figures) and capable of stopping on a sixpence, it took a lot of self discipline to remain a law abiding citizen. In fact it got so hard that I had to reluctantly pass the responsibility to cruise control whilst turning my attention, for the first time, to appreciating the interior cabin of our luxury cruiser.
Elegance
It’s all sumptuous handcrafted elegance. You are bathed in fine Poltrona Frau leather. There’s power-adjustable front seats with no less than fourteen different possible positions. The driver’s seat can memorise three different settings, and boasts a special Easy Entry feature which raises the steering column and slides back the seat to facilitate getting in and out of the car. There’s power-adjustable rear seats too, and the passenger on the left rear seat can electronically slide the front passenger seat forward up to 22 cm for extra legroom.
The dash of our car is a combination of leather trim and highly polished mahogany. A centrally located binnacle houses the Sat Nav, DVD, TV, and hi fi controls, with light and heating controls located in a neat cluster underneath. There’s also a GSM telephone connection as part of your additional options list. Sound quality comes courtesy of a highly impressive Bose Hi-End digital audio system.
Cabin appraised, we turn to ride quality. The Quattroporte has what is referred to as a ‘Skyhook’ suspension system designed to give the car dynamic handling whilst ensuring sumptuous ride quality. Anti-dive and anti-squat characteristics prevent the nose diving under braking and the tail-end dipping under acceleration. What’s more, the system delivers automatic damping control by monitoring the movements of the wheels and the car’s body, adapting the calibration of the dampers to suit. It actively controls the suspension’s responses and thus the reactions of the car itself. The driver has the choice of two ways of enjoying this: The Normal setting, (the one we’re on now) for maximum comfort, or Sport (the setting we try a bit later on) for a more engaging drive.
Consummate long distance cruiser
I am soon woken from my preoccupations by directions to the Channel Tunnel, and within 45 mins we are gracing the shores of Calais en route to Switzerland and Klosters. Our journey takes us some 850 miles of mainly motorway terrain. Time prevented the temptation of opting for various cross country alternatives, but there would be ample time to explore the handling characteristics of the Quattroporte over the next few days. Instead, we were very happy to simply appreciate the tremendous long distance cruising ability of this car, making a long motorway haul anything but boring, a true compliment to the car when you cruising for this distance with a tight timetable to meet.
As the pilot of a Quattroporte on a long motorway haul, you have the option of indulging in passive conversation with colleagues, family, or friends, or to simply relax and enjoy the luxurious ambience of this car whilst listening to either one of the two Hi Fi’s – the first being the exhaust note, and the second the Bose. Selfishly I go for the second option first, which means enjoying the incessant and linear urge of the Quattroporte under acceleration, and the way the torque and power combine to create blistering overtaking ability when needed. You can ‘set’ the car to whatever speed you comfortably desire, whilst enjoying the various tunes and melodies of that tremendous exhaust note.
With a good ten hours of motorway driving Silvia, photographer Garth Dale and I managed a fair bit of conversation too, finally arriving at the Sunstar Hotel Albeina, Klosters close to midnight. It was snowing, we were tired, yet there were no aches or strains from the ten hours behind the wheel – testimony to the long distance touring comfort levels achieved in this car.
Dining with the Kidds
Next day we were due to meet the Kidds; supermodel Jodie, and brother and Polo-enthusiast Jack for the pre match dinner at a local restaurant. We were a place short at the dinner table, Josie refusing to take her seat until the whole of our group were sorted. It was a night filled with joviality and fun, not least when Jodie was chided by the Manageress serving our table for requesting another slice of bread when she hadn’t yet finished her first portion. Now there’s customer service for you!
Playing
Next day, and prior to the Polo match in the evening, photographer Garth Dale and I had a little time to ‘play’ with the Quattroporte. Where conditions allowed we took advantage of the snow tyres fitted to the car, pushing the handling to the limit on the bends, the traction control flashing away. The Quattroporte has tremendous balance when asked to change direction quickly, feeling as taut as a well sorted hot hatch when driven hard.
We were lucky to stumble across an empty but drivable plot of land, bathed in ice and snow. It was flat, unused, and deserted; not a person in sight, providing a perfect opportunity to explore the handling of our plush Italian saloon! With camera ready for action I drove the car fast through a concentric circle, gradually building up the speed but keeping the line until it lost traction. It didn’t. Traction control took charge of our wayward behaviour and kept the car bang on line, testimony to the view that a high performance supercar can be extremely safe and fun, even with an idiot behind the wheel.
Match time
We weren’t the only Maseratis to turn up for the Polo match that night– Maserati were one of the core sponsors so the local dealers put a few cars on display. The match was truly exciting, and I soon found myself cheering, clapping and jeering with the crowd despite not having a clue about the rules of the game itself. Jack, a very serious, committed, and skilful player lead Team Maserati to Victory, beating Team Prodigal 7-5 in the final.
After the ceremonial trophy prize giving, it was time to celebrate….. ‘Party Time’ at which we wined, dined, and danced until the early hours of the morning. At something like 5 O am, Jack mentioned that our party might go on to another venue, but as my plane home left in three hours time, somehow it didn’t seem wise.
It was indeed with a tinge of regret that we left our party loving hosts. And equally as hard to leave the Quattroporte. Someone else was to have the privilege of piloting her home. Only two days ago I had spent 12 hours behind the wheel of that car…the experience had proved so rewarding. What better way can there be to step from your doorstep, and travel in unrivalled luxury to the far points of Europe than this? Do it Quattroporte style, and you have well and truly arrived……..
Kevin Haggarthy
1,955 words
Specification
Engine and Performance
Type 90 deg V8
Displacement 4244 cm³
Max. power output 295 kW (400 CV)*
Top speed 275 km/h (171 mph)
0 to 100 km/h (0-62 mph) acceleration 5.2 s
Braking 100km/h to 0 (62-0 mph) 36.9 m
Fuel Consumption
Urban cycle 12.2 mpg
Extra-urban cycle 24.6 mpg
Combined cycle 17.9 mpg
CO2 emissions (combined cycle) 370 g/km
Insurance Group 20
Price £74,595
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