The
Maserati Quattroporte is a luxury four-door
saloon made by
Maserati in
Italy. The name translated from Italian literally means "
four doors". There have been five generations of the car, each separated by a period of roughly five years.
Quattroporte I (1963–1969)
In the early 1960s, Maserati's reputation was at a high. With growing sales, Prince
Karim Aga Khan ordered a special Maserati 5000 WP, chassis no. 103,060, designed by
Pietro Frua. The following year, Maserati showed the first-generation Quattroporte of 1963, which bore a striking resemblance to the earlier drawing. While the design was by Frua, construction was carried out by
Vignale.
This, the 1963 'Tipo 107' Quattroporte, joined two other notable grand tourers, the
Facel Vega and the
Lagonda Rapide, which could comfortably do on the new motorways of Europe. However, the Quattroporte could be said to have been the first car specifically designed for this purpose.
It was equipped with a 4.1 L (4,136 cc/252 cuin)
V8 engine, producing 256 hp (
SAE) (191 kW) at 5,600 rpm, and either a five-speed ZF
manual transmission or a three-speed
automatic. Maserati claimed a top speed of 230 km/h (143 mph).
Between 1963 and 1966, 230 examples were made.
In 1966, Maserati revised the Tipo 107, adding twin headlights (already on the
US model) and, from 1968, a 4.7 L, 295 hp (SAE) (220 kW) engine. Top speed increased to a claimed...
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