 |
| The third-generation Quattroporte, initially shown in 1976, offered more size and luxury than previous examples. Shown is an extremely rare, luxuriously appointed Royale model. (Photo: Maserati) |
The resulting production car, the limousine of choice by many of the world's wealthy and influential, was a hit by all accounts selling well in Europe and North America throughout the late 1970s and the first half of the '80s, with a special limited edition Royale version (only 55 examples made) being produced from 1986 to 1990. The fourth generation Marcello Gandini penned Quattroporte released initially in Italy in 1994 never made it stateside and thus also never came to Canada. That's a shame as it was a solid step forward in performance over previous models.
 |
| This Pininfarina styled illustration of a future Maserati Quattroporte sedan was initially shown at a Tokyo, Japan art exhibition dubbed "Artedinamica." (Photo: Pininfarina) |
But that was then, this is now. An all-new 4porte is being designed with the Americas in mind, as part of the Italian automaker's global assault on the sport/luxury vehicle market. A few intriguing artist's renderings were shown at Tokyo's "Artedinamica" exhibition in April of last year, causing a lot of commotion in the automotive press as well as with Maseratisti the world over.