AS we all know, Namibia is up there with the best in the world when it comes to driving very expensive, imported and exotic cars.
Every now and then one is spotted parked somewhere in town, or casually cruising through the neighbourhoods, with their respective owners avoiding eye contact, and operating well under the radar. And despite their opulent taste in motor cars, this breed of motorist always avoids the press and opts rather for discretion than flaunting their multi-million dollar ride.
Recently Woema stumbled across this black beauty – a Maserati four-door with a personalised registration ‘Q Porte’ – which got its fair share of wolf whistles from passers by, including myself. Some of our readers might even be familiar with this car, but since the owner was nowhere in sight, it was difficult to pin point what model this was exactly, although winging a guess, it is not the 2014 model but a previous edition.
A new blue blooded Maserati, top of the range sports coupe, convertibles and limited edition models, sets you back in the region of about N$4-mil, while the basic models costs as much as N$1,9 million. Indeed these ‘babies’ and not a dime a dozen, the top of the range are for only the few privileged people in the world. However the Quattroporte is more affordable if you can call it that, and goes for around N$2-mil.
People who drive a Maserati make a statement just by the name alone – and the Maserati Quattroporte which is a luxury four-door sedan manufactured by Maserati in Italy – is a luxury performance car that offers practicality mixed with stylish looks and sports car handling.
The name translated from Italian literally means “four doors“. There have been six generations of this car, with the first launched in 1963, and the current model launched in 2013.
According to ‘AutoExpress’ the latest Quattroporte features new Ferrari-developed V6 and V8 petrol engines; mated to a ZF-supplied 8-speed automatic gearbox, with four-wheel drive available on the V6 in left-hand drive markets only. It is lighter and more efficient than the car it replaced.
It is said to be technically a rival for the Mercedes S-Class and Jaguar XJ, but only the fastest and most expensive variants, such as the S63 AMG and supercharged XJR. It was the introduction of the 3.0-litre diesel from the Ghibli that’s the really big news, making the Maserati a big player in the lucrative executive car market. Ambitious plans are afoot to grow the trident brand from a small-batch carmaker into a full-line luxury-car manufacturer. Can’t wait.
The black Maserati Quattroporte that lives in Windhoek, which although is not the latest current creation is one of the top previous models, this Italian manufacturer featured over the six generations since they started in 1963 (Photo Donna Collins)