Vehicle Description
Available now is this exquisite Italian Maserati Quattroporte sedan
dressed in a luxurious all black. This beauty is powered by the
Ferrari F136 4.3L V8 engine mated to an automatic transmission.
This Maserati has been very well maintained but as with any exotic
car of this age, needs some attention. Mechanically the car runs
very strong. It does have a warning light for the air bag and for
the skyhook suspension system. It also has the radio locked out due
to not having the security code. This would be a great project for
someone looking to get into an Italian car with Ferrari power for a
very low price. The creation of the Quattroporte V would be a
culmination of events that had begun in 1993 when the Italian auto
giant, FIAT, bought the Modena carmaker from De Tomaso, another
Italian car brand. This rival sports car manufacturer had saved
Maserati from liquidation, in 1975, however their plans for the
Modena car plant had been ill conceived and poorly executed
throughout. With FIAT's backing, Maserati were on a stronger
footing and, in 1997, 50% of the company was sold to FIAT's
stablemate, Ferrari. Their business plans for the Trident were very
different. While De Tomaso wanted to turn Maserati into affordable
family sedans for Italian men, Ferrari were eyeing them to be their
luxury arm. With big financial clout and a plethora of Ferrari
hardware and technology at their disposal, Maserati were poised
again to make automobiles that mattered. Their first real
partnership, to this end, was the Maserati Coupe and Maserati
Spyder that came out in 2002. The combination of Trident styling
over the chassis and powertrain of a Prancing Horse ensured great
success and enhanced reputation that saw the car brand being sold,
once again, in North America, after an 11-year absence. It was from
here that they turned their attention to one of their iconic models
�€" the Quattroporte. Utilizing the same 4.2-liter V8 Ferrari
engine, this would be the foundation from what would be built
around it. The sensual curves of the bodywork would also mark an
auspicious occasion as this was the first Maserati to be designed
by Pininfarina for 50 years. The long overdue wait for the 2007
Maserati Quattroporte was due to an ultimatum issued by Enzo
Ferrari, as he told the famous design house that they could only
design cars for one of them. Now that the Trident was under the
wing of Ferrari allowed for a bend in the rules. What was unveiled
as a result of all of this work was instantly regarded as a classic
Maserati. With an alluring shape, high performance and handling
matched only by its elegant and sumptuous interior, put this luxury
sedan to the forefront of a very competitive field. As with
previous models, the 2007 Maserati Quattroporte would be fitted
with the same 4.2 Liter V8 Ferrari engine. While this would provide
all models with 400 hp at 7,000 rpm, the difference in
transmissions meant varying torque and acceleration numbers. The
original 'DuoSelect' six-speed automated manual gearbox would
achieve 333 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm though the new six-speed
automatic improved this to 340 lb-ft at only 4,250 rpm. But the
manual would give a better speed and acceleration, as it managed to
hit 0-60 mph in 5.2 seconds and hit a top speed of 171 mph. The new
automatic gearbox could only do the 0-60 mph dash in 5.6 seconds
and make 168 mph. The engine note was scintillating as, even at low
revs, the V8 roared from under the hood and out the back of the
quad tailpipes. Fuel economy for this big luxury sedan was gauged
at 13 mpg in city driving and 18 mpg on the highway. Much to
everyone's relief, the 2007 Maserati Quattroporte now had a
six-speed automatic transmission by the German specialists, ZF.
This would be, by no means, an easy alteration. While the DuoSelect
was installed over the rear axle, the new ZF automatic gearbox was
shifted to the front beside the V8 engine. This would create
differences in the weight distribution wi
