At the age of 65, this singer has driven a dozen cars... but it was a Maserati V8 that she dreamed of: «I'll pass it on to my granddaughter»

Some cars are more than just means of transport. They accompany periods of life, mark turning points, tell of desires, memories and sometimes even legacies. This is exactly what Japanese singer Fuji Ayako tells us in a story published by GQ Japan, The result is a car that's as eclectic as it is elegant, right up to its real favorite: a Maserati Levante Trofeo with a roaring V8, which she already imagines one day passing on to her granddaughter.

Over the years, the artist has owned almost a dozen cars. Convertibles with European charm, SUVs capable of tackling mountain roads, and finally this big Italian SUV that has become much more than a car in his eyes: it's a matter of course.

Convertibles with a taste for freedom

Fuji Ayako's automotive story doesn't begin with Maserati. Before achieving this Italian dream, the singer lived several lives behind the wheel. After a Peugeot 306 Cabriolet, which introduced her to the pleasure of a car synonymous with freedom and autonomy, she briefly drove a Saab 900 Cabriolet, again seduced by the model's elegance.

But her life changed when she acquired a second home in the Yamanashi region. Steeper roads, higher altitudes and wintry conditions prompted her to rethink her priorities. Gone were the convertibles, replaced by 4-wheel drive. She first chose a second-generation Jeep Cherokee, with its angular silhouette, before succumbing to the more modern next generation, after seeing a stylist arrive at a film location with this new, more rounded model.

These two Cherokees, both black, were to stay with her for a long time. They became partners on her journeys between Tokyo and her mountain home, where she liked to be alone, writing poetry and composing. On frozen winter roads, the American SUV inspires her confidence. This is when Fuji Ayako realizes that she has become, almost without realizing it, an SUV woman.

The click of a Range Rover seen in a parking lot

Years later, another bolt from the blue would set her on a new course. While picking up her granddaughter, still a child at the time, she noticed a car in a parking lot that she immediately found magnificent: navy-blue bodywork, white roof, elegant, distinctive looks. It's a Range Rover Evoque.

Seduced, she reproduced this configuration almost identically, adding a carefully chosen beige interior. This SUV marks a new stage in her relationship with the automobile: she no longer just wants to drive a car she likes, she now wants a car shaped to her tastes, right down to the smallest detail. The pleasure of personalization is now fully part of her world.

She becomes very attached to this Evoque. However, a few years later, a new episode brings back an older, deeper desire.

When she tries to buy a Jaguar, she realizes that her true dream lies elsewhere.

In 2019, the singer is adopting two rescued cats, Maru and Oreo. Since they belong to the feline family, the idea of buying a Jaguar is almost a playful wink. So she went to the British carmaker with this intention in mind.

But on the spot, doubts set in. In the end, the models she discovers seem too close to what she's already familiar with from her Range Rover Evoque, both in terms of size and overall ambience. Changing for something so similar suddenly loses its meaning.

Then a personal memory resurfaces: that of her father once fulfilling his dream of owning a Toyota Crown. Fuji Ayako asks herself a simple, almost intimate question: what is her own personal automotive dream? The answer springs immediately to mind. It's not Jaguar. It's Maserati.

She says she's always dreamed of one day driving a Maserati, but never really took the plunge. This time, she decided the time was right. Not later. Not another day.

From the Levante Modena V6 to the V8 revelation

At the time, Maserati's choice of SUV was still called Levante. The dealer presented the upcoming arrival of the Grecale, more compact, newer and probably better suited to its purpose. Fuji Ayako is already imagining a bespoke configuration, with black bodywork, a few red accents and a more feminine look.

The problem is the wait: you'll have to wait about a year to receive the Grecale you've ordered. In the meantime, she takes the wheel of a Maserati Levante Modena. And that's when everything changes.

At first, Levante seemed a little big, a little intimidating. But she soon got used to it. Better still, she fell under the spell of its presence, its atmosphere and, above all, its mechanics. When the Grecale finally arrives, the story doesn't go according to plan. She admits to missing the sound of the Levante's engine. Even the audio system seems better in the big SUV. After just a few months behind the wheel of the Grecale, the verdict is in: what she really wants is to go back to the Levante.

She made a very specific request: she wanted a Levante Trofeo. Problem: the model was already out of production. She had to look all over Japan for one. Finally, the long-awaited model was found.

A white and red Levante Trofeo, the obvious choice

The Maserati she's driving today isn't just any Maserati. It's a Levante Trofeo, the most powerful version of the Italian SUV, powered by a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 developing 580 hp and 730 Nm of torque. An engine with a rare temperament, with that extra mechanical soul that enthusiasts recognize from the very first seconds.

But beyond the technical specifications, it's also the configuration that appeals to her. Fuji Ayako says she was once impressed by a white Rolls-Royce with red interior, which she found particularly elegant. The Levante Trofeo she finally found, however, features just such a combination: white bodywork, red interior. For her, it's not a coincidence, but almost a date.

She says she loves this car so much that she thinks she could keep it all her life. The V8, in particular, fascinates her. Its growl, its nobility, its sonic personality are all part of the fun. In an increasingly electrified automotive world, she sees her choice as something very much her own. Riding a V8 today is not just a mechanical preference, it's also a way of asserting her taste, her style and a certain idea of the automobile.

«I'd like to pass it on to my granddaughter».»

One of the most touching passages in her testimony concerns her granddaughter, now aged 17. Fuji Ayako explains that she loves going on trips with her in this Maserati. The image is powerful: a grandmother at the wheel of a 580hp Italian SUV, revving up the V8 with her granddaughter at her side.

When asked if the roles could be reversed and her granddaughter could one day drive the car while she is a passenger, she smiles and says that it might be a little scary, but that she'd like to keep driving the car long enough to be able to pass it on to her.

This is perhaps where this story becomes more than just an automotive tale. The Maserati is no longer simply the symbol of a dream fulfilled. It becomes a link between generations, the continuity of a journey once begun with her father's car, and which could continue tomorrow with her granddaughter.

A Maserati to reflect your personality

What emerges from this story is just how much this Levante Trofeo seems to fit Fuji Ayako. It's as if this car hadn't arrived at the end of her career by chance, but as the logical culmination of a strong taste for fine mechanical engineering, elegance and cars with a soul.

After driving French and Swedish cabriolets, and a succession of American and British SUVs, she finally found in a Maserati everything she'd been looking for without necessarily formulating it clearly all along: character, style, emotion and that mechanical soundtrack that's impossible to forget.

At its heart, this story reminds us of a simple fact: some cars you buy, others you choose with your heart. For Fuji Ayako, the Maserati Levante Trofeo clearly belongs to the latter category.