Maserati Celebrates 60 Years Of Quattroporte; Take a Trip Down Its Lineage

Published On: 31 October 2023
100 Views

After completing 100 years globally, Maserati Quattroporte, the high-end saloon marked its 60 year anniversary yesterday in the country with the 6th generation as its latest version.

The Maserati Quattroporte set its foot on Indian soil on 30th October, 1963, at one and only Turin Motor Show taking place in Italy. And yesterday, the premium saloon marked its 60th anniversary with a total of 6 generations in its course and having more than 100 years of history. The lavish automaker also suggested that around 75 thousand Quattroporte models have been developed till date.

Trip Down To Each Generation

First Generation(1963)

Inspired by the Maserati 5000 GT, the first Quattroporte had a unique front fascia with four-round headlights and a smaller grille. The dashboard was covered in leather and the seats were upholstered in leather. The Quattroporte's lightweight design was enhanced by its use of unibody steel bodywork, in contrast to many other luxury vehicles. It was fitted with a 4.1-liter V8 engine that generated 260 horsepower and could go up to 230 kmph. The first-generation Quattroporte was produced in just 230 pieces.

Second Generation(1974-1988)

The fact that Citroen owned Maserati at the time presented difficulties for the second generation. In the Middle East, just 12 Quattroporte II units were made and distributed. Maserati's original plan was to equip the Quattroporte II with a V8 engine, but their Tipo 107 V8 engine was out of date and too large for the Citroen SM chassis. Consequently, the company chose a 3.0-liter V6 engine that generated 207 horsepower at 6500 rpm.

Third Generation(1979-1983)

Giugiaro designed the third generation, which did away with Citroen technology. It was equipped with a Maserati V8 engine and rear-wheel drive, and its mechanical components came from Kyalami, South Africa. It was a financial success, and in 1987 the Quattroporte Royale, a redesigned version, was introduced. Up until 1990, 2,145 units were produced during the course of production.

Fourth Generation(1994-1998)

The first Quattroporte to be fully owned by Fiat was the fourth generation, which was introduced in 1994. Even though it was smaller, it still had a powerful performance, reaching a top speed of 259 kmph and accelerating from 0 to 100 kmph in less than six seconds. A 3.2-liter, 32-valve V8 engine was also available in 1996, which increased performance even more.

Fifth Generation(2008-2013)

With Pininfarina design modifications, the fifth-generation Quattroporte made its public appearance at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show. It had a 395 horsepower 4.2-liter V8 engine. More potent options were added to later models, such as a 4.7-liter Quattroporte S with 424 horsepower and a Quattroporte Sport GT S with 434 horsepower. Before manufacturing stopped in 2012, more than 5,000 units were made.

Sixth Generation(2013)

In 2013, the most recent sixth-generation Quattroporte was introduced. It was first offered with a twin-turbo 3.8-liter V8 engine from Ferrari or a twin-turbo V6 engine. This version is the largest of the previous models thanks to its 3169.92 mm wheelbase and unibody chassis made of steel and aluminum. The fastest Quattroporte ever was the Quattroporte Trofeo, which debuted in 2021 and had a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 engine that had been tuned to produce 580 horsepower and a 0-100 kmph time of 4.5 seconds.